keyloggers
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You cannot get hacked by playing public games in Diablo 3
After years of keyloggers and trojans from unsafe browsing, unsecured computers, or just plain bad luck, WoW players should be pretty used to the concept of a compromised account and how said compromises happen. Unfortunately, Diablo III players don't appear to be as familiar with them, which has resulted in some pretty maddening discourse on the official forums and across the internet. Just like WoW accounts, Diablo III accounts are worth real money. Blizzard has had experience dealing with compromised accounts for years. This is why it introduced the Battle.net Authenticator, a second level of security that makes it very, very difficult to get your account compromised. Authenticators don't make it impossible to get your account compromised, but they do make compromising your account much more trouble than it's worth in the face of mass keylogging, which is how accounts are normally stolen. Some people who haven't had a WoW account before but bought Diablo III were undoubtedly surprised when their accounts were compromised, which is understandable. An editor at Eurogamer had his account hacked and responded with an article suggesting that players were getting their sessions hijacked by joining public games and that people were getting compromised with this method even with authenticators attached to their account. Unfortunately, sites all over the internet picked up the story and also reported the session hijacks and bypassed authenticators as fact. The problem is that neither of those things were correct. In fact, Blizzard says it's actually impossible to do with Diablo III due to the way the infrastructure is set up.
Blizzard posts new account security guide
Make no mistake: it really sucks when your WoW account gets compromised. Even with the speed with which compromises are handled by the support department nowadays, it's still a pain to have to wait to get your stuff back -- and it's even worse to know that someone was in there mucking around with your dudes, you know? Blizzard's been better about helping people with account security problems recently, like giving out free authenticators to some hacked accounts and offering a free phone-in authenticator service, but in the end, a lot of the responsibility falls on you the player to keep your account secure. To that end, Blizzard has assembled a new account security guide. It's a pretty comprehensive list of the steps you can take to secure your account, from getting an authenticator to learning how to recognize phishing emails to making sure that your computer itself is secured through the use of antivirus software. Learn it, live it, love it. In account security, as in Planeteering, the power is yours.
NCsoft answers questions on Aion's new security
Ever been in the middle of a duel with a friend in Aion and watch him (or her) drop offline in the middle of a conversation, then come back online on each alt, strip it down, and sell off everything -- right in front of your eyes? That very scenario has happened to me, and similar situations have happened to others. Even counting RNG rages, nothing really compares to the frustration and heartache of losing all you have worked so hard for in-game, and no one wants to experience this. With this in mind, NCsoft has introduced an extra layer of security -- a new PIN system designed to better safeguard your virtual stash. We were able to speak with Sean Neil, Associate Producer of Aion, and Lance Stites, Executive Vice President of Game Operations and Production at NCsoft West, to bring you the scoop on this new system. Join us past the cut to hear what they had to say.
Blizzard announces automated account recovery form for hacked accounts
World of Warcraft accounts have been under siege for years, with hackers and gold-selling outlets stealing passwords, items and more to fill their coffers, selling that gold to unwitting buyers. Blizzard has fought back incessantly over the years to stem the tide of gold farming and account hacking, and as you can imagine, the scale at which this happens is very tasking on its customer support department. Blizzard has just announced a new, speedier way to get help and answered about your hacked account, stolen items, authenticator issues and more! Now, under the new system, you will not have to email or call Blizzard to get these matters into its queue -- simply use the Account Recovery Form.
Update: Keylogger source identified
Just a quick update from from our friends at World of Raids about the current situation regarding circumvented authenticators. It appears there are multiple websites being used for this malware. Be careful of which sites you go to in order to update your addons from; fake website addresses are being used to trick users. For example, one of the fake sources appears as a "Sponsored Link" right at the top of a Google search. Don't actually visit that site and be sure to warn players asking about addons where to go. What happens is the fake site will allow you to download a fake copy (did you see fake?) of the WowMatrix AddOn Manager which installs the emcor.dll. This Trojan (Malware.NSPack) can currently be detected by Malware Bytes. Thanks Kody!
Man in the middle attacks circumventing authenticators
It has been brought to our attention that Blizzard's technical support department is currently handling a security exploit that is, in a limited capacity, circumventing authenticators. Before we get into the details, please do not panic. This does not make authenticators worthless, and it is not yet a widespread problem. Do not remove your authenticator because of this, and do not base your decision on whether or not to buy an authenticator off of this. They are still very useful, and your account is much safer with an authenticator than it is without one. This is not the only report of this that we've seen, but it is the first time that a Blizzard representative has openly acknowledged that there is something afoot. For a full account of what happened, check the thread on the EU Technical Support forums. To sum up: There is a piece of malware (emcor.dll is what is being reported at the moment) that is being used as a hijacking tool to facilitate Man-in-the-Middle attacks on users. Kropaclus After looking into this, it has been escalated, but it is a Man in the Middle attack. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-in-the-middle_attack This is still perpetrated by key loggers, and no method is always 100% secure. source To explain in the simplest way possible, instead of data being broadcast directly to Blizzard when trying to log in to your account, that data is being broadcast to a third party via this malware. This includes your authenticator code. Rather than you logging into your account, the hacker on the other end does so. They log into your account, clear out your characters, and move around virtual funds to fulfill orders from players buying gold. This method of circumvention has been theorized since the release of the key fobs, but it has only now started to actually happen.
In defense of care packages and mandatory authenticators
If you read WoW.com with any regularity, you probably saw and read our pieces on Friday discussing some rather curious policies Blizzard has recently instituted. There are two in particular that I'd like to discuss further: The care package for hacked accounts and the possibility of mandatory authenticators. First, how many of you have had your accounts stolen, or know someone that had theirs stolen? Chances are good every single person that reads this post will raise their hand to that question. The problem is not a small one. I'm in a rather large guild, and every few weeks someone has their account stolen and the little bits of our guild bank they have access to go with them. My large guild is also just one guild in a larger guild alliance which suffers the same problems. Every two weeks or so, someone I see online on a regular basis gets their account stolen.
Blizzard warns against buying gold
If it wasn't already obvious, Blizzard put together a page on their official website making clear their stance towards buying in-game gold, and have just recently given it another big push. To put it simply: don't. The page outlines what we at WoW.com have known for quite some time (hence our collective stance against buying gold) -- that gold buying harms other players. The site doesn't go into specifics other than to say that gold selling companies often acquire their gold through unscrupulous means. They sum up their statement by saying that "players who buy gold are supporting spamming, botting, and keylogging." Basically, if you're a gold buyer, you're part of the problem. No, seriously. Gold sellers acquire gold by hacking into other players' accounts, taking their gold, selling all their items, and sometimes maliciously deleting their characters. That gold you think some Asian spent hours farming in Nagrand or something is more likely to be some other player's hard-earned gold and the seller is just as likely to be some dude from Jersey. As tempting as buying gold may seem -- and I've read many arguments towards why people buy them -- the bottom line is that it is harmful to the game and you're not doing yourself any favors in the long run. Blizzard says that it "diminish(es) the gameplay experience," but that's putting it nicely. Gold selling and power leveling are against the EULA, anyway, so anybody who patronizes these services are in danger of getting banned. And if you don't believe in buying gold (go you!), protect yourself by getting an authenticator or reading up on account security.
The Queue: Nuts and bolts
Oh boy. Most of us are the walking dead after BlizzCon, but let's get back to something resembling normalcy with a Queue. We're going to start off today with an important matter concerning authenticators and account security, then move on to a bit of WoW.com business and Onyxia. I'd also like to direct attention to two really good comments from the last column re: technical issues, Shadow's and Logarth's.Zerounit asks... I recently got an Authenticator in the mail and I noticed something while I was inspecting it: there appears to be no way to open it short of cracking it open with large objects. Is there a battery life on these? If it stops giving me my magic codes, will I have to get a new one? I got an authenticator for my own use recently and have to admit I hadn't thought to look into the battery life, which is a very good question indeed. A dead authenticator means you have no way of getting into the game (or even into your online account) without official help from Blizzard. Turns out the little security doodads are manufactured by a company named Vasco, and after poking around their website, I'm reasonably certain that Blizzard authenticators are a variant of Vasco's DIGIPASS GO 6 model. What makes me so sure? The GO 6 model page is the only one accompanied by an article on fraud and hacking in online gaming. They don't come right out and say that Blizzard is a customer, but unless Hello Kitty Online is a bigger hive of scum and villainy than even we gave it credit for, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that World of Warcraft figures prominently in MMORPG account theft.
Account security mythbusting
So, you might have noticed the increased number of warnings and advice from Blizzard regarding account security lately. They've even popped up in the game itself, as a server message when you first log in. Needless to say, this has caused no dearth of consternation in the WoW community (read: people be trippin'). So, why the sudden notices? Has something changed? Has Blizzard lost their footing in the war against hackers and gold farmers? Is Blizzard in cahoots with them? What's this itchy pentagram-shaped rash I've developed?Now, there's a lot I can't talk about regarding this stuff, and certainly not for any sinister reason. It's a selfish reason, though, that being that I really like not getting sued. I can, however, use my experience and knowledge to bust or confirm some common account security myths. Ready? I'm a trained professional. Don't try this at home!
International Space Station has a keylogger
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Keyloggers_in_Spaaaaaaaace'; NASA has confirmed that the International Space Station has been infected by a keylogger. It was carried onto the station by an astronaut's laptop back in July. The keylogger in question is the W32.Gammima.AG -- which is specifically a gaming keylogger. In other words, the ISS has the exact kind of keylogger that plagues so many of us in WoW. NASA describes the keylogger as merely a "nuisance," but at least two of the laptops on board had the virus. That probably means it arrived on one laptop, and a removable device like a thumb drive carried it to another. Kelly Humphries, a NASA spokesperson, said "This is not the first time we have had a worm or a virus. It's not a frequent occurrence, but this isn't the first time." For security reasons, Humphries couldn't say whether mission-critical systems were affected by the keylogger. NASA is working with its Russian partners to figure out how the virus got space-born. Here's hoping the International Space Station has their Blizzard Authenticators installed properly.
WoW Rookie: Embracing the official forums
WoW Rookie is brought to our readers to help our newest players get acclimated to the game. Make sure you send a note to WoW Insider if you have suggestions for what new players need to know. I spend most of my evenings perusing the North American and European WoW Foums for interesting topics for our Forum Post of the Day feature. I've come across all kinds of threads from the uplifting, to the whiney, to the popular discussion. They are a great resource for tips and strategies. Blizzard welcomes constructive criticism and suggestions from the WoW community. You are welcome to be a part of it as well. There are a few things you should know about the forums.
Authenticator ordering leads to unexplained refunds
We've already reported that the Blizzard Authenticator is sold out, but here's another twist to the story. WoW Insider reader Ryan told us that he placed his order last Monday, before the sell out was announced. However, instead of getting his Authenticator, he instead got an unexplained refund. With no other word from Blizzard, they simply canceled the order and refunded the money. He talked to a coworker who had also ordered the Authenticator and found that he had the same experience. As of yet, Blizzard has not explained the refund to him. It's likely that Ryan was simply unlucky enough to place his order after they'd sold out but before they'd officially announced it, but there's other somewhat unfortunate implications. If they're refunding his order instead of honoring it, it suggests that they don't expect to have any new Authenticators ready for quite some time.
Blizzard Authenticator to be introduced at the Worldwide Invitational
The problem with keyloggers and other methods of account theft has been well documented here at WoW Insider, and it seems like a constant problem. Even the most conscientious of players has fallen prey to it. However, at the Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard is introducing a little piece of hardware that could make those problems vanish. Say hello to the Blizzard Authenticator. The Authenticator is a small piece of hardware that you can associate with your World of Warcraft account. Once the Authenticator is associated with the account, you will need it to log on. Every time you log on, you press a button on the Authenticator to generate a six-digit code that you must input to log on. Since only you know the code, and it's generated apart from your computer at the time you're ready to log on, it will be safe from trojans, keyloggers, and other hacks. The Authenticator will be available at the WWI to start, then eventually at the Blizzard Store. The starting price being quoted by Blizzard is $6.50 -- a small price to pay for safety from a ransacked bank and naked server transferred characters, for many. Is this the big announcement though? It's possible, of course, but we like to think there's more in store at the WWI. Stay tuned here, and we'll let you know.
McAfee report reveals the most dangerous web domains
In an era where clicking on the wrong link while browsing the web could mean your account will get hacked, and one of your guild members clicking on the wrong link means your guild bank could get emptied as well, it's always good to protect yourself and keep abreast of web security issues. In that vein, it's worth checking out a new report released by McAfee called Mapping the Mal Web Report Revisited. It tested 9.9 Million websites in 265 domains to find out which ones had a higher risk of exposing visitors to malware, spam, and malicious attacks via a red, yellow, and green system.
Arena Junkies suffers virus attack
Arena Junkies is one of the most reputable online sources for. . .arena junkies. Its posters are numbered predominately among the 2000+ Arena Rated teams, and thus the site serves as a key resource for arena veterans and up-and-comers alike. Arena Junkies hosts dozens of forums, macros, strategies, and example Arena-centric Talent builds. Arena Junkies is also an official part of the Blizzard Fan Site Program. Oh, and they've got their own T-Shirts.Which is why it can be so troubling to see they've been attacked by one of Vaneras's malicious "eVillains." The eVillain posted a "malicious applet" in their Interface forums, planting a virus which apparently spread to the hosting server itself. Naxos warns forum-goers that if any Junkie clicked on the link responsible for the attack, he or she should be careful that their system isn't under any danger. With the rising number of keyloggers and account theft, that kind of precaution is starting to get common for even the most casual WoW player.Naxos definitely seems to have a handle on the problem, though. Arena Junkies reverted to its last-saved backup, from very early that morning, and now Arena Junkies is back to running smoothly. According to Naxos, the virus itself was a variation of the i-worm/stration virus. Links to the virus have, understandably, been removed. It's unclear whether this attack was an attack of opportunity, or if someone has it out for the Arena Junkies. As Bio puts it: "He prob sucks at the arena."
New exploits target Flash
According to reports, a new wave of exploits has appeared taking advantage of a vulnerability Adobe Flash Player. Allegedly over 200,000 web sites now have redirects to malware, including keyloggers, through embedded Flash. And we all know how evil keyloggers can be. Flash Player 9.0.115.0 appear to be the affected version.Adobe quickly responded to the issue, saying that the vulnerability is fixed in 9.0.124.0, the latest version of the player, so to make yourself secure, all you need to do is update your Flash. To check what version you are running, go to this Adobe page. Keeping your software up-to-date is one of the best ways to close security holes; if you're truly paranoid, you could always go the route of adding Flashblock and/or No-Script into your browser. And be sure to keep an eye on our new Azeroth Security Advisor column for more tips on how to keep yourself from being compromised. Once again, to update your Flash and patch this vulnerability go to Adobe's "Get Flash" page.Update: It is possible that certain versions of 124 (namely, the standalone version for Linux and the standalone version with debug capabilities for Windows) are also affected by the exploits. At this time it is recommended to disable Flash if you are running those versions.Update 2: It is currently believed that all versions of 124 are safe. Nevertheless, caution is generally a good idea.
Reminder: The Wrath Alpha is not open to the public
We've mentioned this already, but let's reiterate something: Though the Wrath Alpha client is floating around out there, be very very careful about what you download or try to access. The Alpha servers are not for you, and attempting to download the client isn't wise. My recommendation is simply to not do it.We all know how many accounts have been stolen due to keyloggers hidden in links, ads, and other things. Keep that in mind before you click on a download link. A dirty .exe with a filename disguised to look like a Blizzard downloader for the Alpha client is out there. There are probably more than one. Nobody wants to lose their account, and we don't want you to lose yours, either.
How misspelling might get you keylogged
There have been a lot of scares recently about AddOns having keyloggers in them. For the most part, it turned out to be ads on the sites that were the problem. And now we have the Fraps scare. Unfortunately, no one is immune and it's best to be as careful as possible. Recently, I came across another particularly sneaky way you could get keylogged.I don't use many AddOns when I play. Cartographer, Auctioneer and Gatherer are pretty much it. I've tried tarting my UI up with some of the fancier mods, but I always come back to my minimalist setup. Because I don't use many, I don't have to upgrade very often and I always neglect to bookmark the appropriate download sites. I'm also a believer in convenience, so I make full use of my Firefox address bar to do my "searches". Firefox will either bring up a Google search for whatever I type in or it will bring up the closest webpage to what I have typed.
WoW Ace Updater ad banners may contain trojans, claim some users
While the Incgamers malware problem is fixed, it looks like there's another malware flare up in the world of addons. The WoW Ace Updater, according to many users, may be passing off a trojan from an ad in the guise of an antivirus program. The program, called Winfixer, pops up in a window and (in some cases automatically) installs malware while claiming your computer is compromised and that you need to buy the full retail version to fix it. It can be detected and removed by Spybot Search and Destroy and Vundofix, and Symantec includes instructions on how to manually remove it here. Wowace.com site owner Kaelten has disabled the ads on WoW Ace Updater completely for now, and is talking to his Ad provider to find out what went wrong and which ads might be causing problems. This isn't the first time a popular WoW site has had trouble with trojans in ads, and unfortunately, it is unlikely to be the last. Kaelten seems to be on top of it, though, so hopefully he'll get to the bottom of these claims. Since the ads are currently disabled, the program itself should already be safe to use. If you're feeling a bit skittish, though, you can check out some of Sean's recommendations for other upgrade programs here. I should note that, being a religious user of WoW Ace Updater myself (I run it at least a good 5 times a week), I just made sure to scan my computer with the aforementioned Spybot Search and Destroy as well as AVG Free Edition. According to those programs, It has a clean bill of health.
