Character Deletion Improvements!

As many of u are aware Black Guinevere was recently hacked...but the cruelest thing that the person did was DELETE the char! i mean taking the stuff from a char is fine....but Deleting a char?! thats beyond cruel! thats sick! I think that we should have the option of "Locking Down" our chars where we set them to NEVER be deleted! or an option to have an extra password to delete them instead of just typing their name...Guinevere was a respected member of this community and i hope Anet will read this and decide to add some extra protection of the deletion of chars...but it will only be on the characters WE assign them to...like our main character....

if you agree plx /sign

if u dont agree /dontsign

Eragon

PS: Black Guinevere i feel for you i know what its like to have a hacked char but i have never lost one that was worth soo much i dedicate this thread to u and i hope that anet will see this and decide to protect other people

PLX ANET CONSIDER THIS!!!

/signed

at least sending an email and asking for approval would improve the security a bit (unless the hacker had access to the password used in the target's email too - especially likely if the same password is used for both email and GW access - DONT DO THIS, PEOPLE!!!)

/signed for an email confirmation to delete a char. It would be some work for ANet but with the recent security breaches through NCsoft as well and in the in-game store it makes sense.

/signed

that is one great idea...

/signed

Would make rerolling for PvP a bit slower... but if you can't sacrifice 20 seconds to open up the email for the good of others then your just an asshole.

should have sorta "security code" before accessing/deleting a character so just in case a hacker got into one's account, he cant do anything with the victim's account and say if someone wanna lend an account to someone, he can choose which character to share.

Yeah, cool idea.
/signed

no, it should only apply to chars that u want like ur main, ect,..

/signed

I agree with Evilsod, if it is such an inconvience for you that will help many others to prevent getting their characters deleted then you are an idiot.

Taking items from another person's account that is not rightfully yours is NOT fine. Even that being bad enough, the character deletion was a bit overkill. No one should feel insecure and have the thought that 6000+ hours went bye bye off a click of a button.

I personally would be happy with a "Warning, this Role Playing character still has items in their inventory" warning, I accidently deleted a character once because she had a name I had been using for PVP only chars during the Factions Previews (level 20 rit with max armor and a superior restoration however that was actually the day that my warrior got his birthday present, 50k for a siege turtle bought everything I lost but the levels). However I could see a lock down character option being quite a valid concept.

Weird I actually pm'd Gaile about this not long before you posted op

Black Guinevere is a fellow officer btw

I really think this is something Anet should really consider. Gold, items etc no one cares titles characters are things that would be difficult to replace and needs resolving

/signed

I would hate to have something similar to what happened to guinivere happen to me....and having this from the start might have prevented it(well, at least the deleting of her main character...)

/signed
I myself got hacked before but didnt got my char deleted, otherwise i probably would have quit. I still cant find how/who hacked me and I never do anything weird online on my gaming comp. But yeah definitely agree to this concept.

Who is Black Guinevere?

If you can find a way to add something like this to the game in a way that would actually work, then /signed, but consider the following.

Most GW accounts are hacked into by figuring out the email account of the person and hacking that, allowing the hacker to gain complete control to the account, password and everything else.

So an email notification would be time consuming and not worth it, and after awhile, the PvPers that are lazy ("Stop making us log out to switch chars", etc...) will start complaining and petition for this to be removed.

Issue 1: In addition, wouldn't work considering the hacker would most likely have control of the email.

The other suggested idea was to add a delete password to each character, and entering that would allow you to delete the character. Of course, a rather large amount of people would forget their passwords, leading them to flood the support site with "I forgot a delete password, please send it to me through email", leading to issue 1. Or if you couldn't send the password through email...

Issue 2:There is no possible way for the forgetful person to delete a character.

Last, a character that is completely locked and there is no possible way to delete him would lead to issue 2. My "main character" was deleted long ago at level seven after figuring that the second character I created, E/Me, was much more fun to play with than a R/E.

/signed

/signed

/not signed

Why?

People get hacked all the time because of carelessness, and is usually caused by something they did.

Some people might lock out thier characters and later decide to go back and unlock them, but only to find out that since they don't put that password in every day like thier account password they end up forgetting it.

I'm sorry to hear someone got their character deleted, and overall I'd only suggest that people be more cautious and change their password occasionally.

Someone already mentioned something similar to this a while ago, but I could not find his post so I will say it on my own... they should introduce a PIN code (like cell phones yeah) that would be a secondary password that you DO NOT need to use unless in specific situations...

These would HAVE TO BE 15 chars length, including letters and numbers and capitals + lower letters (something that would REQUIRE you to use a password protective program or a notepad or something AND would not be necessary easy to remember so people would actually consider security when creating them...I lost the count of how many friends use the same pass for 10 games and they are their birth date or so) and would be necessary for a) deleting chars and probably b) accessing storage???

Maybe they could be all configurable, I mean, you set the PIN number on the options (maybe a new option tab called SECURITY in the same place you add/change/edit the password and other things for your account) where you would configure: if you want or not to use a PIN number, set it (there would be a script for checking if the PIN is secure enough with letters and all) and also select when you want it triggered (only char deleting, char + storage and so on....). ALSO, the SECURITY tab itself, would HAVE TO be protect by the PIN number, so people would not be able to change the configurations at will (for obvious reasons).

This way we would have a LOTTTTT more security, without it being a burden to everybody who doesn’t think it is necessary for all the situations above and also make the password system near "idiot proof".

---------------

ALSO, some stuff like:

1. got the password wrong 3 times = account locked for 24hs.

2. e - mails and messages on the log in screen warning if someone got the password wrong, when, how many times and maybe even the IP of this person so you could at least track it down.

3. periodical e-mails sent asking you to go on the game and change you password every 30 ~ 60 days or so (obviously ALL the password / PIN related issues HAVE to be cared away INSIDE the game, otherwise we would have a flood of "fake sites" asking you to type your password).

4. MORE SECURITY ON THE playNC END, because since now they are all linked, they both need to be secure, or everything will be a waste of time.

-----------------

These are all the most basic internet security measures and should definitely be added ASAP because the number of people getting hacked (either they being guilty or not) is getting a little to big for me to start caring about (I know 3 friends that went trough that, and at least 1 of them is not the one to be blamed).

And just to be sure, this is IMPORTANT!!!!! It is not like a concept class thread, this affects every single campaign and every single player... IT IS more important then farming / bot issues, and anything like that so I REALY hope some measures regarding security of our THOUSANDS of hours devoted to the game take place BEFORE Nightfall is released (they new gamers will come, and they are the most likely to get hacked, ALSO the account will become more valuable with the new expansion, and more security is needed).

Latter.




EDIT: sorry about the spelling ^^ got it right this time...

Uh, sorry but.....

/signed

how bout an option to lock down IP too? make it so that hackers cant even access your account with out the right IP =P. of course, an email incase of change is what would be needed.

/not signed

By no means do I mean to blame people who've been hacked but... If you actually had a good password and not just "password" as your password, and kept a 'public' and a 'private' email adress... Then the odds of you being hacked are very, very slim. Using different passwords for different services is also a good idea, and so is changing your passwords reguarly...

Sure, if no one was out there trying to hack your account, you wouldn't have been hacked. However, it's simmilar to leaving your door open at night and hoping no one simply walks in and steals somthing. Anyone with any common sense closes, and even locks their doors. Is it still possible to get in your house if you have a locked door? Sure. It's alot harder though, and it's even harder to do it without making alot of noise, thus making it not worth it for the would be thief. The same goes with account security. It's still possible to get into your account, but it's much, much harder, so much so that it's not worth the trouble to do so unless you desperately hate the person, most likely know them in person, and have ALOT of free time on your hands.

....ur point? ud prob only use the password once... and if ur calling someone an idiot plx spell it right..

Is TheLordOfBlah implying that Black Guinievere (sp?) downloaded cheat bots, and thats how she got hacked, hmm?

I think an additional password is a great idea, however, I do think it needs to be optional. i wouldn't like to have it on every character, forget it, and then not be able to make any more characters.

I also like the idea of emailing the person if someone types the password for the account wrong more than three times or something. I think that would be good.

/signed

I hope it never happens to The LordOfBlah because that last post will come back to haunt him

Even in the most perfect world things can happen if the ability for it not to happen is in place it is not an issue.

I hope Anet see the logic in this

SO....if you think this way how the hell could you "/not signed"?!?!?!

Using your own metaphor, the "door" in GW is not even near closed!!! There are SOOO many breaches and SOOO many leaks of information (way to go PlayNC) that getting your hands on your "private e-mail" is easier then access your homepage on daily bases.

ALSO, since there is NOTHING to prevent repetitive trying, people that want to hack someone can just keep trying / use a program to do it maybe endlessly, and you will simply never know if this happened or not because the game simply does not have any means to warn you!!!

ALSO, the "thieves" have 100% chance of getting away since NO MEASUERES AT ALL to detect / track them down, are taken place!!!

So, lets get back to your metaphor: if GW was a house, and your password would act as the key for the front door, what you would have on the current scenario is a closed door with a dozen of different keys (including one right one and eleven wrong) hanging on the door handle and a big glowing red carpet on the entrance showing the way to the door. You would also get ZERO alarms inside the house, witch means that once some one is inside, they can take their time to do whatever they want / steal EVERY SINGLE THING you have....

Wouldn’t it be better if there where the option to put some safes inside the house?!?! Also put an alarm on the front door and maybe some security cameras to actually know if anyone tried to brake in while you where away?!?! And off course, we got to consider the careless people, if a system can help them improve their home security without being a burden for other persons why is it wrong?! You think that someone don't deserve the VERY BASIC security options just because they are a little too careless? And allow me to quote OPTIONAL, meaning if you don't think you need this, you would just not ennable it, and leave it to people who realy think they need it.

Do you REALY think we are secure by any means?!

Do you REALY think these upgrades won't benefit the community?!

Latter.

/not signed
My brother, not having an email account of his own and thus using mine, wouldn't be able to delete characters anymore

HOW SO?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

What is beeing proposed is OPTIONAL!!!!!!! IF YOU DON'T WANT IT, DO NOT USE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Geee....people don't even bother to read the entire thing before "not signing" away!!!!

And how in EARTH wouldnt he be abble to secure an e-mail account for himself to play?!?! I could count over 1 000 000 free and secure e-mails that he could use so this is REALY not an excuse!

Latter.

/not signed

I don't feel that adding clunky email verifications is the solution to account security.

And Scavenger Rage's rage against anyone with a differing opinion is just downright funny.

If you're using a confirmation lock only on main PvE chars, that you don't intend to ever delete anyway... this isn't adding any 'clunky email verification' because you wouldn't be trying to delete it. It simply adds another barrier in preventing any form of accident.

Not even hacking - I have friends who have deleted equipped PvE characters by accident several times, and this would help prevent that while providing no encumbrance to people who don't activate it. It's not a question about hacking, its a question about safety.

/signed

If this is really going to be implimented, please make them PvE chars with at least 50 hours of gameplay

Also they shouldn't affect PvP chars in my opinion..

/signed

Having a second password to delete a character or a conformation email would be a good idea.

/signed.

/Signed

i see she was a great fan of King Arthurs Wife Guinevere Castus

/not signed

Individuals should take more steps to protect themselves before requesting or demanding that a company implement more measures to protect them. If one can be hacked with the current level of security, they can be hacked with an added level of security. To be quite honest, every single person who plays Guild Wars is at risk. However, only those who don't take the steps to properly protect themselves need truly worry. Yes, there are some holes that need to be patched. That does not mean, however, that ArenaNet and PlayNC are completely at fault. It also in no way means that they need to go above and beyond the call of duty and add security after the known holes in the current security system have been filled.

Learn to protect yourselves, rather than relying on others to do it for you.

/not signed


We all should be using better practices for account security.

Suggestions:

- Change your password every 2-3 weeks.
- Don't use personal information in a password.
- Make sure to use atleast 1 capatial letter, lowercase letters, and numbers.

^^ If you play around with combos like that it is going to take a hacker 10 times longer to hack your account. By then you should notice something is happening.

/Signed

Sure 9/10 times its the victims own fault if they lose their account and characters, but there are cases where it isnt their fault and they shouldnt have to lose all the time and effort they have invested into the game.



Its all well and good protecting yourself, but when its something out of your control (such as the recent NCSoft security problem) the victim shouldnt have to pay. In such events ArenaNet/PlayNC arent fully to blame, but if they dont add a system to prevent the damage then they are to blame. It is inevitable that people will find ways to steal accounts through vulnerabilities (which arent the customers fault) so a preventative system should be put in place.

/signed and I hope BG does not quit GW.

*Snip* Edited by mod - Scavenger Rage, watch your hyperbole, you're being a jerk *Snip*

Knowledge of the problem is enough to take measures to solve it, and as the poster above just said, there is a break point where our fault ends, and their lack of security begins. In either situation it is wise to put counter measures in place, not only to help people learn and care about security, but also to cover the breaches and at the same time making more difficult for hackers to exploit them.

It is also nice to point out that NO METTER what security is taken place, there will be always the ones to surpass them. The problem here is that with the current security level the number of people capable of doing so with ridiculously easy methods is alarming at best.

Almost every single online game has some sort of security measures other then the password / e-mail form. ALL battle.net games have a warning message every time you get the password wrong right on the login screen for instance, so you don’t even have to get into the junk e-mail issue (I also don’t agree with e-mail confirmations for deleting btw). Lets think this way for a second, you put 5000 hours on an account, it have a huge value (time IS money) and protecting all this with such a primitive system is rather doubtful, especially in the times we leave now! I mean, my cell phone have more countermeasures then that and I paid 10US$ for it!!!

Latter.

I agree, in a way, as stated in the following quote.
Patching the recently exploited security holes would be, in my opinion, fixing the system. There is no need to add a system when a perfectly adequate one is already in place. The current system needs to be fixed; that does not mean that a new system needs to be added. ArenaNet and PlayNC can continue to add more security systems until they run out of funding, but that won't change the fact that people are going to get themselves hacked and/or cracked. Once the current holes are filled, if a new system is added, another individual will have their account stolen, and the entire situation will repeat itself, thereby making the entire process a waste of time, in a sense.

In any event, patching will need to be done every time a problem arises. Just like the game itself, there will be errors and vulnerabilities that can, and will, be exploited over time. ArenaNet and PlayNC's time (and resources, of course) would be better spent repeatedly patching/fixing/buffing the current security measures than creating and implementing more every time a problem does rear it's ugly head.

I will say, however, that replacing the Character Deletion step of entering the character's name with a PIN number entry step would be a welcome and wise idea.