Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.
Not necessarily. Some pumps produce a whine, while others are very near whisper quiet (I know the Eheim is, since I own one). It's a function of design, I think.
Gut feeling is that the higher the rated flow, the more noise it is likely to make.
Also, some pumps vibrate more than others, and so are likely to set up annoying rattles in your case/enclosure...so it's a good idea to pay careful attention to vibration damping (using an old mousepad, rubber grommets, whatever works).