Seems like a bit closer to one of my proposal (
[Proposal: prevent account hack] A complete new login system for BitcoinTalk). As long as we can automate the whole thing then the pressure to mod and the waiting time we see for the victim will be reduced dramatically. Bottom line is, we need automation PERIOD.
update:
...They probably look at when the passwords were changed, and they may even look at personal messages to determine if an account has been compromised through other means.....
It make sense if an account gets banned for suspicious activities or any of the forum mod lock the account, as an appeal against the action. If anyone lose their password or forget account details or someone gets locked for using secret question feature then an automation of recovering an account makes a lot of sense. Anyway I am sure theymos and other admins have their own choice for the best of the forum.