I just want to start off by saying that i love Diablo III. I have owned the game since the moment it was released and am one of the supposed few who play with a character in Inferno. Despite its rocky launch and at many times unstable servers, I continue to support what Blizzard has done and have had a great time with this game. That being said, Its not that I don't have my gripes and problems with it, this of course being the most gleaming. This is not a flame post, It is simply a recount of what has happened so others may learn from it.
I usually do not play 'online' with others I do not know save for a few times (the last being about a week and a halfish ago). I have been playing mostly by myself and with my buddy who has been visiting me since shortly after Diablo was released. Yesterday evening i was playing on an alt of mine (my main is a 60 monk) and got booted with the message that my account had been logged into by another computer. Thinking it was just another random error, i logged back in. Few seconds later boom, same message and a boot. It was then i heard the notification that i had recieved an email. Upon checking said email, I had been notified my account password had been changed.
Of course I knew i had been 'hacked', 'compromised', whatever you wish to call it. So, I promptly went to battlenet and changed my pw back. Upon logging back in, as expected, my main chars gear, my stash, and all my goldr had been cleared out.
Id like to also say, while im certainly no expert I have a pretty vast knowledge of computer systems as well as a degree in Computer technology (i know, whatever). Point being, I keep myself a clean machine and know how to secure my computer and the data it holds, this aspect is important to me. I have never given my pw to anyone, I do not visit any sites that could be considered fishy (matter of fact i hardly am on my computer as it is with a new baby, let alone time for random browsing), and i hardly play with others i don't know. I only list these things because they have been major finger pointer topics for recently compromised accounts, im not saying they are causing or not causing it, im simply stating what my situation is so you may learn from it.
I will say that despite my minor grievances with Diablo III my experience has been mostly positive and supportive but this type of situation is very discouraging. In just my opinion, it does seem very silly to me to have to go to extra measures and fees (for some, i got a free one) to obtain an authenticator simply for the purpose of protecting something i have already paid good money for, but thats life. The community that I have shared this with has been very rude shouting rude remarks and blame that I am stupid for not having an authenticator before, while its an extra discouragement, on some level, i suppose they are right, despite my feelings on the matter.
I share this so that you can get a better understanding of circumstances which hacking occurs and to just protect your account. The mobile authenticator is free, and if you dont have a smart phone there is a windows version of said authenticator I have heard.
It can happen to anyone at anytime, regardless if the problem is server or client side, which is a debate i will not partake in for avoidance of a flame war, just protect your account if you wish to avoid such a situation. Forget the firewalls, forget the antivirus, forget the browser protection, get an authenticator. Find a free version you can deal with if you dont agree to the extra fee.\
**BTW, still waiting on a rollback or response on the matter =\
My story was very similar. Exactly like you, I freely admit I should have had an authenticator but did not. I will simply echo your statement that it can happen to anybody. You might think you are the most amazingly gifted computer expert the world has ever seen, but get an authenticator anyway. Not everybody that has been hacked is a stupid 13 year old pubescent boy that clicks on every link he can find promising free porn.
Sorry to hear about your loss, op. Many players and people that use computers daily are too trusting of the simple security they think comes from just having a virus/malware scanner installed. Truth is, there are 1000's of viruses/keyloggers and malware out there that have not been, and won't be detected by your scanning software.
The best and only protection is to use an authenticator. Either the one that Blizzard sells, which I have, or the free one you can download to your mobile phone. Have your Blizzard games request the keycode each time you login to your account or game. Sure, it's a pain in the ass, but so is logging in (if you can) only to find out you've been hacked. A little time and effort protecting yourself will save you days of headache and frustration.
This clearly cannot happen to anyone at anytime. You did SOMETHING that put you at risk, you could have simply picked a stupid password, like "password".
If you don't want to pay for an authenticator then you assume this risk - the mobile authenticator is free, have you considered that one?
dunno why but i don't even have an antivirus program and got never hacked ... sometimes the mistake is behind the PC no only in the PC if u get what i mean
there are free authenticators for PHONES and also there is a trick that u can make authenticator on ur PC go google it its pretty easy and secure ... u will never get hacked again >.< i am tired how many ppl got hacked and crying 24/7 about that
People who get hacked should first follow these guidelines before posting.
1. Are you an expert on computers
2. Is your computer secure
3. are you SURE
4. Are you 100% sure
5. Do you have an authenticator
6. Not secure enough... don't post.
It's bad luck you got hacked, but it happens when free methods are available for securing your game and you don't take advantage of it you really only have yourself to blame.
Also, if you use your email for anything outside of D3, people can bruteforce a password, i use to do that when i played runescape get a list of account names, get a dictionary list and go at it, you would be amazed at the amount of people who use simple passwords or things with some numbers attached like Happydoggy938.
I just added an authenticator to my account because so many people are getting hacked. It was really easy and free since I used the app on my phone. Took less than 3 minutes to setup.
Id like to also say, while im certainly no expert I have a pretty vast knowledge of computer systems as well as a degree in Computer technology (i know, whatever). Point being, I keep myself a clean machine and know how to secure my computer and the data it holds, this aspect is important to me. I have never given my pw to anyone, I do not visit any sites that could be considered fishy (matter of fact i hardly am on my computer as it is with a new baby, let alone time for random browsing), and i hardly play with others i don't know. I only list these things because they have been major finger pointer topics for recently compromised accounts, im not saying they are causing or not causing it, im simply stating what my situation is so you may learn from it.
I will say that despite my minor grievances with Diablo III my experience has been mostly positive and supportive but this type of situation is very discouraging. In just my opinion, it does seem very silly to me to have to go to extra measures and fees (for some, i got a free one) to obtain an authenticator simply for the purpose of protecting something i have already paid good money for, but thats life. The community that I have shared this with has been very rude shouting rude remarks and blame that I am stupid for not having an authenticator before, while its an extra discouragement, on some level, i suppose they are right, despite my feelings on the matter.
I share this so that you can get a better understanding of circumstances which hacking occurs and to just protect your account. The mobile authenticator is free, and if you dont have a smart phone there is a windows version of said authenticator I have heard.
It can happen to anyone at anytime, regardless if the problem is server or client side, which is a debate i will not partake in for avoidance of a flame war, just protect your account if you wish to avoid such a situation. Forget the firewalls, forget the antivirus, forget the browser protection, get an authenticator. Find a free version you can deal with if you dont agree to the extra fee.\
Reading through the entirety of your post, I was very skeptical (rolling my eyes and all) regarding the computer savvyiness you claim. It doesn't matter how smart you are, or what internet security you use. When doing anything on the internet, you are exposing your computer and the programs you run on it to the public forum of everything you visit/download. keyloggers are rampant and you could be very careful about what you visit/download and still pick one up. Blizzard emphasizes the importance of everyone putting an authenticator on their account because they know it's the only way to truly secure one. I'm sorry you had to experience the loss, OP, but I'm glad you've come to the realization that numerous other players in your predicament still have not: no reason to not get an authenticator. I really would never wish getting hacked on anyone, but I can't feel any sympathy at all for people who have been hacked and still refuse to get an authenticator on their account. :-/
Yes, i felt I made it clear i claim to be no expert. I have worked on computers for over 10 years but that simply gives me an advantage on the matter of security and simply knowing not to make stupid mistakes, it by no means gives me immunity. The point of this post was not to come here and cry nor was it to simply toot my own horn. The entirety and details here are simply to give people a point of reference for the siutation i am in, because it can just as easily happen to them computer savvy or not. I suppose i didnt also say at a good enough length but I DO have a free authenticator, i got one minutes after this happened, hence why i numerously suggest others get one. I appreciate the responses guys, Im just trying to spread more awareness so others can avoid it as well by taking the proper measures to protect themselves.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I just want to start off by saying that i love Diablo III. I have owned the game since the moment it was released and am one of the supposed few who play with a character in Inferno. Despite its rocky launch and at many times unstable servers, I continue to support what Blizzard has done and have had a great time with this game. That being said, Its not that I don't have my gripes and problems with it, this of course being the most gleaming. This is not a flame post, It is simply a recount of what has happened so others may learn from it.
I usually do not play 'online' with others I do not know save for a few times (the last being about a week and a halfish ago). I have been playing mostly by myself and with my buddy who has been visiting me since shortly after Diablo was released. Yesterday evening i was playing on an alt of mine (my main is a 60 monk) and got booted with the message that my account had been logged into by another computer. Thinking it was just another random error, i logged back in. Few seconds later boom, same message and a boot. It was then i heard the notification that i had recieved an email. Upon checking said email, I had been notified my account password had been changed.
Of course I knew i had been 'hacked', 'compromised', whatever you wish to call it. So, I promptly went to battlenet and changed my pw back. Upon logging back in, as expected, my main chars gear, my stash, and all my goldr had been cleared out.
Id like to also say, while im certainly no expert I have a pretty vast knowledge of computer systems as well as a degree in Computer technology (i know, whatever). Point being, I keep myself a clean machine and know how to secure my computer and the data it holds, this aspect is important to me. I have never given my pw to anyone, I do not visit any sites that could be considered fishy (matter of fact i hardly am on my computer as it is with a new baby, let alone time for random browsing), and i hardly play with others i don't know. I only list these things because they have been major finger pointer topics for recently compromised accounts, im not saying they are causing or not causing it, im simply stating what my situation is so you may learn from it.
I will say that despite my minor grievances with Diablo III my experience has been mostly positive and supportive but this type of situation is very discouraging. In just my opinion, it does seem very silly to me to have to go to extra measures and fees (for some, i got a free one) to obtain an authenticator simply for the purpose of protecting something i have already paid good money for, but thats life. The community that I have shared this with has been very rude shouting rude remarks and blame that I am stupid for not having an authenticator before, while its an extra discouragement, on some level, i suppose they are right, despite my feelings on the matter.
I share this so that you can get a better understanding of circumstances which hacking occurs and to just protect your account. The mobile authenticator is free, and if you dont have a smart phone there is a windows version of said authenticator I have heard.
It can happen to anyone at anytime, regardless if the problem is server or client side, which is a debate i will not partake in for avoidance of a flame war, just protect your account if you wish to avoid such a situation. Forget the firewalls, forget the antivirus, forget the browser protection, get an authenticator. Find a free version you can deal with if you dont agree to the extra fee.\
**BTW, still waiting on a rollback or response on the matter =\
The best and only protection is to use an authenticator. Either the one that Blizzard sells, which I have, or the free one you can download to your mobile phone. Have your Blizzard games request the keycode each time you login to your account or game. Sure, it's a pain in the ass, but so is logging in (if you can) only to find out you've been hacked. A little time and effort protecting yourself will save you days of headache and frustration.
I hope that you purchase an authenticator and never have to deal with this kind of situation again.
In a perfect world this shit wouldn't happen. It's really unfair, and I sympathize with ya.
If you don't want to pay for an authenticator then you assume this risk - the mobile authenticator is free, have you considered that one?
http://arenabooster.marisil.org/bma.htm here u can see how to make one its pretty easy and cost no money.
1. Are you an expert on computers
2. Is your computer secure
3. are you SURE
4. Are you 100% sure
5. Do you have an authenticator
6. Not secure enough... don't post.
It's bad luck you got hacked, but it happens when free methods are available for securing your game and you don't take advantage of it you really only have yourself to blame.
Also, if you use your email for anything outside of D3, people can bruteforce a password, i use to do that when i played runescape get a list of account names, get a dictionary list and go at it, you would be amazed at the amount of people who use simple passwords or things with some numbers attached like Happydoggy938.
Yes, i felt I made it clear i claim to be no expert. I have worked on computers for over 10 years but that simply gives me an advantage on the matter of security and simply knowing not to make stupid mistakes, it by no means gives me immunity. The point of this post was not to come here and cry nor was it to simply toot my own horn. The entirety and details here are simply to give people a point of reference for the siutation i am in, because it can just as easily happen to them computer savvy or not. I suppose i didnt also say at a good enough length but I DO have a free authenticator, i got one minutes after this happened, hence why i numerously suggest others get one. I appreciate the responses guys, Im just trying to spread more awareness so others can avoid it as well by taking the proper measures to protect themselves.