Posted by Juggynaut on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 - 10 Comments
Tags: account security, authenticator, blizzcon, cash, online banking
Reading through the comments, it seems like a few of you got what I like to call the perfect gift: cash. The possibilities are endless when you get a gift like cash. Of course you can use it on whatever you like, be it video games, movies, comics, or silly things like food and rent. The choice is really yours, but my suggestion to anyone who has put any significant amount of time into WoW should spend just a few dollars to keep that investment safe.
Most of you have met someone who’s account has been compromised. A few months back I was without internet and needed to get my WoW fix, so I logged in at a public WiFi hotspot. Turns out that was a pretty bad decision, since the next day I woke up with emails concerning a character transfer that I didn’t initiate. After I called Blizzard to get my password reset and got most of my equipment restored (I had most of my gear back within an hour), the first thing I did was purchase a Blizzard Authenticator for the low low price of $6.50. A couple of days later, I got a small manila envelope with the device, then learned that there were authenticators included in the BlizzCon swag bags. Well, now I have an extra that I’ll be giving to a friend who recently had his account compromised. I hate to sound like an advertisement, but this is just some advice from me to you. Besides, demand is so high that authenticators aren’t even in stock right now.
There are other ways to keep your account safe while Blizzard gets authenticators back in stock, like following Blizzard’s Account Security tips, but many people I know who have lost control of their accounts have said that they follow all of those. Of course, I made a critical mistake with my own account, but using the Authenticator gives another level of security, and to me the peace of mind is worth the $6.50. Now if only we could get other online services like banks to use Two-Factor Authentication
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By Random_Tangent on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I love my little Blizzcon authenticator. Just don’t lose your keys or else you can’t get your WoW Fix.
Talk about frustration. Not being able to find my keys is bad enough, but not being able to log in so I can ignore the fact that I’m a schmuck was really bad. Make sure all of your account info is up to date so you can reset your account should you lose or break your Authenticator.
By Mini-me on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Sounds great!would be nice if you could use it with friends though.me and my friends often use eachother’s account,would be nice if that would somehow work
By Kalcifer on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Looks pretty cool but can you get them in the EU or do you need to import one from America and will it still work if you do get one from america?
By Davisu on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
im from the UK and i got my mine from the blizz store, It said £4. But I ended up paying £16, came from germany in the end, lol but its well worth it, I now have that peace of mind, aswell as haveing a good p/w
Good post Juggy
By Amidaman on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
no
By davvyjones on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
yeah authenticators are a great idea!
my account got hacked about 5 months ago and the GMs were great and all but i ultimately ended up quitting WoW for a while
Theres no worse feeling than logging on and seeing the dreadful image of your character missing most of its gear
By Zerbet on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
So-called Multi-factor authentication is actually required at all US banking websites.
But, note that there are many different kinds of systems, including those less expensive (the key fob type systems are expensive for the institution to license and maintain - not everybody is making Blizzard-style incomes these days) and just as secure, in use.
By Deidare on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 10:02 am
well ive never really been the guy to get over reacted over thing like my account being stolen. But after reading what you’ve posted juggy you’ve changed my mind it sounds like a good idea to me i’ll do it! (and whens goggins comeing back…?)
By Ananun on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Well I have never had my account hacked but I did have my cousin delete my main once and the GMs are really helpful and understanding I had my main restored in a matter of minutes but still who doesn’t like a piece of mind but I don’t care really as my password is a bit to complicated to remember has it changes every month and is always randomly generated when I make it my password.
By Alayea on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Last month, a fellow guild member of mine had his account hacked. Unfortunately, he was on a vacation of sorts and didn’t know that his had been compromised. My guild only found out about it when I got on one morning and asked in the guild chat why everything except the gold in our bank was gone. It took a few days of sorting the thing out with Blizzard before the guildie and the guild bank got most of the stolen items back.
Please, PLEASE exercise caution about which websites you visit while using the computer that contains your WoW files and info . Having some fleeting curiosity (or whatever) is not worth making a very sick guild master have to sort out the mess and a guild higher-up — such as myself — spend hours sending out information and updates regarding the situation through the in-game mail system.