Nvidia Forums Hacked

[V_R]

Saw this the other day and forgot to post it, so sorry its late.

Nvidia admits forums hacked, user data swiped

Updated Nvidia has admitted that it suspended its user forums last week because they were hacked and posters' personal data lifted.
The graphics chip maker said last night that its investigation following the discovery that "unauthorised third-parties gained access to some user information", specifically user login names, email addresses and profiles, though the latter just comprised information forum users could view anyway.
Nvidia was quick to state that while it had not stored users' password in the clear, the hackers did get hold of hashed passwords with a random salt value.
When the forums come back up - Nvidia couldn't say when this will take place beyond a general "as soon as possible" - all user passwords will be automatically reset. It will email users to prompt them to change their new, freshly assigned password.
Nvidia also warned forum folk who use their password for other sites to go and change those magic words, just in case.
If you receive any email seemingly from Nvidia requesting "personal, financial or sensitive information", ignore it, the company said, it's not from us. ®
Update
Nvidia has also confirmed that the buggers got into its Developer Zone site, which has now been closed down too, pending the outcome of its ongoing investigation into the hack.

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/07/13/nvidia_admits_forum_shutdown_prompted_by_hack/



Official Nvidia Announcement here...

Posted July 12, 2012
NVIDIA suspended operations of the NVIDIA Forums (forums.nvidia.com) last week.
We did this in response to suspicious activity and immediately began an investigation. We apologize that our continuing investigation is taking this long. Know that we are working around the clock to ensure that secure operations can be restored.
Our investigation has identified that unauthorized third parties gained access to some user information, including:

• username
• email address
• hashed passwords with random salt value
• public-facing "About Me" profile information

NVIDIA did not store any passwords in clear text. "About Me" optional profiles could include a user’s title, age, birthdate, gender, location, interests, email and website URL – all of which was already publicly accessible.
NVIDIA is continuing to investigate this matter and is working to restore the Forums as soon as possible. We are employing additional security measures to minimize the impact of future attacks.
All user passwords for our Forums will be reset when the system comes back online. At that time, an email with a temporary password, along with instructions on how to change it, will be sent to the user’s registered email address.
As a precautionary measure, we strongly recommend that you change any identical passwords that you may be using elsewhere.
NVIDIA does not request sensitive information by email. Do not provide personal, financial or sensitive information (including new passwords) in response to any email purporting to be sent by an NVIDIA employee or representative.
We will post updates about this matter here. For any questions, email us at forumsupdate @ nvidia.com
For technical support, go to www.nvidia.com/support.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/forums/index.html

 

[floppybootstomp]

Probably those pesky Linux folk after Linus told Nvidia to go **** themselves recently

Ironic, really, as Nvidia support Linux way better than AMD/ATI. Seems to me sometimes Linux aficionado's bite the hand that feeds.

If not in retaliation for Linus' remarks then who? And why?

 

[muckshifter]

... there was a 'behind the curtain' reason why Linus was so frustrated with the company. It did not have to do with open source as much as it did with China.

You may want to point your finger at some one else.


NVIDIA Loses Face and a 10 Million PC Order over Linux Drivers

Maybe some peeps in China got upset.

 

[floppybootstomp]

You may want to point your finger at some one else.

The average Linux user will only be aware of Linus' tirade and not be fully aware of the reasons behind it so it is a possibility Nvidia was hacked by Linux sympathisers.

However, I only made my remark in a light hearted way and actually think the possibility is unlikely.

I read the link story, interesting, but as ever there's more to it than meets the eye. Nvidia won't release source code, apparently, as it's not wholly owned by them, other parties help compile the Nvidia source code which means Nvidia only have part copyright to it.