It’s true that the issue reported in this thread is not an issue with BLF security, but I do think it should be said that BLF does not support secure connections, even during login, so your BLF username and password are transferred unencrypted and could be eavesdropped. Does this actually happen? Probably not. Is it a security problem? Not likely. But it is something to know about and BLF is the only website I use that doesn’t yet support TLS connections.

I am not making a complaint against any maintainers or moderators; I just want people to understand the situation. I thank and appreciate everyone that does the normally thankless work to keep BLF operating.

Encryption is not necessary for a public discussion forum, but you should definitely not use your BLF password on any other site, though obviously you shouldn’t share any passwords with multiple sites. I use a password manager, which makes it easy to simply change my BLF password every few months to ensure that my account is still under my control, though I don’t recommend frequent password changes for other websites where no one can easily intercept your credentials; it’s a waste of time, IMO.

You must use a password manager today, even if it’s just the one built into your browser. Chrome’s password manager will even generate random passwords for you when registering an account. IIRC, Chrome has a right-click option on the PC to generate a random password in relevant fields and your credentials will then be synced to anywhere and any device where you log in to Chrome. Other browsers offer similar features, though Google is the most universal, transparent solution; log in to Chrome and Google will take care of everything else.

Yes, this means that your Google password must be strong as it’s the key to your kingdom, but this is equally true if you instead depend upon your Google e-mail account for resetting all the passwords that you’ve “forgotten”. Since you’re depending on Google so much already, you may as well use a system designed for the purpose. If you don’t use Google, then congratulations; you’ve surely had to solve all these problems on your own :wink: . (full disclosure: I use Firefox and KeePass)

If browser-based password managers aren’t your cup of tea, you might look at BitWarden (free tier, fully open source), LastPass (free tier), Dashlane, or 1Password. There are now a lot of options in this field, but I recommend using a proven, mainstream solution that is being actively supported by its developer, studied by research firms, and attacked by hackers.

  • If you’re remembering a handful of passwords and using some on multiple sites, then you’re doing it wrong.
  • If you can memorize the passwords on any site other than your “master” site/service, then you’re doing it wrong.
  • If you’re typing gibberish into password fields and then constantly using your e-mail to “reset” your passwords, then you’re doing it wrong. This is presently the most common behavior that I see.
  • These things aren’t “wrong” just because they are insecure as that’s not always the case; they are wrong mostly because they are actually more difficult than the better and easier solution called a password manager :slight_smile: . Pick a proven one that seems enjoyable to use and use it for everything.
  • Though you should use 2-factor authentication, SMS text messages are not a secure solution and you should instead use the Google Authenticator or a compatible system like Authy. (full disclosure: I don’t, but I should)
  • HaveIBeenPwned.com is service that seems “too convenient to be true”, but it’s been proven over many years and is now a core service relied upon by companies like Mozilla and Google. Luckily, you shouldn’t need to use the service directly as both Firefox and Chrome will automatically check your accounts for potential breaches and typically alert you to any problems. If you do want to use it manually, use Google/Bing to search for it or be certain to type the domain name correctly as copy-cat sites could exist that simply try to steal your information.

And then there’s this.