Source: http://idle.slashdot.org/story/12/04...enge-backfiresBarence writes "Microsoft challenged the editor of PC Pro to return to Hotmail after six years of using Gmail, to prove that its webmail service had vastly improved — but the challenge backfired when he had his Hotmail account hacked. PC Pro's editor say he was quietly impressed with a number of new Hotmail features, including SkyDrive integration and mailbox clean-up features. He'd even imported his Gmail and contacts into Microsoft's service. But the two-week experiment came to an abrupt end when Hotmail sent a message containing a malicious link to all of his contacts. 'What's even more worrying is that it's not only my webmail that's been compromised, but my Xbox login (which holds my credit card details) and now my PC login too. Because Windows 8 practically forces you to login with your Windows Live/Hotmail details to access features such as the Metro Store, synchronization and SkyDrive,' he writes."
The blog of the PC Pro guy who got his hotmail hacked: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2012/04...us-conclusion/
I have always gotten spam email with links to websites from hotmail accounts, just like what happened to this editor.
Is it because they had weak passwords?
Was it some form of a keylogger?
Or is hotmail not doing enough to protect their users?
Hotmail has done a lot over the past year adding new features and boosting their security and spam tools for their users.
But I will never go back to using a hotmail account.
Worst that they are forcing Windows 8 to use their windows live account as their user login.
Reading through the comments on the pcpro site, one user pointed to a website on password security. https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm
Basically, the longer the password, the harder it is to crack. Read it and add to your knowledge of creating secure passwords.