Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2011/11/23/stripper_name_game_silliness/

Stripper name game exposes sensitive privates on Tumblr

Bragging about Smartie Longbone is no laughing matter

By John Leyden

Posted in Security, 23rd November 2011 13:27 GMT

An online game that invites surfers to disclose potentially sensitive information has returned in a slightly different guise, two years after its first appearance.

A viral game that surfaced on Twitter back in May 2009 encouraged users of the service to come up with their "porn star name" – which was made up of the name of their first pet and the name of the street they lived in as a kid.

A marginally altered form of the same ruse surfaced on micro-blogging site Tumblr this week, encouraging trendy netizens to disclose the name of their "first pet" and street where they live on, this time to find out their supposed "stripper name".

There's no evidence to say that either application is malign but taking part just for a quick giggle is still a bad idea. That's because, as Chris Boyd of GFI Software points out, handing over information of this nature is a bad idea because it's often used to reset the passwords of webmail accounts and other similar services.

"Stop and think how many services still ask for your pet name and street name on things such as password reset questions," Boyd writes. "Then pause to consider an email address you use may be public-facing, and have just such a question bolted onto it."

"You may want to keep your clothes on and stick to the day job at that point," he adds. ®