Freaky hacker moment (please help)

[rumguy]

I ran a search of a screen name I have used at various times over the years....and I found it on a long list of screenames and passwords. There was my screen name and password along with possibly a couple thousand, several thousand, other ones.

I'm sure I was not meant to see this, that it would normally be hidden. There is no indication what this list is referring too, or where these screen names and passwords were gotten from.

It's just a list, a long list.

At the bottom there was this: byMensakez....

So I ran a search of Mensakez - he's some Spanish/Mexican computer hacker type - he has posts in all kinds of spanish language forums dealing with computers and hacking and proxies and all kinds of wierd shit...there is a HUGE underworld of hacking out there...this is freaking me out!!!

What could this be?

[roguevalley]

1. people being freaks. Change your passwords, honey. now.

[fearnobush]

2. It's Morpheus, and Trinity.

They want everyone to take the red pill.

[alittlelark]

3. I thought it was the blue pill

Holy Sh*t, have I been 'muckin it up all this time!!!

[NewHampster]

4. hate to say it but why not tell the FBI

[tkmorris]

5. Lemme guess

The screen name/password combination he had of yours was one you used to access AOL or Yahoo.

Those things are SO easy to hack. Actually tons of others are too but there are so many Yahoo/AOL users out there that there are boards, forums, websites, etc dedicated to trading the account info gleaned from those two.

I don't know what to tell ya here. If you use either make sure you use a screen name that is different than the one you use elsewhere. Keep your passwords unique; never fall into the trap of making them the same so you remember them. Make your passwords long and make them gobbletygook. Include numerics as well as random letters. Above all at any site where you trust them with info you don't want anyone to know (credit card numbers) make everything unique. Don't duplicate user names or passwords or even addresses if you can help it. You wouldn't believe what mischief a hacker with patience and a little info about you can cause given time.