String of recently hacked accounts, PROTECT SELF ASAP
I recently had my account hacked and $12-13k (my entire online roll) was dumped at hightakes. The security investigation is still underway.
I notice there has been a string of recent attacks with some important similarities:
Some if not all of us were breached by the hacker gaining access to our pokersite-linked email accounts and using those accounts to reset our poker password.
lesson: immediately create a new email address, as secure as possible, and use it ONLY for your pokersite. Ensure this new address has no connection whatsoever to any other account, website, etc INCLUDING LISTING A SECONDARY EMAIL.
Some if not all of us had forum names that matched our poker names or email accounts, or had our SNs outed on the forums.
Lesson: change your account information on poker forums so it definitely gives no information to hackers. Preferably lie your face off, then create a new forum account. Sucks if you have 5000 posts and are well known, but if it might prevent this happening to you, it's worth it.
None of us had the stars RSA token.
Lesson: Get it. Now. Someone or some group IS actively trying to access the accounts of winning players, and that (hopefully) means you.
Many/all of us had decent antivirus/firewall software.
Lesson: this is not enough. The information needed to access our accounts is being found one way or another. Do EVERYTHING you can to plug security leaks. Become paranoid. I'd compare these attacks within the relatively small poker pro community with having a rapist/murderer/arsonist living in your quiet mountain village. And that would make me pretty damned justifiably paranoid.
All of us had more money online than we really needed. I play mostly 100nl and sometimes 200. I had over 60 buyins at the highest stake I play, which is not necessary.
Lesson: Your money is safer in a bank than it is in your poker account, PERIOD.
