Account security

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but I'll write up what I know, and if anyone wants to add further to this, please do.
Sadly because WoW is such a popular game, there's also far too much potential for accounts to be hacked, which leads to characters being stripped off, banks being emptied and the like, even accounts being sold to other people. So, for those of you who are new to the game, or are not sure about security, here's a list of things you can do to improve your account security. And not just your game account, but your general pc security too.

1) Get yourself an authenticator and attach it to your account. It's worth the extra cost in the long run even if you do have two chances to fumble over relogging when disconnected!
http://eu.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=221003617

2) Run regular virus checks and spyware checks - make sure these programmes are updated regularly. There are a number of good free ones out there. Just ask for recommendations if you're unsure.

3) We recommend using Mozilla Firefox as an internet browser, rather than Internet Explorer - it's less targetted than Internet Explorer.

4) NEVER reply to any suspicious emails, no-one from Blizzard will ever ask you for your password, people whispering in game saying they're from Blizzard are most likely not - some of these are stupidly obvious, but.....Real GMs will be obvious as they have the little blue Blizzard tag and will ask you to open a window. Things like "You have won!" whispers are crap. On no account EVER give these people details, or visit the websites they've linked.

5) Some websites relating to WoW (non-official ones, obviously6)) may be dodgy - some may have annoying spyware attached to them. If your computer starts to do anything odd during or after visiting such a site, virus check and spywear check your computer immediately.

6) Gold buying and paying for your characters to be levelled are both pretty sure fire ways of being hacked. As is buying a second hand account. These are against Blizzard'sTerms of Service and Conditions, and as well as facing hacking you also face permabans on your account if you're caught doing so.

I hope this helps a little. If anyone's got any queries, discussions, whatever, feel free to post!

Excellent summary, Alquiel. It's a damned shame that this topic rears its ugly head as often as it does these days.

It's also worth noting, for those of you with more money than sense (or at least a relatively new mobile phone) that Blizzard also provides a mobile authenticator application that can be downloaded freely and linked with your account. If you've no qualms about putting your eggs in one basket, it's definitely a convenient route to protect your account!

Have a look here for more info: http://mobile.blizzard.com/

Thank you - and thank you for posting the link to this too!

Thanks very much for the advice !

Luckily I'm good on all of your points above, and I've just ordered a battle.net authenticator fob, £6 is a bargain, not even 2 pints of beer !

It's a pleasure - I know we didn't have issues with LotRO, it wasn't quite as big bucks! And I quite agree, the £6 for me was worth it for one less worry.

I am sure msot folks have this area sorted, but if you don't I can recommend:
AVG as a virus checker and
SpyBot as privacy/spyware checker.
Both are free, and, as long as you keep them up to date, seem very effective.

Please be aware of the newest (and pretty elaborate) scam as detailed on WoW.com.

Wow that thing looks astoundingly real. They wouldn't have gotten me though, I don't know where my original CD key is.

Woot, I received my WoW authenticator in the post this morning. I've attached it to my account it works fine ! I feel much safer now. Looking forward to getting my new evil pet in game as well ;o)

Ironically, this morning I received a phishing email from some dodgy source, informing me that my NCsoft account details had been changed and pointing me to a URL which looked ok, pointed me to *a* NCsoft account login site which again looked ok, but was actually not-secure i.e. was submitting the logon details via http and not https. Nasty business. I checked my real details on the real NCsoft page and they had not been changed, but I changed my password just in case.

NCsoft manage Guild Wars and AION. I heard there was a lot of account hacking on AION of late. Also the dodgy email came to my work email address and not to my home one, which I use to register game accounts.

Hm... I think I'll order an Authenticator. I've actually downloaded the app for it on my iPod, but I might still buy one because:

a) I want the pet!
b) The little fob looks cool and my keys look a little empty at the moment

Just as a quick note. You get a pet as long as an authenticator is tied to your account, doesn't matter if it's a physical one, iPod, Android or mobile phone.

Just bumping this topic to increase awareness.
http://nowiamtree.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/authenticity-is-a-good-thing/

Yes, do get an authenticator, if only so you can do the decent thing and reunite a Corehound Pup with his family!




WARNING: the family may not be pleased to see him. I suspect my little pup may have been a rather naughty chap when he was younger, as the rellies were distinctly unfriendly.