diff --git a/common.py b/common.py
index 15b7c08..54b4182 100644
--- a/common.py
+++ b/common.py
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ def prepareLaunchpadCookie():
         
         ftstr = ["FALSE", "TRUE"]
         
-        newLPCookie = open("%s/.lpcookie.txt" % os.environ.get('HOME'), 'w')
+        # This shall be where our new cookie file lives - at ~/.lpcookie.txt
+        newLPCookieLocation = "%s/.lpcookie.txt" % os.environ.get('HOME')
+        
+        # Open file for writing.
+        newLPCookie = open(newLPCookieLocation, 'w')
         newLPCookie.write("# HTTP Cookie File.\n") # Header.
         
         for item in cur.fetchall():
@@ -77,16 +81,20 @@ def prepareLaunchpadCookie():
                 ftstr[item[2]], item[3], item[4], item[5]))
         
         newLPCookie.write("\n") # New line.
-        newLPCookie.close()
+        newLPCookie.close()     # And close file.
         
         # Check what we have written.
-        checkCookie = open("%s/.lpcookie.txt" % os.environ.get('HOME')).read()
+        checkCookie = open(newLPCookieLocation).read()
         if checkCookie == "# HTTP Cookie File.\n\n":
             print >> sys.stderr, "No Launchpad cookies were written to file. " \
                 "Please visit and log into Launchpad and run this script again."
-            os.remove("%s/.lpcookie.txt" % os.environ.get('HOME')) # Delete file.
+            os.remove(newLPCookieLocation) # Delete file.
             sys.exit(1)
         
+        # For security reasons, change file mode to write and read
+        # only by owner.
+        os.chmod(newLPCookieLocation, 0600)
+        
         launchpad_cookiefile = "%s/.lpcookie.txt" % os.environ.get('HOME')
 
     # Return the Launchpad cookie.
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 563fbca..d3259be 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ ubuntu-dev-tools (0.38ubuntu1) intrepid; urgency=low
   [ Jonathan Patrick Davies ]
   * requestsync: Check if user is a member of ubuntu-core-dev if sync request
     is for a package in main.
+  * common.py: Change cookie file permissions to read and write only by user.
 
  -- Jonathan Patrick Davies <jpds@ubuntu.com>  Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:52:34 +0100
 
diff --git a/requestsync b/requestsync
index bc22028..7575216 100755
--- a/requestsync
+++ b/requestsync
@@ -53,25 +53,37 @@ def checkNeedsSponsorship(component):
         file exists first.
     """
     urlopener = common.setupLaunchpadUrlOpener(launchpad_cookiefile)
-    
+
+    # Check where the package is and assign the appropriate variables.
     if component in ['main', 'restricted']:
         team = "ubuntu-core-dev"
         sponsor = "ubuntu-main-sponsors"
     else:
         team = "ubuntu-dev"
         sponsor = "ubuntu-universe-sponsors"
+    
+    # Try and open up Launchpad.
+    try: teamLPPage = urlopener.open('https://launchpad.net/~%s' % team).read()
+    except urllib2.HTTPError:
+        print >> sys.stderr, "Unable to connect to Launchpad."
+    
+    # Check if they are a member of the team.
+    if "You are an indirect member of this team:" in teamLPPage or \
+        "You are a member of this team." in teamLPPage:
+        return False # Sponsorship not required.
 
-    teamLPPage = urlopener.open('https://launchpad.net/~%s' % team).read()
-
-    if 'You are not a member of this team:' in teamLPPage:
+    # Check if they are not.
+    if "You are not a member of this team" in teamLPPage:
         print "You are not a member (direct or indirect) of the '%s' " \
             "team on Launchpad." % team
         print "Your sync request shall require an approval by a member of " \
-            "the %s team." % sponsor
-        print "before it is processed by a member of the Ubuntu Archive admins."
+            "the '%s'\nteam, who shall be subscribed to this bug report." % sponsor
+        print "This must be done before it can be processed by a member of " \
+            "the Ubuntu Archive team."
+        print "Should the above be incorrect, please press Control-C now to " \
+            "stop this script now\nand check the cookie file at:", launchpad_cookiefile
+        raw_input_exit_on_ctrlc() # Abort if necessary.
         return True # Sponsorship required.
-    else:
-        return False # Sponsorship not required.
 
 def cur_version_component(sourcepkg, release):
     '''Determine current package version in ubuntu.'''