A warning to you all

Woutsie

Woutsie

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

Belgium

Can Anet actually do something about this issue? Like maybe some extra security? A secret question you have to answer or something.. I don't know..

Retribution X

Retribution X

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

Check behind you again.

N/

What i do, in case i have a keylogger.

I have my shortcut run like this: "%Progam Files%\Guild Wars\Gw.exe" -password=*Insert your password here*"

It works. because you don't enter your e-mail or password.

ghostlyranger

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2005

and that trojan will go to read/scan your "Insert your password here"

SylverDragon

SylverDragon

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jan 2006

Cheshire, UK

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pevil Lihatuh
The email is, as you all know, what the account is pretty much linked to. Now, in order to change it, they send an email to both the old and hopefully new email addresses. BOTH links in BOTH addresses must be clicked within 7 days to verify the email swap over.
Yes, you get emails sent to both addresses, but I'm pretty sure that you only HAVE to click on the link sent to the new email address. If they don't get a reply from the old email address after 7 days, they assume you no longer have access to the old address and go ahead with the email swap.

Of course that should give you 7 days to sort out the problem before the swap.

Loviatar

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostlyranger
and that trojan will go to read/scan your "Insert your password here"
i thought a *keylogger* by definition read *keystrokes*

i think you are going one level higher in the pecking order on this

BlackRecluse

BlackRecluse

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

[Dark]

W/

you got lucky :/ one fine day last summer i logged on to try and get the last ecto required for my armor and, much like you, my password did not work. i got a new password logged in, and all of my 3 level 20's were deleted. i had a level 13 left who i chcked my storage with, and 90 ectos/87 shards were gone plus numerous weapons and 100k. needless to say i got freaking pissed. i almost broke my moniter, and did break some stuff around me. i didnt download anything and im still pissed about it up to this day.

the lesson: you cant do anything against hackers!

Arduin

Arduin

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: May 2005

The Netherlands

Limburgse Jagers [LJ]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by stone433
same kind of thing happend to me a few weeks ago. while i was warping back to tumbs after a failed run I got kicked by the same error. now the interesting thing is another guildie who was doing the same thing got the same error at the same time. we were on TS at the time so i can tell you it was near instant. about an hour later another guildie reported the same error.i chocked it up to a bug in the system.
Little bit less paranoid now

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by SylverDragon
Yes, you get emails sent to both addresses, but I'm pretty sure that you only HAVE to click on the link sent to the new email address. If they don't get a reply from the old email address after 7 days, they assume you no longer have access to the old address and go ahead with the email swap.

Of course that should give you 7 days to sort out the problem before the swap.
nope you have to click both, i did it on my second account after this, which takes you to a page saying that if only one gets clicked within 7 days, it won't go through. Both need clicking. If only one needed to go through, I would have lost my account, because there has been an attempted email change on my main account.

lord_shar

lord_shar

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

near SF, CA

Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackRecluse
...<SNIP>...

the lesson: you cant do anything against hackers!
Balony. Hackers are a nuisance, but 99% of them are just script monkeys that rely on people's ignorance, greed, or sloppy M$ coding in order to get into your PC. Certain basic safe practices already mentioned in this thread will keep your information safe.

Either way, hackers still have to go through TCP/IP, so if they connect to your system, they will leave an I/P address that can be traced back to the source if you have firewall logging. A few years ago, one guy made a very dangerous enemy on the web. That person thought the web provided complete anonymity and received an unmarked "birthday package" in the mail. The gift wrapped box turned out to be a makeshift bomb that killed him in front of his parents. At the time this story was posted on CNN.com a few years back, no suspects had yet been found. Dunno if the case was ever solved.

SylverDragon

SylverDragon

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jan 2006

Cheshire, UK

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pevil Lihatuh
nope you have to click both, i did it on my second account after this, which takes you to a page saying that if only one gets clicked within 7 days, it won't go through. Both need clicking. If only one needed to go through, I would have lost my account, because there has been an attempted email change on my main account.
Copied from the page you are directed to, to accept the new email address

Quote:
Email Address Change Confirmed!

You recently requested to change your email address/Guild Wars account name. Before this change can take effect, one of the following conditions must be satisfied:

* You click the "accept" link in the emails sent to both your old and new email addresses;

* You click the "accept" link in the email sent to your new email address, and the email sent to your old email address bounces or is returned;

* You click the "accept" link in the email sent to your new email address and don't respond from your old email address within seven days.


If one of the above conditions has been satisfied, you may begin logging into your Guild Wars account with your new email address.

Thank you!

Fungus Amongus

Fungus Amongus

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

Fifteen Over Fifty [Rare] | [Rare] Alliance

Quote:
Originally Posted by Numa Pompilius
Thirdly, perhaps the most common way of getting a password is to steal it. People have a tendency to use the same password everywhere, simply because it's hard to remember 25 passwords, so if a hacker gets access to, say, the password cache here at guildwarsguru, he'd try to use the same password to hack a users account elsewhere. The hacker may also own password protected sites, thereby getting access to peoples passwords.
So who here remembers the "Test Your Guild Wars Knowledge" quiz that was linked up in a post here a few weeks ago?

If you checked it, did you also remember the:

Enter email address here:_________
Enter password here:__________

If you're not paying attention, you just might enter all the information needed for someone to grab your account.

Elfie

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jun 2005

HA ID 1

Im Paper Nerf Scissors Rock Is [Fine]

Mo/

umm well my friend just lost all from 3 accounts (and that wasnt little) i was just thinking how greedy people are! Well we all waiting if anet gets him banned. all the screenshots r nicely posted to anet support. But still i see this guy online who i belive is the guy with troijan.

Hockster

Hockster

Banned

Join Date: Jul 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Retribution X
What i do, in case i have a keylogger.

I have my shortcut run like this: "%Progam Files%\Guild Wars\Gw.exe" -password=*Insert your password here*"

It works. because you don't enter your e-mail or password.
That's no good for people with more than one acount.

T1Cybernetic

T1Cybernetic

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2005

Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Uk, Nr Earth

Alternate Evil Gamers [aeg]

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockster
That's no good for people with more than one acount.
Unless you have two shortcuts each with the different email and password, .

Lint

Lint

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2006

In a house....

bleh

Pevill Got lucky, same happened to be last year. I tried to log on, wrong password, and caps wasnt on. SO i do password recovery, i get my pasword, and i log on to see no characters. EVERY one of my 3 lvl 20's gone, one of then had 2 peices of FoW armor (Chest and Leggings) ouch. But thankfully i still had everything in my storage (THANK GOD). Now i scan my computer for viruses every 2-3 days.

Naxohs Seralna

Naxohs Seralna

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

Norway

House of the Silver Phoenix (HSP)

E/R

Wouldn't really care if anyone hacked my account. I don't have any items that are über-good or lots of platinum.

As long as they don't delete my characters, rendering 600+ hours of gameplay WASTED, I'm a happy guy!

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

lol thats how i am naxohs. I have one monk rune and 4 black dyes, a yakslapper and my fave bow... other than that the only things worth anything are my 15k armour on my ranger, and the ranger herself, as she's existed since April. Woulda been a blow to lose her.

SylverDragon

SylverDragon

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jan 2006

Cheshire, UK

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pevil Lihatuh
I find my 3 characters plus a lvl 1, pre-sear warrior with a polish first name. The last name also wasn't Lihatuh so it clearly wasn't my character, which is good in case they were abusive to my guildies/friends! Anyway, getting more and more panicky I note that my chars on the log in screen still have their proper armour on. The polish warrior gets deleted. I check my 3 chars inventories and the stash. Nothing gone. Whew.

edit: I'm going to contact support, the idiot in fact filled in the mailing details with an address and name. Now it could, of course, be fake but it WILL be passed onto support. Maybe it was some weird mistake with creating a new account but I doubt that somehow.
This has been nagging at me, and I realised why. Don't want to scare anyone further, but I'm now wondering if your account was not just hacked, but also sold.

If so the hacker could have got your account details a while ago, put it up on ebay, and the person who created the new warrior and left their mailing address, was the buyer.

Ruvaen

Ruvaen

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Aug 2005

CA

W/

Anti-spyware software and virus scans really don't do much to help you. If you compromise your system by downloading software, it's stupidity and you will most likely pay for it.

But remember that a skilled individual only needs your IP in order to hijack your machine which they can obtain easily if you happen to join a pug and use their TS/Vent server. Really, how secure are most windows machines and how competent are the typical users? Also, if you allow pugs to use your server, they can just as easily hijack the server box and obtain numerous IPs of those who may be your guildies, friends or other pug folks that connect to it and if they're smart, you'll never become privy to the information. But of course all of this assumes that the perp is at least mildly skilled.

Do change your passwords frequently. Avoid using any single password for multiple functions. Do use alphanumerical passwords including case variation and punctuation when applicable. Never store passwords anywhere on your computer. Do install the windows updates (no reason to make the job easier for the perp ><). Do invest the time in setting up your firewall. Do have your most computer literate guildie host the server and by competent, I don't mean the idiots that think redhat boxes are innately secure. But as with anything, if a resourceful individual wants something badly enough, they'll most likely get it. You can only thwart the unskilled and discourge those without drive.

Loviatar

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Feb 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by SylverDragon

If so the hacker could have got your account details a while ago, put it up on ebay, and the person who created the new warrior and left their mailing address, was the buyer.
and if in fact that is the case they will not ebay an account again

Valdaran Longfoot

Valdaran Longfoot

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Nov 2005

Colorado, US

Furious Dragons Reign [FDR]

W/

Atleast GW is NOTHING like the hacking Diablo2. Those days were a disaster.

Dazzen

Dazzen

Academy Page

Join Date: Jan 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruvaen
Anti-spyware software and virus scans really don't do much to help you. If you compromise your system by downloading software, it's stupidity and you will most likely pay for it.

But remember that a skilled individual only needs your IP in order to hijack your machine which they can obtain easily if you happen to join a pug and use their TS/Vent server. Really, how secure are most windows machines and how competent are the typical users? Also, if you allow pugs to use your server, they can just as easily hijack the server box and obtain numerous IPs of those who may be your guildies, friends or other pug folks that connect to it and if they're smart, you'll never become privy to the information. But of course all of this assumes that the perp is at least mildly skilled.

Do change your passwords frequently. Avoid using any single password for multiple functions. Do use alphanumerical passwords including case variation and punctuation when applicable. Never store passwords anywhere on your computer. Do install the windows updates (no reason to make the job easier for the perp ><). Do invest the time in setting up your firewall. Do have your most computer literate guildie host the server and by competent, I don't mean the idiots that think redhat boxes are innately secure. But as with anything, if a resourceful individual wants something badly enough, they'll most likely get it. You can only thwart the unskilled and discourge those without drive.
Before doing any of this, invest in a hardware router, this will secure your box far more than any other trick.

Update your system regulary and be very careful where you are surfing on the net and you'll avoid ALOT of problems.

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by SylverDragon
This has been nagging at me, and I realised why. Don't want to scare anyone further, but I'm now wondering if your account was not just hacked, but also sold.

If so the hacker could have got your account details a while ago, put it up on ebay, and the person who created the new warrior and left their mailing address, was the buyer.
you know that could be a good point... hmm... I fail to see why they would put the details in if they simply hacked it, but then if they were so sure that they would be able to change the email and lock me out, maybe they would... maybe theres some way to view recently ebayed accounts? *shrugs* if it included a description of my chars that would be possible i guess.

Cador

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Dec 2005

Relax Its Just A [GAME]

R/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by WoodyDotNet
This is a great post Pevil. Thanks. It's a good lesson for us all. Just so people know, if someone knows your e-mail address, which is our user ID in GW, they can run something like ophcrack that'll guess your passwords. Choose strong passwords; combinations of caps and lowercase letters with numbers and symbols and at least 8 characters long. It's too easy to crack short passwords with all numbers or letters. People will just plug in their birthdays or their dog's name and think that's good enough. A 1/2 decent cracker can break a password like that in seconds. Fortunately, GW supports strong passwords. My advice is take advantage of this. No password is totally unbreakable, but you can make it harder on them.

**Note: I'm not implying that Pevil is handing out his e-mail address or has a weak password, but a lot of people in GW do. I've seen people giving out their e-mail addresses in the public chat many, many times.
how do u set a password as a shortcut key?

Count to Potato

Count to Potato

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Feb 2006

Imagination Land

I Swear She Was Eighteen [Gwen]

W/

Pevil you sure you didn't like sleep walk and make a warrior? Ive heard of sleep driving which is jsut as complaicated as making a warrior so just a possibility out there...

Pevil Lihatuh

Pevil Lihatuh

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Yorkshire, UK

R/Me

haha and sleep-changed my password? nah, im safe on that count, i sleep way too light whenever i finally fall asleep to manage to sleep walk Plus the name isn't something i'd ever have done... it didn't have Lihatuh in it for a start

castanaveras

castanaveras

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Aug 2005

argh!!...you guys are making me worry! Is it safer for me since i play GW with a wireless connection?

p.s. I never thought hacking *is* possible....until now.

lord_shar

lord_shar

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

near SF, CA

A hardware/router firewall usually has build-in NAT (name address translation) and SPI (stateful packet inspection) to mask your IP and block out externally innitiated connection requests. However, if you download a key-logger or trojan, that application will start sending outbound connection requests from your PC. Software firewalls like ZoneAlarm can still detect and block its outbound connection requests, but you MUST keep an eye on its trusted application list. If you are prompted by ZA reporting an outbound connection request from an application you are not familiar with, you are better off denying its access, then start checking your system for possible spy-ware.

Nothing has ever compromised my PC's info, simply because I keep a tight leash on it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by castanaveras
argh!!...you guys are making me worry! Is it safer for me since i play GW with a wireless connection?

p.s. I never thought hacking *is* possible....until now.
THG published an FAQ on how to break WEP encryption keys. So no, WiFi isn't secure if you're only using WEP. However, whoever does the hacking will have to be in close physical proximity to hack your WiFi network.

j2tts

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jan 2006

The Divine Shadowstones

Mo/W

Hi I also had a account hijacked with all items and gold taken and Chars deleted. I'm really unsure how they came about getting hold of my password as I am behind a router and continuously run spyware software. But as I had'nt read anything into this before the password was'nt very strong as we all go thru life saying it wont happen to me.
The point I want to stress is that the account changing policy of sending the details to both email accounts saved my account as well. After forwarding these details to anet you get the normal auto blurb about keyloggers and third party programs but they dont seem interested that I had provided them with the persons email that was trying to take my account. They was unwilling to re-store any chars or items as its not there "policy".
Is there anyway I can report the holder of this email address ? There must be some information entering into registring this mail as it was a hotmail account.
As far I can see Anet are not interested in finding out anything !!! They are not bothered as blame is put on me for being insecure or by not having a strong enough password.
Perhaps they have security leaks on there servers ??? and palm off the blame on us game players. I heard alot of people this has happened to lately and I think Anet should do more to remedy problems.
Because at the end of the day we buy and play the games which puts money in there pocket. If this becomes more widespread then perhaps not so many people will be playing. Its quiet upsetting to spend many hours on Chars which can be deleted in seconds.
Jimbo