Update on Recent Login Issues

[u/OfficialNotability]

Hi everyone,

We know many of you have recently been logged out, temporarily locked out of your account, or had trouble resetting your password. We’re sorry. We understand how frustrating it is to have trouble accessing your notes, and we want to explain what’s happening.

What’s happening?
An automated program is trying combinations of email addresses and passwords that were exposed in breaches of other services. We have no evidence that our systems were breached. However, to protect your notes and accounts, we logged many people out as a precaution.

These attempts target password-based sign-ins. If you only sign in using a magic link, Google, Apple, or Microsoft, no action is needed.

Why is my account locked?
We temporarily lock an account after too many incorrect password attempts in a short period. The lock lasts 15 minutes and is not permanent. Although we blocked the heaviest automated activity, attempts are continuing at a low rate. As a result, some people may continue to see temporary lock notices. Please wait 15 minutes before trying again.

Why do I see “Unknown Error” on the password reset page?
Please wait a few minutes and try again. We’re sorry that the error message isn’t more helpful. If you’re still having trouble after a few tries, please send u/kaylanotability a DM, or contact our support team, including the email associated with your account.

What can I do to protect my account?
If you sign in with a password, make sure it’s unique and isn’t used for any other account. If you’ve reused your Notability password elsewhere, we recommend changing it.

Thanks for your patience while we work to keep your account secure. We’ll continue to keep you updated as things evolve.

[u/Ok-Reveal-It]

Thanks for the explanation. Reading the announcement, I'm still a little unclear 👀 on what concrete security measures Notability has taken in response to this incident. Or it's just me who didn't understand? 😄

[u/M7M_Photo → u/Ok-Reveal-It]

From what I understand, there’s nothing they can do to prevent automated systems from attempting to log in using an email list. Essentially, these automated systems scan a list of leaked emails (and likely passwords) from another service, hoping that users have reused the same password for both services. Additionally, they claim that there’s no leak or hack from the Notability app side.

[u/lemonpeppersprinkles]

Okay, but where is the explanation as to why all of my notes are deleted? Are they going to be recovered??

[u/Civil_Device]

Are my notes coming back??