To summarize - Do not transfer your account to battle.net or it will get hacked and Blizzard is under no requirement to tell you about it. So there's nothing you can do to get it back.
Varchar, you know that's now what either of us are saying and it's posts like this that undermine what we are trying to say. Posts like this do nothing more than try to throw a bad light on Blizzard. I love Blizzard and I love their products, anyone who's been on this forum for awhile knows that, so please don't use my posts to try to legitimize your own feelings.
Well I still don't understand the logic behind your post. I think it is reasonable to expect companies to keep information safe, and that if they are compromised that they should let customers know about it.
In this case I still think that it's possible Blizzard WAS compromised and they are playing the bullshit "You were hacked" card to everyone that is getting screwed by this.
I am one of these people. I have played this game fairly for 4 fucking years, I never sold an account, never gave a friend my login, never bought gold, but I still get fucked and I'm really upset about it because I have no explanation.
I too had my account lost, yet Blizzard successfully restored my account to me within 4 days. They offered me a possible solution as an authenticator, but they also pointed out all the ways to make my account information more secure. They did not force me to purchase anything I didn't want to purchase and I'm absolutely sure that Blizzard has done and is doing everything possible to maintain the security of my information, so I'm not blaming Blizzard at all.
The problem lies with the hackers. They are the true villian here as Blizzard is as much of a victim as I am. Blizzard was extremely professional, polite and prompt in getting my account restored to me. They never insinuated that I was at fault and they only tried to assist me in making my account information more secure.
In short, while I too was taken advantage of, I don't blame Blizzard and they have done everything they can to assist me in finding a solution to the problem and I chose the authenticator route because it seems the most secure to me. They have tried to make that option as palatable as possible by keeping the cost low. That's all that I expect of them. That is all that I expect from any company, that they do their best.
A simple Blizzard Authenticator...and none of you would even be having problems. It costs practically nothing compared to the $180 you spend in monthly fees/year on World of Warcraft.
Or take your chances and the frustrations that come with getting your account hacked. Its that simple, really.
My account sign on was secret...it was something nobody knew. Then battle.net came along and forced me to use my email address as a sign on.
Suddenly... anyone who knew my email address also knew my sign on. That is half the battle. Now they just need to crack my password.
Blizzard reduced the security that existed with the previous sign on method.
How would Blizzard respond to this diminished security? Create another layer of authentication but CHARGE for it (i.e. the "authenticator").
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
Account security should be one of blizzard's highest priorities and charging their customers for added security that has been made necessary by their own actions goes against my idea of what Blizzard is... a reputable company.
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
from what i've seen here it looks like a big inside scam by Blizzard..just look at this post telling you to send more money to buy the authenticator from Blizzard..i would bet anything their behind all the customer account hacking going on just to rip people off..you have 2 choices
1) just quit playing anything made or run by Blizzard..
or
2) just keep paying out to Blizzard so you can get screwed over by them even more
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
All I'm saying is that there is a simple no-fret solution to this whole ordeal. You can do whatever you like with that information. You can do absolutely nothing with it too. It doesn't matter one bit to me.
I don't know you and I really don't care about you either...and yet, I'm still trying to help. Peace. I'm out.
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
Emoting and all the drama in the world don't change the stone cold facts. One way or another the damn hackers are breaking into accounts. The practical solution that can be applied at this point is to lock your account down with an authenticator. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Sort that out *after* your account is locked down.
I hate to admit it but i d/l'ed the WoW trial in a moment of weakness about a year ago. Played for a few hours, got bored and uninstalled it. Then a couple of weeks ago i get an email saying... Greetings!
This is an automated notification regarding the recent change(s)
made to your World of Warcraft account. Your password has recently been modified through the Password Recovery website.
*** If you made this password change, please disregard this notification. However, if you did NOT make changes to your password
If you are unable to successfully verify your password .
using the automated system, please contact Billing & Account Services at 1-800-59-BLIZZARD (1-800-592-5499) Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Pacific Time or at billing@blizzard.com. Account security is solely the responsibility of the account holder. Please be advised that in the event of a compromised account, Blizzard representatives typically must lock the account. In these cases the Account Administration team will require faxed receipt of ID materials before releasing the account for play.
Regards,
The World of Warcraft Support Team Blizzard Entertainment
I could care less but i have no idea how they hacked into it since i forgot the account even existed lol.
That is a phishing email. The sender hopes that you will click on a link that will take you to what looks like the wow website and hope you enter your account information there.
Your account is most likely untouched.
Your right lol. I missed it the first time cause i never click links in emails. I went to Blizzards site via google and found my account name/password weren't working so assumed it was genuine. Have to say they are getting better with the phishing emails as this one looks the real deal.
Am I the only one totally confused now? Has your account information been compromised or not? If it HAS been compromised this MAY be a legitimate e-mail from Blizzard telling you that your account password was changed without your knowledge.
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
I don't see how that is even possible?
Easy. Since they had the account information, they simply purchased an authenticator and locked it to the account that they had control of.
Ahh, I see. That's quite possible. Which goes back to th fact that if people had an authenticator in the first place, none of that could even happen. Hehe.
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
I don't see how that is even possible?
They are adding an authenticator to the accounts they successfully compromise so that they can't be recovered by the true owner. The real owner has to call Blizzard support and ask them to remove the authenticator so they can recover their account.
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
I don't see how that is even possible?
I didn't have the authenticator on my account (as I didn't even know it existed since I had not played since August). Once they cracked my password the simply added it to my account.
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
I don't see how that is even possible?
I didn't have the authenticator on my account (as I didn't even know it existed since I had not played since August). Once they cracked my password the simply added it to my account.
Gotcha. Crazy hackers. Just goes to show you that they will stoop to any level, eh? Kill them all.
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
Emoting and all the drama in the world don't change the stone cold facts. One way or another the damn hackers are breaking into accounts. The practical solution that can be applied at this point is to lock your account down with an authenticator. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Sort that out *after* your account is locked down.
WOW - Yes it does matter whose fault it is, because we are paying for it. Your Authenticator is $6 dollars times 10 million subscribers, well that's a lot of money and a lot of fucking fault to spread around.
But yes I see your point, we should sort that out "AFTER" we fork over the dough and get our accounts secured again. Yes that is the American way...
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
I don't see how that is even possible?
Easy. Since they had the account information, they simply purchased an authenticator and locked it to the account that they had control of.
Ahh, I see. That's quite possible. Which goes back to th fact that if people had an authenticator in the first place, none of that could even happen. Hehe.
You seem to be arguing as if we all think that the authenticator won't improve account security. I don't think any of us are trying to deny that fact.
The point is this... If there is such an issue with the new Battle.net system (where your account sign on is now your email address) that there is a reduced security issue...then why does blizzard not supply further security..FREE.
Why on god's earth is Blizzard charging me ANYTHING to keep my account from being hacked?
If their solution to the PROBLEM THEY CREATED is an authenticator..then they should provide it FREE... so that I can keep PAYING MY MONTHLY FEE.
My log on used to be quite unique. Nobody knew it...trust me.
My email address is not unique however. Over the last 10 years I have used to to sign up and join fan sites, web sites (Mmorpg.com) tech sites etc... you get the picture.
Then one day I'm asked to make this email address my sign on (Battle.net). Suddenly the world knows that if I'm playing wow... then there is a good chance my email address is my sign on. They have won half the battle.
Blizzard obviously recognized this and their solution was to SELL a remedy not offer one for free.
Edit: If I eventually end up playing WoW again...I'll relent and buy the damn thing but I won't be happy about it.
Generally I love blizzard... I practically worship them. I love diablo, Starcraft... WoW. I can't wait for news on their new MMO and Diablo III. This is, in my opinion a mis-step for them. I honestly feel they screwed up on this going back to the day they asked us to use Email addresses as sign ons and culminating in the "authenticator" key as a solution.
I want to give everyone a hint of information, I don't know if anyone will read this so far down on the thread, but my friend who had his account hacked repeatedly realized what was happening:
ACCOUNT SECURITY QUESTIONS
Do NOT use anything related to your family in your account security questions! Do not use anything related to your job or previous jobs in your account security questions! Use obscure crap like "What is your favorite color?" and put something like "Pink fluffy polkadots" and remember that as your ridiculous answers. If you do decide to use something like "What was the name of your grade school" put something like IHATESKOOL. Haha.
Why? Because of public domain knowledge out there, the hackers are getting ahold of it and going through each and every account they can by using account password recovery. I know it may seem like a lot of work, but there are people out there doing it and it may be fun for some of them. Locate a person's e-mail address, maybe on boards or through one of the wow fan / picture sites, find the name to it, and then proceed to find personal information regarding their account. After they know the name to the e-mail address it doesn't matter if the person has their account cleared up, the hacker can simply do the same thing: a password reset and boom they're back in.
So many companies out there data mine and all of those data mining services can be cross referenced for so much dang information. I've done it before, won't say for what, but it really surprised me how easy it is to cross reference data and find out someone's identity to a t. All you need is a last name and a cell phone number, a home telephone number, a first name and maybe the city they live in, or an e-mail address with someone silly enough to put their real first and last name in their settings and it can be all over. Not being paranoid, just being realistic.
I want to give everyone a hint of information, I don't know if anyone will read this so far down on the thread, but my friend who had his account hacked repeatedly realized what was happening: ACCOUNT SECURITY QUESTIONS Do NOT use anything related to your family in your account security questions! Do not use anything related to your job or previous jobs in your account security questions! Use obscure crap like "What is your favorite color?" and put something like "Pink fluffy polkadots" and remember that as your ridiculous answers. If you do decide to use something like "What was the name of your grade school" put something like IHATESKOOL. Haha. Why? Because of public domain knowledge out there, the hackers are getting ahold of it and going through each and every account they can by using account password recovery. I know it may seem like a lot of work, but there are people out there doing it and it may be fun for some of them. Locate a person's e-mail address, maybe on boards or through one of the wow fan / picture sites, find the name to it, and then proceed to find personal information regarding their account. After they know the name to the e-mail address it doesn't matter if the person has their account cleared up, the hacker can simply do the same thing: a password reset and boom they're back in. So many companies out there data mine and all of those data mining services can be cross referenced for so much dang information. I've done it before, won't say for what, but it really surprised me how easy it is to cross reference data and find out someone's identity to a t. All you need is a last name, a first name and maybe the city they live in, an e-mail address with someone silly enough to put their real first and last name in their settings and it can be all over. Not being paranoid, just being realistic.
My log on used to be quite unique. Nobody knew it...trust me. My email address is not unique however. Over the last 10 years I have used to to sign up and join fan sites, web sites (Mmorpg.com) tech sites etc... you get the picture.
You are free to create a new e-mail address that is quite unique and link that to your WoW account. Nothing prevents you from doing that in fact Blizzard recommends you do that, so that's not really an issue here.
I want to give everyone a hint of information, I don't know if anyone will read this so far down on the thread, but my friend who had his account hacked repeatedly realized what was happening: ACCOUNT SECURITY QUESTIONS Do NOT use anything related to your family in your account security questions! Do not use anything related to your job or previous jobs in your account security questions! Use obscure crap like "What is your favorite color?" and put something like "Pink fluffy polkadots" and remember that as your ridiculous answers. If you do decide to use something like "What was the name of your grade school" put something like IHATESKOOL. Haha. Why? Because of public domain knowledge out there, the hackers are getting ahold of it and going through each and every account they can by using account password recovery. I know it may seem like a lot of work, but there are people out there doing it and it may be fun for some of them. Locate a person's e-mail address, maybe on boards or through one of the wow fan / picture sites, find the name to it, and then proceed to find personal information regarding their account. After they know the name to the e-mail address it doesn't matter if the person has their account cleared up, the hacker can simply do the same thing: a password reset and boom they're back in. So many companies out there data mine and all of those data mining services can be cross referenced for so much dang information. I've done it before, won't say for what, but it really surprised me how easy it is to cross reference data and find out someone's identity to a t. All you need is a last name and a cell phone number, a home telephone number, a first name and maybe the city they live in, or an e-mail address with someone silly enough to put their real first and last name in their settings and it can be all over. Not being paranoid, just being realistic.
Yes we know! Do you understand that most of us are not stupid and already know this stuff! Yes I realize that if I use my name and birthday in my password that it will likely get guessed! I'm not 10 years old I am an adult.
I used a complex password that would never (NEVER!) be guessed by anyone using a brute force program, rainbow tables, blah blah etc, yet still I got compromised!
It's a fucking mystery how could it happen! We all know why it happened, because you wanted it to happen! And now you want me to buy your Authenticator and pass the blame to hackers.
My log on used to be quite unique. Nobody knew it...trust me. My email address is not unique however. Over the last 10 years I have used to to sign up and join fan sites, web sites (Mmorpg.com) tech sites etc... you get the picture.
You are free to create a new e-mail address that is quite unique and link that to your WoW account. Nothing prevents you from doing that in fact Blizzard recommends you do that, so that's not really an issue here.
It is an issue otherwise we would not be talking about it. At the time of the battle.net account creation I was under the impression that I had to use the email account that I had used to create the account in the first place. If I can go back now and change it ...trust me I will and I thank you for the suggestion (if in fact it can be done).
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
from what i've seen here it looks like a big inside scam by Blizzard..just look at this post telling you to send more money to buy the authenticator from Blizzard..i would bet anything their behind all the customer account hacking going on just to rip people off..you have 2 choices
1) just quit playing anything made or run by Blizzard..
or
2) just keep paying out to Blizzard so you can get screwed over by them even more
I think you need to check your tin foil hat for leaks...
I SERIOUSLY doubt that Blizzard would have anything to do with any of that. Its more likely that hackers are targeting Blizzards accounts because of the money to be made in the gold and account market. I'm betting that some one with internal connections came up with the idiotic idea of using email addresses for log in, and wasn't slapped down by those who know better. That type of thing happens all the damn time in corporate systems. Authenticators are the way to go as a practical solution to the problem.
I want to give everyone a hint of information, I don't know if anyone will read this so far down on the thread, but my friend who had his account hacked repeatedly realized what was happening: ACCOUNT SECURITY QUESTIONS Do NOT use anything related to your family in your account security questions! Do not use anything related to your job or previous jobs in your account security questions! Use obscure crap like "What is your favorite color?" and put something like "Pink fluffy polkadots" and remember that as your ridiculous answers. If you do decide to use something like "What was the name of your grade school" put something like IHATESKOOL. Haha. Why? Because of public domain knowledge out there, the hackers are getting ahold of it and going through each and every account they can by using account password recovery. I know it may seem like a lot of work, but there are people out there doing it and it may be fun for some of them. Locate a person's e-mail address, maybe on boards or through one of the wow fan / picture sites, find the name to it, and then proceed to find personal information regarding their account. After they know the name to the e-mail address it doesn't matter if the person has their account cleared up, the hacker can simply do the same thing: a password reset and boom they're back in. So many companies out there data mine and all of those data mining services can be cross referenced for so much dang information. I've done it before, won't say for what, but it really surprised me how easy it is to cross reference data and find out someone's identity to a t. All you need is a last name and a cell phone number, a home telephone number, a first name and maybe the city they live in, or an e-mail address with someone silly enough to put their real first and last name in their settings and it can be all over. Not being paranoid, just being realistic.
Yes we know! Do you understand that most of us are not stupid and already know this stuff! Yes I realize that if I use my name and birthday in my password that it will likely get guessed! I'm not 10 years old I am an adult.
I used a complex password that would never (NEVER!) be guessed by anyone using a brute force program, rainbow tables, blah blah etc, yet still I got compromised!
It's a fucking mystery how could it happen! We all know why it happened, because you wanted it to happen! And now you want me to buy your Authenticator and pass the blame to hackers.
FUCK OFF!
No, you totally way missed the whole point of the post. Passwords have nothing to do with it, 0, zilch, zip, nada. You could have a 21 character password with no dictionary words, special characters, numbers, and different cases and it wouldn't matter at all. Passwords are pointless. It's the account security questions that 98% people put real answers into.
Edit: And I'm trying to help, not make you angry. Don't get angry at people who try to help. :-P Change your e-mail address and change your account security questions to something stupid. Stupidity can beat logic.
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
from what i've seen here it looks like a big inside scam by Blizzard..just look at this post telling you to send more money to buy the authenticator from Blizzard..i would bet anything their behind all the customer account hacking going on just to rip people off..you have 2 choices
1) just quit playing anything made or run by Blizzard..
or
2) just keep paying out to Blizzard so you can get screwed over by them even more
I think you need to check your tin foil hat for leaks...
I SERIOUSLY doubt that Blizzard would have anything to do with any of that. Its more likely that hackers are targeting Blizzards accounts because of the money to be made in the gold and account market. I'm betting that some one with internal connections came up with the idiotic idea of using email addresses for log in, and wasn't slapped down by those who know better. That type of thing happens all the damn time in corporate systems. Authenticators are the way to go as a practical solution to the problem.
What are you payed by the Authenticator unit you sell? Jesus fucking christ I can't believe the shit I hear from you people, it's really sickening. So you admit that the email login was not smart, but still endorse the authenticator as the solution, that baffles me.
I guess if you are a Blizzard employee then this makes sense, you'll get some benefit in your year-end bonus I suppose.
Just buy the Authenticator. I'm trying to help you guys. There is no way in hell anyone can compromise your account if you have a Blizzard Authenticator. You will never, ever have to worry again about anyon hacking your account.
Even if someone hacks Blizzard and gets everyone's account info, they still cannot access your account if you have an Authenticaor. I'm tellin' you man, just do it. You'll never have to worry again. I swear.
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
Emoting and all the drama in the world don't change the stone cold facts. One way or another the damn hackers are breaking into accounts. The practical solution that can be applied at this point is to lock your account down with an authenticator. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Sort that out *after* your account is locked down.
WOW - Yes it does matter whose fault it is, because we are paying for it. Your Authenticator is $6 dollars times 10 million subscribers, well that's a lot of money and a lot of fucking fault to spread around.
But yes I see your point, we should sort that out "AFTER" we fork over the dough and get our accounts secured again. Yes that is the American way...
No, the American way is to jump up and down and howl and complain and then do nothing effective about a given problem.
Fault can be determined later(if its necessary). The main focus is to get ones account secure. What I'd like to know is what nit wit came up with the decision to use email addresses for log ins, and what even bigger idiots in management let them get away with it. Heads should be rolling down the corporate hall ways over this.
My log on used to be quite unique. Nobody knew it...trust me. My email address is not unique however. Over the last 10 years I have used to to sign up and join fan sites, web sites (Mmorpg.com) tech sites etc... you get the picture.
You are free to create a new e-mail address that is quite unique and link that to your WoW account. Nothing prevents you from doing that in fact Blizzard recommends you do that, so that's not really an issue here.
It is an issue otherwise we would not be talking about it. At the time of the battle.net account creation I was under the impression that I had to use the email account that I had used to create the account in the first place. If I can go back now and change it ...trust me I will and I thank you for the suggestion (if in fact it can be done).
Comments
Varchar, you know that's now what either of us are saying and it's posts like this that undermine what we are trying to say. Posts like this do nothing more than try to throw a bad light on Blizzard. I love Blizzard and I love their products, anyone who's been on this forum for awhile knows that, so please don't use my posts to try to legitimize your own feelings.
Well I still don't understand the logic behind your post. I think it is reasonable to expect companies to keep information safe, and that if they are compromised that they should let customers know about it.
In this case I still think that it's possible Blizzard WAS compromised and they are playing the bullshit "You were hacked" card to everyone that is getting screwed by this.
I am one of these people. I have played this game fairly for 4 fucking years, I never sold an account, never gave a friend my login, never bought gold, but I still get fucked and I'm really upset about it because I have no explanation.
I too had my account lost, yet Blizzard successfully restored my account to me within 4 days. They offered me a possible solution as an authenticator, but they also pointed out all the ways to make my account information more secure. They did not force me to purchase anything I didn't want to purchase and I'm absolutely sure that Blizzard has done and is doing everything possible to maintain the security of my information, so I'm not blaming Blizzard at all.
The problem lies with the hackers. They are the true villian here as Blizzard is as much of a victim as I am. Blizzard was extremely professional, polite and prompt in getting my account restored to me. They never insinuated that I was at fault and they only tried to assist me in making my account information more secure.
In short, while I too was taken advantage of, I don't blame Blizzard and they have done everything they can to assist me in finding a solution to the problem and I chose the authenticator route because it seems the most secure to me. They have tried to make that option as palatable as possible by keeping the cost low. That's all that I expect of them. That is all that I expect from any company, that they do their best.
My account sign on was secret...it was something nobody knew. Then battle.net came along and forced me to use my email address as a sign on.
Suddenly... anyone who knew my email address also knew my sign on. That is half the battle. Now they just need to crack my password.
Blizzard reduced the security that existed with the previous sign on method.
How would Blizzard respond to this diminished security? Create another layer of authentication but CHARGE for it (i.e. the "authenticator").
The irony here was that the Chinese farmer used the authentication key to lock ME out of my own account.
Account security should be one of blizzard's highest priorities and charging their customers for added security that has been made necessary by their own actions goes against my idea of what Blizzard is... a reputable company.
"its as simple as that?"
from what i've seen here it looks like a big inside scam by Blizzard..just look at this post telling you to send more money to buy the authenticator from Blizzard..i would bet anything their behind all the customer account hacking going on just to rip people off..you have 2 choices
1) just quit playing anything made or run by Blizzard..
or
2) just keep paying out to Blizzard so you can get screwed over by them even more
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
All I'm saying is that there is a simple no-fret solution to this whole ordeal. You can do whatever you like with that information. You can do absolutely nothing with it too. It doesn't matter one bit to me.
I don't know you and I really don't care about you either...and yet, I'm still trying to help. Peace. I'm out.
I don't see how that is even possible?
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
Emoting and all the drama in the world don't change the stone cold facts. One way or another the damn hackers are breaking into accounts. The practical solution that can be applied at this point is to lock your account down with an authenticator. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Sort that out *after* your account is locked down.
Exactly.
That is a phishing email. The sender hopes that you will click on a link that will take you to what looks like the wow website and hope you enter your account information there.
Your account is most likely untouched.
Your right lol. I missed it the first time cause i never click links in emails. I went to Blizzards site via google and found my account name/password weren't working so assumed it was genuine. Have to say they are getting better with the phishing emails as this one looks the real deal.
Am I the only one totally confused now? Has your account information been compromised or not? If it HAS been compromised this MAY be a legitimate e-mail from Blizzard telling you that your account password was changed without your knowledge.
I don't see how that is even possible?
Easy. Since they had the account information, they simply purchased an authenticator and locked it to the account that they had control of.
I don't see how that is even possible?
Easy. Since they had the account information, they simply purchased an authenticator and locked it to the account that they had control of.
Ahh, I see. That's quite possible. Which goes back to th fact that if people had an authenticator in the first place, none of that could even happen. Hehe.
I don't see how that is even possible?
They are adding an authenticator to the accounts they successfully compromise so that they can't be recovered by the true owner. The real owner has to call Blizzard support and ask them to remove the authenticator so they can recover their account.
Edit: Dang, beat me to it.
I don't see how that is even possible?
I didn't have the authenticator on my account (as I didn't even know it existed since I had not played since August). Once they cracked my password the simply added it to my account.
I don't see how that is even possible?
I didn't have the authenticator on my account (as I didn't even know it existed since I had not played since August). Once they cracked my password the simply added it to my account.
Gotcha. Crazy hackers. Just goes to show you that they will stoop to any level, eh? Kill them all.
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
Emoting and all the drama in the world don't change the stone cold facts. One way or another the damn hackers are breaking into accounts. The practical solution that can be applied at this point is to lock your account down with an authenticator. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Sort that out *after* your account is locked down.
WOW - Yes it does matter whose fault it is, because we are paying for it. Your Authenticator is $6 dollars times 10 million subscribers, well that's a lot of money and a lot of fucking fault to spread around.
But yes I see your point, we should sort that out "AFTER" we fork over the dough and get our accounts secured again. Yes that is the American way...
I don't see how that is even possible?
Easy. Since they had the account information, they simply purchased an authenticator and locked it to the account that they had control of.
Ahh, I see. That's quite possible. Which goes back to th fact that if people had an authenticator in the first place, none of that could even happen. Hehe.
You seem to be arguing as if we all think that the authenticator won't improve account security. I don't think any of us are trying to deny that fact.
The point is this... If there is such an issue with the new Battle.net system (where your account sign on is now your email address) that there is a reduced security issue...then why does blizzard not supply further security..FREE.
Why on god's earth is Blizzard charging me ANYTHING to keep my account from being hacked?
If their solution to the PROBLEM THEY CREATED is an authenticator..then they should provide it FREE... so that I can keep PAYING MY MONTHLY FEE.
My log on used to be quite unique. Nobody knew it...trust me.
My email address is not unique however. Over the last 10 years I have used to to sign up and join fan sites, web sites (Mmorpg.com) tech sites etc... you get the picture.
Then one day I'm asked to make this email address my sign on (Battle.net). Suddenly the world knows that if I'm playing wow... then there is a good chance my email address is my sign on. They have won half the battle.
Blizzard obviously recognized this and their solution was to SELL a remedy not offer one for free.
Edit: If I eventually end up playing WoW again...I'll relent and buy the damn thing but I won't be happy about it.
Generally I love blizzard... I practically worship them. I love diablo, Starcraft... WoW. I can't wait for news on their new MMO and Diablo III. This is, in my opinion a mis-step for them. I honestly feel they screwed up on this going back to the day they asked us to use Email addresses as sign ons and culminating in the "authenticator" key as a solution.
I want to give everyone a hint of information, I don't know if anyone will read this so far down on the thread, but my friend who had his account hacked repeatedly realized what was happening:
ACCOUNT SECURITY QUESTIONS
Do NOT use anything related to your family in your account security questions! Do not use anything related to your job or previous jobs in your account security questions! Use obscure crap like "What is your favorite color?" and put something like "Pink fluffy polkadots" and remember that as your ridiculous answers. If you do decide to use something like "What was the name of your grade school" put something like IHATESKOOL. Haha.
Why? Because of public domain knowledge out there, the hackers are getting ahold of it and going through each and every account they can by using account password recovery. I know it may seem like a lot of work, but there are people out there doing it and it may be fun for some of them. Locate a person's e-mail address, maybe on boards or through one of the wow fan / picture sites, find the name to it, and then proceed to find personal information regarding their account. After they know the name to the e-mail address it doesn't matter if the person has their account cleared up, the hacker can simply do the same thing: a password reset and boom they're back in.
So many companies out there data mine and all of those data mining services can be cross referenced for so much dang information. I've done it before, won't say for what, but it really surprised me how easy it is to cross reference data and find out someone's identity to a t. All you need is a last name and a cell phone number, a home telephone number, a first name and maybe the city they live in, or an e-mail address with someone silly enough to put their real first and last name in their settings and it can be all over. Not being paranoid, just being realistic.
Good advice.
You are free to create a new e-mail address that is quite unique and link that to your WoW account. Nothing prevents you from doing that in fact Blizzard recommends you do that, so that's not really an issue here.
Yes we know! Do you understand that most of us are not stupid and already know this stuff! Yes I realize that if I use my name and birthday in my password that it will likely get guessed! I'm not 10 years old I am an adult.
I used a complex password that would never (NEVER!) be guessed by anyone using a brute force program, rainbow tables, blah blah etc, yet still I got compromised!
It's a fucking mystery how could it happen! We all know why it happened, because you wanted it to happen! And now you want me to buy your Authenticator and pass the blame to hackers.
FUCK OFF!
You are free to create a new e-mail address that is quite unique and link that to your WoW account. Nothing prevents you from doing that in fact Blizzard recommends you do that, so that's not really an issue here.
It is an issue otherwise we would not be talking about it. At the time of the battle.net account creation I was under the impression that I had to use the email account that I had used to create the account in the first place. If I can go back now and change it ...trust me I will and I thank you for the suggestion (if in fact it can be done).
Edit: Just logged in and changed it. thanks!
from what i've seen here it looks like a big inside scam by Blizzard..just look at this post telling you to send more money to buy the authenticator from Blizzard..i would bet anything their behind all the customer account hacking going on just to rip people off..you have 2 choices
1) just quit playing anything made or run by Blizzard..
or
2) just keep paying out to Blizzard so you can get screwed over by them even more
I think you need to check your tin foil hat for leaks...
I SERIOUSLY doubt that Blizzard would have anything to do with any of that. Its more likely that hackers are targeting Blizzards accounts because of the money to be made in the gold and account market. I'm betting that some one with internal connections came up with the idiotic idea of using email addresses for log in, and wasn't slapped down by those who know better. That type of thing happens all the damn time in corporate systems. Authenticators are the way to go as a practical solution to the problem.
Yes we know! Do you understand that most of us are not stupid and already know this stuff! Yes I realize that if I use my name and birthday in my password that it will likely get guessed! I'm not 10 years old I am an adult.
I used a complex password that would never (NEVER!) be guessed by anyone using a brute force program, rainbow tables, blah blah etc, yet still I got compromised!
It's a fucking mystery how could it happen! We all know why it happened, because you wanted it to happen! And now you want me to buy your Authenticator and pass the blame to hackers.
FUCK OFF!
No, you totally way missed the whole point of the post. Passwords have nothing to do with it, 0, zilch, zip, nada. You could have a 21 character password with no dictionary words, special characters, numbers, and different cases and it wouldn't matter at all. Passwords are pointless. It's the account security questions that 98% people put real answers into.
Edit: And I'm trying to help, not make you angry. Don't get angry at people who try to help. :-P Change your e-mail address and change your account security questions to something stupid. Stupidity can beat logic.
from what i've seen here it looks like a big inside scam by Blizzard..just look at this post telling you to send more money to buy the authenticator from Blizzard..i would bet anything their behind all the customer account hacking going on just to rip people off..you have 2 choices
1) just quit playing anything made or run by Blizzard..
or
2) just keep paying out to Blizzard so you can get screwed over by them even more
I think you need to check your tin foil hat for leaks...
I SERIOUSLY doubt that Blizzard would have anything to do with any of that. Its more likely that hackers are targeting Blizzards accounts because of the money to be made in the gold and account market. I'm betting that some one with internal connections came up with the idiotic idea of using email addresses for log in, and wasn't slapped down by those who know better. That type of thing happens all the damn time in corporate systems. Authenticators are the way to go as a practical solution to the problem.
What are you payed by the Authenticator unit you sell? Jesus fucking christ I can't believe the shit I hear from you people, it's really sickening. So you admit that the email login was not smart, but still endorse the authenticator as the solution, that baffles me.
I guess if you are a Blizzard employee then this makes sense, you'll get some benefit in your year-end bonus I suppose.
Are you fucking kidding me, that's not the point. I don't care if I ever get this account back. You can take that Authenticator and shove it up your fucking ass.
I played this game like I was supposed to for a long time. If you fucked up and gave my credentials to a Chinese farmer, just tell me. If you are going to require me to buy your Authenticator to keep playing, just tell me. But don't falsely claim I got hacked and need to buy your Authenticator to fix everything because it's my fault! Jesus christ I hate you all...
Emoting and all the drama in the world don't change the stone cold facts. One way or another the damn hackers are breaking into accounts. The practical solution that can be applied at this point is to lock your account down with an authenticator. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Sort that out *after* your account is locked down.
WOW - Yes it does matter whose fault it is, because we are paying for it. Your Authenticator is $6 dollars times 10 million subscribers, well that's a lot of money and a lot of fucking fault to spread around.
But yes I see your point, we should sort that out "AFTER" we fork over the dough and get our accounts secured again. Yes that is the American way...
No, the American way is to jump up and down and howl and complain and then do nothing effective about a given problem.
Fault can be determined later(if its necessary). The main focus is to get ones account secure. What I'd like to know is what nit wit came up with the decision to use email addresses for log ins, and what even bigger idiots in management let them get away with it. Heads should be rolling down the corporate hall ways over this.
You are free to create a new e-mail address that is quite unique and link that to your WoW account. Nothing prevents you from doing that in fact Blizzard recommends you do that, so that's not really an issue here.
It is an issue otherwise we would not be talking about it. At the time of the battle.net account creation I was under the impression that I had to use the email account that I had used to create the account in the first place. If I can go back now and change it ...trust me I will and I thank you for the suggestion (if in fact it can be done).
Edit: Just logged in and changed it. thanks!