New York Times Hacked?: NYT Users Were Just Spammed About Home Delivery

[swag]

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-hacked-spam-home-delivery-2011-12

A spam email about "Home Delivery" was just sent out from the address "[email protected]."

We've pasted the email below. We'll update with any response from the New York Times, especially regarding whether users' information was hacked.

So far they've acknowledged that the email is spam, though that doesn't say much about the nature of what happened.

The email came from an address registered to Epsilon Interactive, which was compromised last April. It's not quite clear the scale and scope of information that might have been compromised.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-hacked-spam-home-delivery-2011-12#ixzz1hrGnqoJk

[targetpractice]

1. Yay Swag! You saved me some hassle.

I was just about to call NYT customer service... I got this email despite canceling my NYT delivery 10 years ago.

Now, if I could just stop the fraudulent text messages and phone calls from Citibank about my "Citi Checking Plus" account that I never had.

[mainer]

2. I got the email. What's weird is it doesn't ask for any personal info

All it does is tell you to call a phone number to renew your subscription, and the number (as others have noted) is constantly busy. It looks very official, and I'm glad you posted it on DU!

[DJ13]

3. You mean this?

Dear Home Delivery Subscriber,

Our records indicate that you recently requested to cancel your home delivery subscription. Please keep in mind when your delivery service ends, you will no longer have unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps.

We do hope you’ll reconsider.

As a valued Times reader we invite you to continue your current subscription at an exclusive rate of 50% off for 16 weeks. This is a limited-time offer and will no longer be valid once your current subscription ends.*

Continue your subscription and you’ll keep your free, unlimited digital access, a benefit available only for our home delivery subscribers. You’ll receive unlimited access to NYTimes.com on any device, full access to our smartphone and iPad® apps, plus you can now share your unlimited access with a family member.†

To continue your subscription call 1-877-698-0025 and mention code 38H9H (Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. E.D.T.).



Yeah, its spam.

I dont have a subscription to the NYT.

[Stuart G]

18. Neither do I and I got the same one...nt..

[intheflow]

28. I got the same one.

I don't subscribe to the hard copy of NYT, but I have registered for the free access to the site to read selected articles. I assume that's where they got my email address. I'm not too worried since they didn't ask for any particularly sensitive information in the registration process... certainly not anything beyond what anyone could google about me knowing my email address.

[cbayer]

4. Yep, I got it too. I am an online subscriber, not a home delivery subscriber,

so it tweaked my radar as well.

[tosh]

9. Me too - online subscriber.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. I got it too

sent it directly into the spam bin.

Happy Holidays Swag!

[cloudbase]

6. I got it as well.

I called the number, and of course they're swamped. I wouldn't mind 50% off on my subscription, though.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. Very bizarre, as I am registered online with them but haven't paid for a

subscription since Operation Shocking and Awful (ca. 2003).

I just assumed they were working off very old database of paid subscribers and mail merged it with the boilerplate they sent out.

So I just deleted email, as NYTimes will never get another penny of my money until it runs a front-page above the fold op-ed calling for prosecution of Bush and Cheney for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

[liberal N proud]

8. got an email as well

[marybourg]

10. "requested to" was the give-away to me.nt

[frazzled]

11. I'm a long-time NYT subscriber/user

(my user name and email, unchanged, dates back to the mid-1990s). And I didn't an email--just checked my junk email folder just in case.

[matt819]

12. I got the e-mail and then e-mailed the nYT about it.

It was beautifully done. Same phone exchange as the NYT, not an unreasonable discount offer. Everything spelled right. Only problem? I hadn't altered my subscription preferences. I hope the NYT can get an e-mail out to its subscribers today. That would demonstrate pretty impressive responsiveness to a scam that could cost their legitimate subscribers untold sums of money.

[Silver Swan]

13. I found the message in my spam a few minutes ago

I ignored it because I never had home delivery. Then I come to DU and see this!

[TBF]

15. Same here - ignored it because I haven't had home delivery in years.

My email has been the same for over 10 years though so this sort of thing happens. I don't even open them.

[SeattleVet]

14. On the NY Times front page now...

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/times-readers-inundated-by-false-e-mail-on-subscriptions/?hp

[lavenderdiva]

16. I just got this e-mail and deleted it

I'm an on-line subscriber, not a home-delivery subscriber.

[uppityperson]

17. Thanks, we got it too.

[swag]

19. Now they tell us that they sent it

NYTimes.com

Dear New York Times Reader,

You may have received an e-mail today from The New York Times with the subject line “Important information regarding your subscription."

This e-mail was sent by us in error. Please disregard the message. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Sincerely,

The New York Times

[elleng]

20. Times says e.mails sent in error:

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/times-readers-inundated-by-false-e-mail-on-subscriptions/?hp

[Charlemagne]

21. got it too

My professor was pushing me to sign up for the the physical paper (she got a deal for the department) I assumed she submitted my email for possible interest and so it was in their database that I got the paper (I just read it online)

[rocktivity]

22. A story about labor unrest at the Times, and now this?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/26/new-york-times-arthur-sulzberger-letter_n_1170401.html

Coincidence?


rocktivity

[boppers]

23. Hanlon's razor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon's_razor

Not a hack, just a huge screw-up.

[Warren DeMontague]

24. I thought that was weird.

Still, shilling for the Iraq War was a much bigger fuck-up. They can keep apologizing for THAT.

[BumRushDaShow]

25. Thank goodness for DU LBN

Hadn't had chance to check mail today and saw this post. Checked and saw the original message and the later "correction" message.

Man, what an epic mess. The article updates say the notice went out to 8 million subscribers instead of the intended 300...

[CarmanK]

26. No big deal. I just deleted the message.

[Kahuna]

27. I got it too. I'm not a subscriber. I'm only a registered online user. nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

29. Not hacked - NYT is claiming it was from them, but in error.

Email received tonight:

Dear New York Times Reader,

You may have received an e-mail today from The New York Times with the subject line “Important information regarding your subscription."

This e-mail was sent by us in error. Please disregard the message. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Sincerely,

The New York Times

Sounds like rogue IT, or a coverup to throw off suspicion.