Login Failure

Polchraine · Oct 17, 2012, 21:32:49

At around 20:00 BST, I attempted to login from a different location and it failed several times. I then made a password reset request which came through to my phone. Using the URL which I typed into a browser, I was allowed to set a new password and it was accepted. With the new password I then tried to login and it returned password incorrect! And I know it was not. I repeated it several more times without success.

I have returned home and tried to access the site, but it required a login - and I used the new password and logged in no problem whatsoever.

So, what is going on?

Simon · Oct 17, 2012, 21:38:16

Didn't you have a similar problem once before, and it turned out to be something to do with the WiFi spot you were using? I can't quite recall the details of that one. What were the error messages received when trying to initially log in from the different location?

Simon · Oct 17, 2012, 21:42:03

Don't worry, I've found it in the error logs. Zap may be able to answer this, but I can't see how a different location could throw up a password error.

Polchraine · Oct 17, 2012, 21:45:56

Previously it was barred at that location.

This time it was password incorrect. But it did let me in to change the password - based on the code sent through. I am 100% certain that the password I chose was the one I then used ... I then wrote it down and used it here - but have since changed the password again.

Simon · Oct 17, 2012, 21:52:52

Very odd. The IP you were using was a cloud based service, yes? Could the password have somehow been corrupted in transmission, I wonder? I know nothing about cloud services, so that's a pure guess.

Polchraine · Oct 17, 2012, 22:08:24

Quote from: Simon on Oct 17, 2012, 21:52:52
Very odd. The IP you were using was a cloud based service, yes? Could the password have somehow been corrupted in transmission, I wonder? I know nothing about cloud services, so that's a pure guess.

No, that is just the providers name. It was a wired PC using a version of IE.

Steve · Oct 17, 2012, 22:10:10

No idea, as Simon says all we're seeing is a password error in the logs

Polchraine · Oct 17, 2012, 22:24:00

I know that when I first tried I used my original password a couple or three times. Then I tried a variant or two, just in case I had remembered it incorrectly. Then the change and I know it was correct.

I probably will not be back there until next Wednesday and I'll try again - after logging out here and logging in again to confirm my password.

Steve · Oct 17, 2012, 22:39:25

If there was an IP 'error' ie spam association we should be seeing another error in the log

pctech · Oct 17, 2012, 22:51:24

Were you using Wi-Fi provided by The Cloud (which is now part of Sky)

Simon · Oct 17, 2012, 22:59:48

Quote from: Simon on Oct 17, 2012, 21:52:52
Very odd. The IP you were using was a cloud based service, yes?

Quote from: Polchraine on Oct 17, 2012, 22:08:24
No, that is just the providers name. It was a wired PC using a version of IE.

zappaDPJ · Oct 18, 2012, 03:10:34

I've taken a look at this in some depth and while I can't yet give a definitive answer, I think I might have found an explanation of might have occurred. To help me progress this further I need a little more information. Do you recall getting a secondary (visibly different) login screen after the first password was rejected? I also need to know which browser you where using and whether or not the user name and password fields were auto-completing after the initial rejection.

Polchraine · Oct 18, 2012, 09:20:29

Quote from: zappaDPJ on Oct 18, 2012, 03:10:34
I've taken a look at this in some depth and while I can't yet give a definitive answer, I think I might have found an explanation of might have occurred. To help me progress this further I need a little more information. Do you recall getting a secondary (visibly different) login screen after the first password was rejected? I also need to know which browser you where using and whether or not the user name and password fields were auto-completing after the initial rejection.

There was certainly no auto completion on the screens except when I received the Password Incorrect at which time the Username was filled in but not the password. Starting afresh brought up blank screen and I tried the small boxes in the top right too.

Not back there until next Wednesday but will take a few notes then.

zappaDPJ · Oct 18, 2012, 17:00:55

OK, thanks for the reply. What I have managed to establish so far is that there were 11 attempts to log in with an incorrect password, of that there is no doubt. There are three possible explanations for this. 1) The obvious, user error. 2) An auto-complete failure and 3) an issue with server side data.

If we set aside no 1, the second explanation is the most likely cause and can manifest in a number of ways e.g. Your user name is ABc1 but you type in ABC1. That incorrect data gets cached client side and even if you override it with the correct user name some browser variants will insist on sending the original, incorrect data. The other possibility is that there is some evidence to suggest a similar error can occur server side. However the software developers have a yet been unable to replicate the error.

The only advice I can give at the moment is that if possible you try logging in from the same location on a different device. If that works then it points to a client side error. If not I'll pursue it with the developers.

Polchraine · Oct 19, 2012, 11:17:08

User Error - yes there were some when I tried variants - just to make sure.

Auto-complete - did not use it and typed in the username. I have also tried Polchraine and polchraine just now and both work.

Don't know about the third.

I will document what I do next time I am there. As for other devices I will try though my phone as I tend not to have my laptop there.