An email attack, a Hilton hack, and a few lessons learned. steves.life

@SteveSawczyn Clever title. ;:D

Glad you got it all sorted out. I have 3 email addresses, and they're all about 10-13 years old. I don't think I could even begin to make a list of all the websites I've used them on. Recently, I've started using Apple's hide my email feature. I also agree with you about 2fa, you should use it whenever possible. If a site allows it, I like the Microsoft Authenticator app for 2fa instead of giving my mobile number. But if I have to, I don't use my real cell number, I have a secondary VOIP number set up to receive 2fa messages and to use as my number when signing up for things. This way, my real number is never out there on the web and vulnerable to a data breach.

@Lynessence Wow, you are definitely prepared. Yeah, making a list of all the places that use my Email address is a definite challenge, but I figure it's easier to do over time as I use things rather than trying to just sit down and make the list. Um, for example, as I write this, I realize I should add micro.blog to the list. :) Your idea of using a VOIP number is also a good one. Many services claim that they block such numbers though, have you ever run into that?

@SteveSawczyn Yes, not all VOIP numbers except txt messages from shortcodes. Line 2 does, and that's whathe I've been using, though it's a little more pricy than I'd like. I'm going to investigate voip.ms and some other services to see if I can get something cheaper.

@SteveSawczyn So, it looks like there are very few services, unfortunately. Line by 2, TextNow (although you have to pay to preserve your number, but it's only $7), and an app called My Second Line which is extremely good quality but not much cheaper than Line 2. Voip.ms is hit or miss, sometimes the shortcodes work, sometimes not.