Poll: Account Security Solutions

[Taken, with permission, from Bellissima's post here.]

So we've had a few threads regarding account security recently. In amongst the commiseration and speculation has been some discussion about possible solutions. Here's a summary of some of the more popular ones and a poll to gauge which ones appeal the most to the community. You can select multiple options in the poll, but do try to prioritize the couple items that you would MOST want to see added.


Here are the descriptions of the options so you don't have dig back through pages of old threads.

Static IP/MAC/HW checking

This is used by some banks. If you try to access your account from an IP or MAC address that is foreign to that account (meaning you haven't used it before or haven't used it recently), then you are asked additional account security questions before access is allowed.

Similar to the IP/MAC address check, a hardware configuration check will compare some aspect of the hardware with which you are currently using to access the account. Additional security questions will be asked if the information is mismatched.

Strong password policy

Password policies prevent you from using passwords that are too easy to crack. Some factors include password length, similarity to previous passwords, repeated characters, and use of non-alphabeticals. Password policies can also enforce minimum and maximum password ages. ArenaNet has already confirmed they have some throttling technology on their end to thwart "brute force" password hacking but strong passwords are still an important part of account security. Strong passwords are still easily broken by key loggers.

SecurID authentication option

This is already in use by Blizzard as an optional account security measure. You get either a device or an app that can be loaded on a mobile device like an iphone. It uses two-factor authentication. You have your usual login method (account name + password) and then you'll be asked for your secure id. You hit a button on the device and it displays a code for you to input.

Short version: you have a second password that is changed automatically every 60 seconds.

"NO DELETE/SALVAGE/TRADE" option on characters/items

With this option you'd be able to mark certain characters or items as undeletable and untransferable. Some variations of this suggestion allow for this option to be toggled on and off using a second factor authentication (second password) or an account security question. Obviously this doesn't make it harder to gain access to your account but it could protect the things you value most.

Additional authentication for Xunlai storage access

Similar to the previous option, this would allow you to add an additional password to your Xunlai storage. You therefore have additional protection around some of your gold and items. However, since you would likely use this password every time you play, it's just as vulnerable to keyloggers as your account password.

Randomized point and click gui for password input

This option would put an image of a keyboard on the screen for you to point and click each character of your password. The keys would be randomized each time to remove the possibility of a keylogger recording the pixel locations of each click and engineering the password based on a standard keyboard layout.

Compromised account restorations

This is already provided by many MMOs. Once the account has been compromised, game support can go back and verify which items were removed and restore them to the compromised account. ArenaNet has always stated they cannot restore items on live servers. Whether this is a technical or a budgeting limitation is up for speculation, but the inevitable comparison has been made and this capability has been requested.

Other H/W solution

Specify in a post if you want other features that require specific hardware.
(e.g. thumbprint scanners)

Other S/W solution

Specify what other software features you'd like to see implemented.
(e.g. Human verification images)

No solution required

Choose this if you don't want any changes.

Better security experts at ANet

Edit:
To clarify, I don't give a damn about people who download keyloggers, give out their password to "friends", people who use their character name as their password, etc etc.

What I do care about, is security vulnerabilities on ANet's end.

#1 No delete for characters. (Locks must be bought, each one comes with a new character slot - so people can never have all slots locked, and no "malicious locking" is possible or economically feasible)

#2 Other S/W:
Option to block IP addresses in other countries or at least the other GW regions (US, Euro, Asia, whatever)
Require old password to set a new one on NCsoft site.
Email confirmation required before password change, not after when using NCsoft site.
Allow special characters for passwords on NCsoft site.

#3 SecurID (as an option)

#4 Strong password policy

The other stuff... nice, but lower priority to me

Great summary of all the suggestions so far.
I didn't vote yet, because the flaw lies within NCSofts Site. It has been reported from various independent sources and you'll only have to look at the "Change your Password" Method to see how utterly fail this whole Master-Account security is.

So I would vote for "Other S/W", specifically suggesting that NCSoft gets their **** together. Other than that, there are no further security updates needed.

The easiest solution would be to UNTIE all GW-Accounts from the useless, security-lacking, no-advantage-at-all "Master-Account". But Anet being a 100% subsidiary of NC I don't see that happening.

Despite my mild venting I did in fact suggest a solution. Hope this will get adressed soon by Anet/NC.

100% agreed there.

hardware verification system. if it aint my computer, it aint me.

Add these, or rather restore them, since we had some of this before NCSoft changed their site. ANet originally required email confirmation to reset or change passwords before linking to NCSoft or the in game store was introduced, IIRC.

NCSoft did allow special characters for password creation initially, but removed them with their new site.

Also, NCSoft needs to change their error message for failed log in attempts such that it does not tell you which entry is correct or incorrect. That's completely unacceptable. Change it to a general rather than a specific message now.

How about an all of the above? Kidding....slightly......but it's very clear that Anet has serious account security loopholes, and still won't come clean (blaming either users or fansites).

On the "other" vote - There isn't much that's reasonable to ask or cost-effective regarding the game client itself. It compares well with its peers. Highly aggressive measures such as IP checking and SecurID authentication would be preferable. But I doubt that ANet would provide such costly measures for free, and I'm not convinced that we should expect such.

The NCSoft master accounts, however, have glaring security vulnerabilities. The following would make these accounts harder to defeat using automation and would protect us even in the event of unauthorized access:

- Let me delink my GW account from the PlayNC account (best)
- Force me to provide something additional to change my game passwords (existing PW, code from an e-mail sent to the login e-mail address, etc.)
- Do not EVER display the linked e-mail address that is my username
- Make the "change password" protections for NCSoft accounts themselves more secure
- Make it impossible to generate a valid list of actual NCSoft accounts via brute force
- Make it more difficult to brute force passwords (NO protections exist at present).

Everything after the first item is a garden-variety security measure that I fully expect to observe in any authentication system today. Do online retailer accounts display complete credit card information when it is saved? No. So why should unauthorized access to my PlayNC account give someone the ability to have all of my game login information?

If those things can't happen for whatever reason and ANet has to go it alone, then I'd support hardware verification, IP checking or SecurID even at a (one-time) cost to the user.

Some great choices here. I think the first one is the best suggestion.

If you discount the things in the first sentence, then there's not much left on Anet's end. NCSoft is the real problem!

No verification for account password changes? Come on...! That's security 101. If Anet had the most iron-clad in-game security known to man, allowing a hacker to change your Anet password at NCSoft without any kind of verification renders the Anet security completely useless!

Useless to you. For NCSoft, it provides marketing information on their customers. So it has value to them...

And apparently that's more important than actually keeping their customers!

Rather then a password for xunlai chest, use a PIN number. This would be 4 numerical characters which you would CLICK on to open your chest (but only have to input it once per login). Can't be keylogged. Protects all items.

~Sickle of Carnage

There's no shame in copying a company that did it right.

Except the ones you're wearing!

Change so you MUST enter the existing password to change it. I just can't believe someone can change it if they don't know it. This is the single most important change.

Change error message for failed log in attempts so it doesn't tell you which entry is correct or incorrect.

Allow people linked to NCSoft to change the login name - and allow the login name to be something other than an email address.

Verification of password change by email
Isolate account from the shop

If a password is added to storage/for toggling items, you could use the randomized point and click gui for that so it's harder to hack access to those things, much like RuneScape's bank pin system.

None of the above.

I think the route of the problem is more to do with the structure/logical steps than the security itself. The way they have it setup up is retarded. For example.

nice ideas. i think the hardware secure ID is the safest. however, I personally thing we will see none of these in GW, maybe some in GW2

I selected:

-No Delete
-Authentication for Storage Access
-Compromised account restorations

Between these three, it ought to build a happy wall around preventing "hacks" and recompensating for them.

This is the one I prefer.
There was this suggestion some time ago, but Gaile said in that thread that it was too much to do according to the developers.
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10248665


The following two come right after this one.


The SecurID might be a bit more trouble, I keep losing stuff around the house, so having to find one each time I want to log in is a hassle, but if Anet decided to make a thing like that, I would definitely buy one for my account.

The restoration would be a nice thing too, but too prone to abuse.

Anyway, SOMETHING must be done. Leaving the security as it is now is bad.