Increase in Hacked Accounts: Cause for Concern?

Posted 2009/07/20 at 6:52 PM by MasterOfDisguise

Customer Service ForumNote: It seems that some people have formed conspiracy theories and thought that when their account was hacked, it was because Blizzard itself was hacked. This is false! Not only did Blizzard relinquish itself of account security in its Terms of Use, it is also legally obligated to inform its customers if an internal security breach has occurred. Given that no such announcement has been made, it's safe to assume that this hasn't happened.Knowingly Giving Away Your Login InformationUnknowingly Giving Away Your Account Informationhttp://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=965511383&sid=1MMO-ChampionnothingThe Key to Preventionhttp://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=14318909866&sid=1#2

Once your account is secure, it's good to establish habits which can help you keep it this way. While there are many methods by which to maintain the security of an account, here are some tips to get you started:

Complete operating system updates regularly (preferably as they become available).
If you use Firefox, install NoScript and run it consistently while browsing.
Run antivirus and anti-spyware scans weekly.
Never willfully share your login and password. Even friends, family, and significant others can place your account at risk.
Be aware of "phishing" emails and websites, and do not to respond to any invalid requests. Remember that a Blizzard Employee will never ask for your password.
Monitor the availability of your email address and do not post it publicly.

Additional information can also be found here:

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20572

http://www.blizzard.com/store/search.xml?q=authenticatorhttp://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=24660http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=24987ourWhat security habits do you practice?do you have any other tips that can help players prevent account compromises from happening?do you think players should take more responsibility for keeping their account secure?

advice news

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Comment by ZythyxOne way that I keep secure is I stay away from clicking on any adverts or websites that look dodgy.

To help me with this, I will usually use Google and type the name of the suspicious site and see what results - if there's forum posts or reviews saying this site is dodgy, then I'll avoid it completely and (occasionally) report it.

And if I see an advert that interests me, I'll google it and click the specific result directly linking to the site, rather than clicking on the ad itself. I know it results in a loss of page ad click for the domain owner, it's for my own protection.Comment by 296147This post was from a user who has deleted their account.Comment by Blackboy0My cousin, an avid WoW player for 2 years, got his Account hacked today. We were actually at a family gathering, and we were talking about Class specs and which were the best and overpowered and nerfed too much. He has a Hunter, and I have a Rogue, so we have sort of different views.

When I got home, I got a call from him and he said that his account was hacked. He had never given his information out, he never compromised it in anyway. Maybe Blizzard's crapping out some how? He's trying to get his information right now.Comment by caboosefanaticMy cousin, an avid WoW player for 2 years, got his Account hacked today. We were actually at a family gathering, and we were talking about Class specs and which were the best and overpowered and nerfed too much. He has a Hunter, and I have a Rogue, so we have sort of different views.

When I got home, I got a call from him and he said that his account was hacked. He had never given his information out, he never compromised it in anyway. Maybe Blizzard's crapping out some how? He's trying to get his information right now.
The second—and, perhaps, the most common—way that accounts can become compromised is if someone logs into an account on a computer which, with or without their knowledge, contains a malicious program designed to steal account information.Comment by justincJust use a little common sense. It truly goes a long way. As uncaring as it may sound, I truly have no pity for people who fall victim to phishing or keyloggers.Comment by 26532Please don't quote links to bad sites. You'd think that would be a no-brainer by now.Comment by 349103This post was from a user who has deleted their account.Comment by 270853This post was from a user who has deleted their account.Comment by HelikonJust use a little common sense. It truly goes a long way. As uncaring as it may sound, I truly have no pity for people who fall victim to phishing or keyloggers.Comment by Blackboy0My cousin, an avid WoW player for 2 years, got his Account hacked today. We were actually at a family gathering, and we were talking about Class specs and which were the best and overpowered and nerfed too much. He has a Hunter, and I have a Rogue, so we have sort of different views.

When I got home, I got a call from him and he said that his account was hacked. He had never given his information out, he never compromised it in anyway. Maybe Blizzard's crapping out some how? He's trying to get his information right now.
The second—and, perhaps, the most common—way that accounts can become compromised is if someone logs into an account on a computer which, with or without their knowledge, contains a malicious program designed to steal account information.Comment by AtliAnother great way to avoid key-loggers and other virus-like threats: Do not use Internet Explorer.
Most such threats are targetted at IE, and a lot of them can be avoided by simply not using it.

Try one of: Firefox, Chrome, Opera or even Safari.
All of which are far superior to IE in prettu much every way. (Arguably)

Firefox also has a lot of addons that can help with security, such as NoScript and AddBlock.Comment by 375298This post was from a user who has deleted their account.Comment by ShigyAll of these are fantastic tips but really for about $15 (not 100% sure on the price) you can get a blizzard authanticator and then no one is getting onto your account who doesn't have it. Every 30 seconds it generates a new code that only lasts for 2 minutes. When you login you need your normal username and password and then this code.Comment by fireproof52Only using a select few sites, not clicking any links until I can absolutely confirm that it's safe, and last but not least, the power of a virus scan once in a while.

I've kept the same password for 2 years, no blizz authenticator, never once gotten hacked.Comment by SignupSucksPhishing scams usually come in the form of e-mails, and they are official-looking letters that ask you to provide your account name, password, or other information.text messagingComment by AtliI snerked. I honestly cannot possibly understand how anyone could be taken by the scams I have seen. None of them were even remotely believable, and 90% of the time the grammar and spelling was utterly atrocious.(Can't remember the exact quote, but that's close enough.)Comment by HelikonI snerked. I honestly cannot possibly understand how anyone could be taken by the scams I have seen. None of them were even remotely believable, and 90% of the time the grammar and spelling was utterly atrocious.(Can't remember the exact quote, but that's close enough.)Comment by vexis58A coworker of mine apparently got his account hacked / characters deleted while he was on vacation last week. Through the conversation, I heard him say both "I thought it was because Blizzard found out I had bought gold in the past," and "I have no idea how this could have happened!"

Seriously? You're just asking for it. All of the stories I've ever heard of people getting their accounts hacked lead back to them buying gold or leveling "services" or doing other similarly dumb things.

Just get an authenticator. They're like five bucks. Or free as an iPhone app.Comment by DSitC

Surfing the internet carefully? Check!

Don't give away my account data? Check!

Use a hard password that can't be hacked by a dictionary attack? Check!

Use an authenticator? Check!

Comment by 73830b.net accounts
setting your account name as your email address
i think the problem has been located...

seriously though, blizzards really been lacking on, well everything.
the security is a joke. we see it daily now, the gold spammers dropping corpses to display their ads, the miners in wintergrasp flying around or walking under ground, the constant speed hackers... i think blizzards just not doing much anymore or setting up for a big mass ban.

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