Could it be that they are doing this to thousands of customers so that the customer will have to buy another box or digital download, increasing sales.
Could it be that they are doing this to thousands of customers so that the customer will have to buy another box or digital download, increasing sales.
Come on, Blizzard themselves didn't do this... What they did was to make every hacker in the universe focus on a single game because how they made the AH.
P#¤¤¤ng of your own customers is a rather stupid tactic and even Activision are not so stupid that they would do it in this way.
But suddenly hacking Wow accounts are not the fastest way to get money with little risk for jail, hacking Diablo 3 accounts are much more profitable.
Is it remotely possible that the reason that people see problems with their Blizzard accounts is that Blizzard is a bigger target than most other game developers ?
It might be worthwhile to remember that just because a company's security has been breached doesn't mean that their security is worse than that of a company that has not, as of yet, been breached. The only measure of whether or not someone's security is good is the difficulty inherent in breaching it.
The biggest, most juicy, hacking target in the world may have phenomenal security, but fall more quickly than a smaller, less desirable, and less well protected hacking target simply because more effort is spent on breaching it.
Assume for the sake of this discussion that it is possible to break any particular security. I am going to assign some numerical values to variables that really aren't quantifiable under these circumstances so any such numbers are essentially pulled out of my @ss for the sake of demonstration alone. Don't shoot me.
Now lets assign a unit of measure/reference for the degree to which a particular system's can resist breaches in security, called Breaches.
Now lets assign a unit of measure/reference for the effort of hackers to penetrate a computer's security, called Penetrations (Pens for short).
Now lets assign a unit of measure/reference for the desirability of breaching a particular network's security and call it Securities (Secs for short).
A high security network might have a BREACHES score of 100 while a low security network might have a BREACHES score of 10.
A network with highly desirable content might have a SECS score of 100 while a network with undesirable content might have a SECS score of 10.
A lot of effort by hackers to penetrate a given system might be have a PENS score of 100 while a small effort might have a PENS score of 10.
Lets assume that the resources expended on a network's BREACHES score is directly related to its SECS score. The more valuable your content, the more justified you are in spending heavily to protect it after all.
A network with a BREACHES score of 100 might very well attract a PENS score of 100 due to the fact that it is more likely to have a SECS score approaching the upper end of the scale as well. That means a ratio of BREACHES to PENS of 1/1.
A network with a BREACHES score of 10 might very well attract a PENS score of only 10 due to the likelihood that its SECS score is also likely to be near the bottom of the range. This means a ratio of BREACHES to PENS of 1/1. The same as for a high BREACHES system.
TLDR: The net result is that a resolution to keep one's BREACHES up is no more likely to prevent SECS, if a big enough PENS is involved, than is the case for someone who drops their BREACHES readily
Judging by some of the posts in this thread it wouldn't suprise me in the least if only a few of us read this and got it.
No they won't restore your stuff they claim there are few and far between save points for your character. .. ......even though character info is saved server side they restored my character 5 lvls back and sent a nice email that bbecause my account was comprised I needed to BUY an authenticator in order to use the auction
Here's the facts folks, my Uncle works at Blizzard and he told me what's going on. Recently a memo was sent to all QA people in the company telling them that they were required to hack at least 1 account every day. Their managers give them a list of username and passwords and tell them to get to work. They are storing the gold and items for the real money auction house to open up and at that time they will sell all of it for a lot of money.
Originally posted by kujii So if the problem is on the user side how is it that the only hacks or account compromises i have ever had are with WoW? My wife and i played on the same computer. I sent in alot of complaint tickets criticizing WoW. She sent in none. I get three account compromises...she got no account compromises. Couldnt it be employees rather then the company itself?
No.
There are people that have had their house being hit by lightning multiple times, doesn't mean God is conspirering against them. If everyone who criticized WoW got his account compromised they would have less players active accounts than SWTOR. Its called coincidence. Yes it was terribly unlikely for it to happen to you. But it was terrible likely to happen to someone and have him come to a forum to complain.
Its like lottery. Its very unlikely for you to win, however its very likely that someone wins and asks himself how he could be so lucky. Infact considering how big the userbase of WoW is we are seeing very few people complaining about account compromises. If there was a system behind it there would be tens of thousands every month affected, and if only every 100th complained on a forum we would have to see hundreds of threads about it.
Edit: Get a freaking mobile authenticator. If you don't own a freaking cheap android smartphone(which are free with almost every contract), then yes you should take the plunge and get the authenticator. If you don't use all the (free!) tools available to protect yourself, then don't come here and expect sympathy. And before you moan about the cost of the thing, doorlocks ain't free either and we still expect people to lock their freaking door if they don't want to get robbed.
The idea of Blizzard "self-hacking" to promote authenticator sales is just as laughable as the idea that all battlenet account compromises are always the user's fault.
It's far more likely that battlenet itself has at times been compromised and Blizzard has a "no tell" policy about such attacks. They are a big target for hackers worldwide just like iTunes is... and, if you recall, iTunes was hacked last year and the year before.
It's the height of fanboyism to believe Battlenet is immune from hacking.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
The idea of Blizzard "self-hacking" to promote authenticator sales is just as laughable as the idea that all battlenet account compromises are always the user's fault.
It's far more likely that battlenet itself has at times been compromised and Blizzard has a "no tell" policy about such attacks. They are a big target for hackers worldwide just like iTunes is... and, if you recall, iTunes was hacked last year and the year before.
It's the height of fanboyism to believe Battlenet is immune from hacking.
I agree, however i also think that both of the authenticators help you against either(no matter wether the hackers got your username/pass through phishing or directly hacking the B.net database, if the combo isn't enough to access your account it won't do them much good). Considering how often the game or account site asks for a authenticator code ... if i ever loose my phone it will be a uphill battle just getting logged into then account management site and i obviously do have all the other data like password & secret question and whatnot.
The idea of Blizzard "self-hacking" to promote authenticator sales is just as laughable as the idea that all battlenet account compromises are always the user's fault.
It's far more likely that battlenet itself has at times been compromised and Blizzard has a "no tell" policy about such attacks. They are a big target for hackers worldwide just like iTunes is... and, if you recall, iTunes was hacked last year and the year before.
It's the height of fanboyism to believe Battlenet is immune from hacking.
I agree, however i also think that both of the authenticators help you against either(no matter wether the hackers got your username/pass through phishing or directly hacking the B.net database, if the combo isn't enough to access your account it won't do them much good). Considering how often the game or account site asks for a authenticator code ... if i ever loose my phone it will be a uphill battle just getting logged into then account management site and i obviously do have all the other data like password & secret question and whatnot.
Yeah I had to go through a big hassle recently when I changed to an iPhone 4S with a new authenticator. Been using one in all games that use them as long as they've been available.
iTunes, otoh, has no such measures and when they got hacked I was charged for purchasing several Chinese language apps and books... and i don't speak or read the language. All charges were reversed eventually but that experience gave me a taste for how a hack to the company without you doing anything to compromise your account security and using strong PWs can easily affect you.
Apple, if you recall originally tried to downplay things and never really admitted just how many accounts were compromised. It wasn't until Gizmodo and other sites published the many examples and estimates of the extent of the problem that they admitted that it was them and not individuals who had been hacked.
I've had my Battlenet account locked and/or suspended when inactive from any of their games. Because I did have the authenticator no permanent damage was done. They just attempted to use the account unsuccesfully enough times to get it locked. It definitely was not through anything I did that they got my name/PW combo. Battlenet gets attacked frequently with varying degrees of success.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
I honestly believe there is a conspiracy with Blizzard, they actually want you to buy their authenticator. They do this by using staff to actually hack peoples accounts and then the account ends up getting banned. If you don't unbann the account after a month then you've lost everything, gold, gear, the lot forever.
I honestly believe there is a conspiracy with Blizzard, they actually want you to buy their authenticator. They do this by using staff to actually hack peoples accounts and then the account ends up getting banned. If you don't unbann the account after a month then you've lost everything, gold, gear, the lot forever.
I honestly believe there is a conspiracy with Blizzard, they actually want you to buy their authenticator. They do this by using staff to actually hack peoples accounts and then the account ends up getting banned. If you don't unbann the account after a month then you've lost everything, gold, gear, the lot forever.
I honestly believe there is a conspiracy with Blizzard, they actually want you to buy their authenticator. They do this by using staff to actually hack peoples accounts and then the account ends up getting banned. If you don't unbann the account after a month then you've lost everything, gold, gear, the lot forever.
No other MMO has ever had this problem.
Why would Blizzard do something so stupid?
Simples, they want your money.
A company looking to make money? I have never heard of such a thing!
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
Seriously guys, if you're using the authenticator fora dded protection, I'd say you would have a case against Blizzard but clearly you're not using that tool.... so how is it their fault???
This thread has gotten a little ridiculous. I am a little biased because I have been a fan of Blizzard games for a while, but we should probably set the record straight.
1)There is no conspiracy that Blizzard is stealing your accounts. If Blizzard REALLY wanted the gear or gold on your characters I am fairly certain they can create it out of thin air and sell it to farmers. They don't NEED your account. If anything you are more likely to keep playing (and paying) if your stuff doesn't get "hacked".
2)If your account is compromised you weren't "hacked". I highly recommend as a continuing education book for anyone that spends time on the internet getting an intro Certified Ethical Hacker book. One of the first things it teaches you is social engineering is the biggest threat. Phishing attempts are very prevalent and are getting pretty sophisticated. Gone are the days of obvious broken english "Give me your login *drool*" email attempts.
3)Porn sites are NOT the #1 Virus/Keylogger/Malware sites anymore. Here is an article from just a few days ago that is an interesting read:
Just because you say "Well I don't go to bad sites" doesn't mean you are safe. There is no longer a definition of "bad sites". The sites on the top of that list are blogs, web hosting, education, business/economics,entertainment and music. There is a very high chance that you go to these sites on a daily basis.
4)Having an anti-virus/malware protection does not make you immune to getting them. The business of protecting computers from malware is very reactionary. Have you ever wondered why updates are getting released on an almost daily basis for your anti-virus? It's because people are discovering new exploits and ways to get around your protection on a daily basis. Every time it's discovered the loophole is fixed and when it updates you are safe from THAT particular exploit, but that still means for a period of time you were exposed, and it happens on a regular basis.
5)Not saying that you specifically are a troll, but the trolling on the Blizzard forums is at an all time high. I am glad that Blizzard finally came out and said "Nobody with an actual authenticator has had their account compromised". The number of people claiming that they were hacked with an authenticator was everywhere, and when Blizzard made that announcement they suddenly quieted down....coincidence? If you have a smart phone the app is free (and is just as good as the physical one, some people are confusing the other less effective downloaded one).
Originally posted by maplestone Originally posted by LeodiousI hadn't been playing WoW for a while, but I one day got an email that my account had been banned for disallowed behavior (i.e. gold selling and whatnot).
Never trust email. Never trust email. Never trust email.
Spamming emails written to look like an official warning and directing you to urgently take action are a standard tactic for collecting usernames and passwords from people who can be tricked into visiting a fake login website.
I'm not an idiot. I am well aware of how spam emails are constructed. I wasn't talking about a fake email.
I checked with Blizzard directly and my account was indeed hacked. I dealt with them and got all my stuff back, because even though I didn't and don't play, I can't stand knowing that all my characters' shit is stolen.
One would assume if you had actually read what I said you would know I have a decent understanding of computer security. So, way to miss the point of my post, I guess. In addition, it isn't nice to assume people are such total morons. I mean, no one with any sense falls for those sorts of things anymore.
The point is that this is a real problem. I don't get hacked, and I haven't been hacked before or since. I don't fall for ridiculous phishing schemes and work in a secure environment in which I do not become victim to malware, save a very, very few incidents resulting from a lapse in taking extreme care. The point is that this happens with Blizzard accounts for people when it does not happen to them in other cases.
I am not accusing Blizzard of anything, but this is known to many people to be a very real issue, and there are other people in this thread talking about having this same issue, and they seem to be people who, like me, take online security extremely seriously.
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman
Comments
Could it be that they are doing this to thousands of customers so that the customer will have to buy another box or digital download, increasing sales.
Come on, Blizzard themselves didn't do this... What they did was to make every hacker in the universe focus on a single game because how they made the AH.
P#¤¤¤ng of your own customers is a rather stupid tactic and even Activision are not so stupid that they would do it in this way.
But suddenly hacking Wow accounts are not the fastest way to get money with little risk for jail, hacking Diablo 3 accounts are much more profitable.
Judging by some of the posts in this thread it wouldn't suprise me in the least if only a few of us read this and got it.
Kudos to you sir, well played.
So is irony...
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
Here's the facts folks, my Uncle works at Blizzard and he told me what's going on. Recently a memo was sent to all QA people in the company telling them that they were required to hack at least 1 account every day. Their managers give them a list of username and passwords and tell them to get to work. They are storing the gold and items for the real money auction house to open up and at that time they will sell all of it for a lot of money.
No.
There are people that have had their house being hit by lightning multiple times, doesn't mean God is conspirering against them. If everyone who criticized WoW got his account compromised they would have less players active accounts than SWTOR. Its called coincidence. Yes it was terribly unlikely for it to happen to you. But it was terrible likely to happen to someone and have him come to a forum to complain.
Its like lottery. Its very unlikely for you to win, however its very likely that someone wins and asks himself how he could be so lucky. Infact considering how big the userbase of WoW is we are seeing very few people complaining about account compromises. If there was a system behind it there would be tens of thousands every month affected, and if only every 100th complained on a forum we would have to see hundreds of threads about it.
Edit: Get a freaking mobile authenticator. If you don't own a freaking cheap android smartphone(which are free with almost every contract), then yes you should take the plunge and get the authenticator. If you don't use all the (free!) tools available to protect yourself, then don't come here and expect sympathy. And before you moan about the cost of the thing, doorlocks ain't free either and we still expect people to lock their freaking door if they don't want to get robbed.
The idea of Blizzard "self-hacking" to promote authenticator sales is just as laughable as the idea that all battlenet account compromises are always the user's fault.
It's far more likely that battlenet itself has at times been compromised and Blizzard has a "no tell" policy about such attacks. They are a big target for hackers worldwide just like iTunes is... and, if you recall, iTunes was hacked last year and the year before.
It's the height of fanboyism to believe Battlenet is immune from hacking.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I agree, however i also think that both of the authenticators help you against either(no matter wether the hackers got your username/pass through phishing or directly hacking the B.net database, if the combo isn't enough to access your account it won't do them much good). Considering how often the game or account site asks for a authenticator code ... if i ever loose my phone it will be a uphill battle just getting logged into then account management site and i obviously do have all the other data like password & secret question and whatnot.
Yeah I had to go through a big hassle recently when I changed to an iPhone 4S with a new authenticator. Been using one in all games that use them as long as they've been available.
iTunes, otoh, has no such measures and when they got hacked I was charged for purchasing several Chinese language apps and books... and i don't speak or read the language. All charges were reversed eventually but that experience gave me a taste for how a hack to the company without you doing anything to compromise your account security and using strong PWs can easily affect you.
Apple, if you recall originally tried to downplay things and never really admitted just how many accounts were compromised. It wasn't until Gizmodo and other sites published the many examples and estimates of the extent of the problem that they admitted that it was them and not individuals who had been hacked.
I've had my Battlenet account locked and/or suspended when inactive from any of their games. Because I did have the authenticator no permanent damage was done. They just attempted to use the account unsuccesfully enough times to get it locked. It definitely was not through anything I did that they got my name/PW combo. Battlenet gets attacked frequently with varying degrees of success.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I honestly believe there is a conspiracy with Blizzard, they actually want you to buy their authenticator. They do this by using staff to actually hack peoples accounts and then the account ends up getting banned. If you don't unbann the account after a month then you've lost everything, gold, gear, the lot forever.
No other MMO has ever had this problem.
Why would Blizzard do something so stupid?
Simples, they want your money.
No other MMO is that big.
A company looking to make money? I have never heard of such a thing!
That Guild Wars 2 login screen knocked up my wife. Must be the second coming!
I had my account hacked too last night, blizzard sucks
Do you think it could be due to the fact that Blizzard games are the most popular games and that also makes it the most targeted game for hackers?
Seriously guys, if you're using the authenticator fora dded protection, I'd say you would have a case against Blizzard but clearly you're not using that tool.... so how is it their fault???
Blizzard broke into my house and ate my cheetos and drank all my dr pepper. SOB'S!!!
This thread has gotten a little ridiculous. I am a little biased because I have been a fan of Blizzard games for a while, but we should probably set the record straight.
1)There is no conspiracy that Blizzard is stealing your accounts. If Blizzard REALLY wanted the gear or gold on your characters I am fairly certain they can create it out of thin air and sell it to farmers. They don't NEED your account. If anything you are more likely to keep playing (and paying) if your stuff doesn't get "hacked".
2)If your account is compromised you weren't "hacked". I highly recommend as a continuing education book for anyone that spends time on the internet getting an intro Certified Ethical Hacker book. One of the first things it teaches you is social engineering is the biggest threat. Phishing attempts are very prevalent and are getting pretty sophisticated. Gone are the days of obvious broken english "Give me your login *drool*" email attempts.
3)Porn sites are NOT the #1 Virus/Keylogger/Malware sites anymore. Here is an article from just a few days ago that is an interesting read:
http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/security/porn-sites-no-longer-most-dangerous-places-1.1309733#.T81FpcXG1KE
Just because you say "Well I don't go to bad sites" doesn't mean you are safe. There is no longer a definition of "bad sites". The sites on the top of that list are blogs, web hosting, education, business/economics,entertainment and music. There is a very high chance that you go to these sites on a daily basis.
4)Having an anti-virus/malware protection does not make you immune to getting them. The business of protecting computers from malware is very reactionary. Have you ever wondered why updates are getting released on an almost daily basis for your anti-virus? It's because people are discovering new exploits and ways to get around your protection on a daily basis. Every time it's discovered the loophole is fixed and when it updates you are safe from THAT particular exploit, but that still means for a period of time you were exposed, and it happens on a regular basis.
5)Not saying that you specifically are a troll, but the trolling on the Blizzard forums is at an all time high. I am glad that Blizzard finally came out and said "Nobody with an actual authenticator has had their account compromised". The number of people claiming that they were hacked with an authenticator was everywhere, and when Blizzard made that announcement they suddenly quieted down....coincidence? If you have a smart phone the app is free (and is just as good as the physical one, some people are confusing the other less effective downloaded one).
Thats just one reason to give up on blizzard.
Every game blizzard makes has the worse community of any other online game I have played.
With the disasterous release of D3, my opinion of blizzard is now solid.
Spamming emails written to look like an official warning and directing you to urgently take action are a standard tactic for collecting usernames and passwords from people who can be tricked into visiting a fake login website.
I'm not an idiot. I am well aware of how spam emails are constructed. I wasn't talking about a fake email.
I checked with Blizzard directly and my account was indeed hacked. I dealt with them and got all my stuff back, because even though I didn't and don't play, I can't stand knowing that all my characters' shit is stolen.
One would assume if you had actually read what I said you would know I have a decent understanding of computer security. So, way to miss the point of my post, I guess. In addition, it isn't nice to assume people are such total morons. I mean, no one with any sense falls for those sorts of things anymore.
The point is that this is a real problem. I don't get hacked, and I haven't been hacked before or since. I don't fall for ridiculous phishing schemes and work in a secure environment in which I do not become victim to malware, save a very, very few incidents resulting from a lapse in taking extreme care. The point is that this happens with Blizzard accounts for people when it does not happen to them in other cases.
I am not accusing Blizzard of anything, but this is known to many people to be a very real issue, and there are other people in this thread talking about having this same issue, and they seem to be people who, like me, take online security extremely seriously.
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman