several sites asking for password confirmation
 

When I booted up this morning, several sites, including this one, showed my password missing and asking for it to be re-entered.

This has happened before, albeit some time ago, when FB asked, for the first time ever, and not since, for my password. FB not affected this time

Once the passwords were entered, all the sites functioned normally.

I'm curious though as to what could have caused multiple sites to prompt this action.

Any answers in non teccie language....please.

To keep you logged in a website will generate a secret code and send it to your browser to be stored as a cookie.

"Cookies" are small amounts of data that are associated with particular websites and the browser will only get data for the website on a request from that particular website. This is so that no website can ask for all the cookies. Cookies are used to keep track of interactions in a way that the hosting site doesn't have to record them all. Things like what was the last item you looked at or bought or, in this case, the secret code that says you already passed the log in test.

What you describe is typically what happens when all the "cookies" the browser has stored are deleted.

Sometimes these are grouped into "website data" and so a request to cleanup website data will delete the cookies.

If the browser was removed from the computer, the cookies will also be deleted, even if another copy or newer version is then installed. Normally upgrades to browsers don't delete the cookies.

Every so often, I get PPRuNe asking me to login again. I've always assumed that it's down to the site setting a permanent cookie with an expiry date.

Your browser probably went on a midnight cleaning spree without telling you.

I browse three web sited that seem to run on similar software as PpRune. Ford forums and Teak Door.
Never log out of any of them. In the last few weeks Teak Door has logged me out every time I turn off my computer.(Daily)
I assume some recent security patch is to blame.

It could be due to a browser update that now treats these cookies differently or cleaned them up as part of the update, or is now seen as a different browser by the forum software. It could be due to browsing in a private window. It could be due to a change in the validity of the cookie. It could be due to a different bit of software cleaning up stuff that was seen as unnecessary. There are more reasons. But unless things start acting completely differently from here on, I don't think there is any reason to be suspicious. It's part of online life.

In Microsoft Edge there is a setting "Clear Browsing Data on Close", but within that there is an option "Don't clear" which you can use to retain some favourites. This is what I do.

Many thanks for the explanations :ok:

Bearing in mind I hadn't made any selections, I was, as I say, interested as to why several sites all suddenly asked me for a password reset on the same day.

Should this happen in the future, at least now I am reassured there is no need to be significantly concerned.

PPRune also asked me to log back in again this morning, that after having a Firefox upgrade last evening.

CDR