I can understand that some folk might have been unaware of them, but after learning about authenticators, why be so resistant? Assuming at least some of those who refuse/dislike that added, highly beneficial form of account security, are adults, they must see the value in the security measure. I've had one for years and I don't recall there ever being such a resistance to them until D3.
I mean, as adults, we all deal with home owners/ renters insurance, car or health insurance to protect the things we value in our lives. And that stuff isn't a one time, shipping cost only investment.
Of course, rationally speaking, the party at fault is that who doesn't make the effort to protect their investments, but is there a counter to this that I have missed?
"This is bullshit! Blizzard should protect my account without making me spend 5 dollars for extra security!! If I'm forced to buy an authenticator to make sure my account is not hacked then I demand a refund! If a refund is not provided, then Blizzard will be hearing from my lawyers."
All they care about is profit. Blizzard should deliver acount security as standard, not optional thing, that's just nonsense. If they would really care about players security, the would attach this kind of device to their products, as free gift. You pay for something, that you are ought to get. And don't compare it to innsurance, we're talking about 50$ games compared to 20 000$ car.
Isn't just comfortable for Blizzard to say, well guys 2 millions account have been stolen, you have to be very careful, or hmm... maybe you will buy authenticator?
If account would get hacked, you can still recover it by providing your real id to Blizzard, so i don't see problem.
And this is exactly what I was referring to.
1. They do offer it for free if you own a smartphone. No, it's not some clever ploy to get you to buy smartphones: Blizzard have no stake whatsoever in the profits from those.
2. The physical authenticators are sold at cost: all Blizzard are doing is recouping the cost of making the authenticator. They are not making any profit whatsoever.
3. it's not unheard of for Blizzard to just say 'you've been hacked too many times, your account is permanently closed now'. Of course, you'd need to be hacked many times for this to occur, but why take the risk? Also, by relying on Blizzard's account restoration service, you're wasting the time of Blizzard's customer service department, which in turn wastes money. Congratulations, you're selfish.
I have a smart phone but can not afford the cost of a monthly plan.
I have only bought one thing online and do not plan on buying anything but Torchlight 2 online.
I think I will be fine without an authenticator. If it gets hacked it gets hacked. I do not really plan on keeping anything on the characters or in the stash and likely very little gold since that will be used on my addiction to the artisans. I plan on wiping my characters on a regular basis. I might even ask Blizzard on a regular basis to wipe it for me on a monthly or maybe a weekly basis. Yes I am a card carrying member of D3 mentaldom
Yes if the account gets hacked my email is a greater risk but I do not use the same password for it
I only have the starters edition at the moment but will be getting the full version.
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On Strike and supporting Fallout 4 Mod Makers
Some fallout 4 mod makers have had their mods stolen and uploaded and downloaded on Bethesda's site for the Xbox One.
People complaining about 2-step verification are just stupid.
There is absolutely no way for Blizzard to "provide a secure game" if the only form of security you chose is username and password and lost them to a hacker. You opt to log in easily with just a username and password from anywhere. But how could ever Blizzard know if that was you or a hacker?
One thing they probably can do is do the same as google and use SMS in the 2-step verification just like gmail does for every machine you use. And I think they are planning to do that, the SMS security layer recently added may be testing the ground for a new SMS-only authenticator.
But so far many people have smartphones and can download the app for free. If the authenticator is a strategy to earn money it is seriously a lame one.
I have a smart phone but can not afford the cost of a monthly plan.
You do realize that you don't need to have internet access to use the authenticator, don't you?
Once you download and activate it (it can be done in any wireless network) you just have to use it offline.
This. I use the authenticator on my iPod Touch. I also have it on an old smartphone for which I no longer have a SIM chip, in case I drop my iPod in the toilet or something similarly stupid. There are even authenticator options that run on your PC - an open source one called WinAuth (If you are willing to trust a third party with your b.net security) or an emulated Android device to run the Android authenticator. While these are obviously less secure than using an actual separate device, they are still better than not having an authenticator at all.
If they get hacked repeatedly, and refuse to get an authenticator, if they get hacked more than twice, Blizzard won't restore them, and after too many more times Blizzard will just ban the account. Then they won't have to bitch anymore. It's the end-user's choice to take responsibility for their own security or not. Blizzard is just trying to lend a helping hand with the authenticator.
Not gonna discuss or anything, but the question that came to my mind is more like : Why do people need to get an authenticator ?
In my 15 years "online gaming career" my only account that got hacked (and it got hacked numerous times) is my Bnet account, and I have a shitload of gaming account, almost all with the same email and password.
They don't, That's why people are getting hacked, because they are not obliged to have an authenticator.
If they don't have contact to malicious software they won't get hacked.
But one thing that you should remember when you say you have never been hacked before is that you have never played Diablo III before and there haven't been any online-only game with that much orders in so little time before. Hackers focus on the most played games, and that's the time to focus on Diablo III.
Blizzard said that the number of hack reports is not bigger than any WoW launch, so there's nothing new here, just hackers developing new specific ways to get passwords and people falling for them.
To anyone that says they can't afford one, but pays for a WoW subscription... that's just stupid. Even if you're too poor to have a smart phone or iPhone Touch, you still pay $15+ a month for WoW, but you can't afford a one-time charge of $5?
In addition you ACTUALLY can run an android emulator or your computer, and then run the FREE authenticator off that. So honestly the only excuse I possibly could think of that a person doesn't have an authenticator is that they don't WANT one. If they don't want one, then there's nothing anyone can do, but don't come crying if your account gets hacked.
Also Blizzard does not make money off authenticators, the price that they charge for the authenticator is the same exact price that the manufacturer charges to make them, there is zero profit made by Blizzard in the deal. Blizzard does not have their own manufacturing factory, they rely on other companies to physically make the devices. That company charges a flat fee per device to make the authenticator, and Blizzard passes that price straight onto you.
Asking Blizzard to provide a physical one free is kinda silly too. The manufacturing company still charges the same amount per device to make them, if they offered them free then Blizzard would have to eat the cost. What then? They would simply raise the price of each of their products $5 so while it would say "free" you're actually still paying for it, the difference being you no longer get a choice whether to pay for it, even if you would have preferred spending no money on the free app.
1. Money doesn't grow on trees
2. Learning about security measures has far more impact on security than that additional layer of protection. The weakest link on the chain lies between monitor and chair.
First off for the poeple saying Blizzard should protect their game. Well they are and more than other gaming companys do. The problem is You the customer. It is Your computer that gets compromised. Not Blizzard. They can not be at your house and say do not click that link or visit that website selling illegal goods for D3 or open that email that you have no clue who it is from. They are willing to give you authenticatos at cost. So you can protect yourself against yourself. They can not force people to buy authenticators . So you want no insurance you get none.
Personally, I have been using WinAuth, which is a windows based authenticator program.
I have been using it for years without any problems. Its XML based.
In addition you ACTUALLY can run an android emulator or your computer, and then run the FREE authenticator off that.
Forgive my ignorance if not, but this sounds illegal. Plus, if it's just that easy, why not explain how to do it?
Hehe it's not illegal. OK quick explination: if you're writing an android application, you want to actually test your program before you sell it on the market. Since there are numerous versions of android it's not feasable to buy a phone of each size and type and manufacturer to test your app on, that's just too expensive. Therefore Google (and other smart phone providers like Apple and RIMM) offers a way to run a piece of software that emulates a smart phone. You then can change the emulation to test various types of phones so you can fully test your app before releasing it.
Now, this is a full-fledged version of android, otherwise it wouldn't be a proper test. Since it is a full version of android, it is trivial to install an app on it, since putting an app on to test it is the entire reason the emulator was created in the first place. Since you can put apps on it, you can put the authenticator app on it.
Now 2 years ago I required my old WoW guild to get authenticators, which meant I dealt with the same arguements everyone makes... "oh I can't afford $5"... "blizzard should just give it to me free"... "why isn't the game just made perfectly secure?"... so I posted a forum post of how to do it.
However if I were still in charge (and I stepped down when I quit WoW) I would recommend a different path, since the one I posted takes a while to set up. Maybe something like this. Or even better, just google "authenticator emulator" and you get a whole mess of ways to do it.
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I mean, as adults, we all deal with home owners/ renters insurance, car or health insurance to protect the things we value in our lives. And that stuff isn't a one time, shipping cost only investment.
Of course, rationally speaking, the party at fault is that who doesn't make the effort to protect their investments, but is there a counter to this that I have missed?
That might be the attitude of a lot of people....
lulz just sayin'
And this is exactly what I was referring to.
1. They do offer it for free if you own a smartphone. No, it's not some clever ploy to get you to buy smartphones: Blizzard have no stake whatsoever in the profits from those.
2. The physical authenticators are sold at cost: all Blizzard are doing is recouping the cost of making the authenticator. They are not making any profit whatsoever.
3. it's not unheard of for Blizzard to just say 'you've been hacked too many times, your account is permanently closed now'. Of course, you'd need to be hacked many times for this to occur, but why take the risk? Also, by relying on Blizzard's account restoration service, you're wasting the time of Blizzard's customer service department, which in turn wastes money. Congratulations, you're selfish.
Just get an authenticator. It's not hard.
I have only bought one thing online and do not plan on buying anything but Torchlight 2 online.
I think I will be fine without an authenticator. If it gets hacked it gets hacked. I do not really plan on keeping anything on the characters or in the stash and likely very little gold since that will be used on my addiction to the artisans. I plan on wiping my characters on a regular basis. I might even ask Blizzard on a regular basis to wipe it for me on a monthly or maybe a weekly basis. Yes I am a card carrying member of D3 mentaldom
Yes if the account gets hacked my email is a greater risk but I do not use the same password for it
I only have the starters edition at the moment but will be getting the full version.
There is absolutely no way for Blizzard to "provide a secure game" if the only form of security you chose is username and password and lost them to a hacker. You opt to log in easily with just a username and password from anywhere. But how could ever Blizzard know if that was you or a hacker?
One thing they probably can do is do the same as google and use SMS in the 2-step verification just like gmail does for every machine you use. And I think they are planning to do that, the SMS security layer recently added may be testing the ground for a new SMS-only authenticator.
But so far many people have smartphones and can download the app for free. If the authenticator is a strategy to earn money it is seriously a lame one.
You do realize that you don't need to have internet access to use the authenticator, don't you?
Once you download and activate it (it can be done in any wireless network) you just have to use it offline.
Has nothing to do with authenticators.........................................
.......................................
This. I use the authenticator on my iPod Touch. I also have it on an old smartphone for which I no longer have a SIM chip, in case I drop my iPod in the toilet or something similarly stupid. There are even authenticator options that run on your PC - an open source one called WinAuth (If you are willing to trust a third party with your b.net security) or an emulated Android device to run the Android authenticator. While these are obviously less secure than using an actual separate device, they are still better than not having an authenticator at all.
They don't, That's why people are getting hacked, because they are not obliged to have an authenticator.
If they don't have contact to malicious software they won't get hacked.
But one thing that you should remember when you say you have never been hacked before is that you have never played Diablo III before and there haven't been any online-only game with that much orders in so little time before. Hackers focus on the most played games, and that's the time to focus on Diablo III.
Blizzard said that the number of hack reports is not bigger than any WoW launch, so there's nothing new here, just hackers developing new specific ways to get passwords and people falling for them.
In addition you ACTUALLY can run an android emulator or your computer, and then run the FREE authenticator off that. So honestly the only excuse I possibly could think of that a person doesn't have an authenticator is that they don't WANT one. If they don't want one, then there's nothing anyone can do, but don't come crying if your account gets hacked.
Also Blizzard does not make money off authenticators, the price that they charge for the authenticator is the same exact price that the manufacturer charges to make them, there is zero profit made by Blizzard in the deal. Blizzard does not have their own manufacturing factory, they rely on other companies to physically make the devices. That company charges a flat fee per device to make the authenticator, and Blizzard passes that price straight onto you.
Asking Blizzard to provide a physical one free is kinda silly too. The manufacturing company still charges the same amount per device to make them, if they offered them free then Blizzard would have to eat the cost. What then? They would simply raise the price of each of their products $5 so while it would say "free" you're actually still paying for it, the difference being you no longer get a choice whether to pay for it, even if you would have preferred spending no money on the free app.
Mobile is free.
I'm sorry, but what planet do you live on that everybody has smart phones?
Luckily you don't need a smartphone to get a free authenticator.
Not the point of the post, his assuming that everyone should have a smart phone. Also, if this is how you get it "free":
Forgive my ignorance if not, but this sounds illegal. Plus, if it's just that easy, why not explain how to do it?
I have been using it for years without any problems. Its XML based.
Hehe it's not illegal. OK quick explination: if you're writing an android application, you want to actually test your program before you sell it on the market. Since there are numerous versions of android it's not feasable to buy a phone of each size and type and manufacturer to test your app on, that's just too expensive. Therefore Google (and other smart phone providers like Apple and RIMM) offers a way to run a piece of software that emulates a smart phone. You then can change the emulation to test various types of phones so you can fully test your app before releasing it.
Now, this is a full-fledged version of android, otherwise it wouldn't be a proper test. Since it is a full version of android, it is trivial to install an app on it, since putting an app on to test it is the entire reason the emulator was created in the first place. Since you can put apps on it, you can put the authenticator app on it.
Now 2 years ago I required my old WoW guild to get authenticators, which meant I dealt with the same arguements everyone makes... "oh I can't afford $5"... "blizzard should just give it to me free"... "why isn't the game just made perfectly secure?"... so I posted a forum post of how to do it.
However if I were still in charge (and I stepped down when I quit WoW) I would recommend a different path, since the one I posted takes a while to set up. Maybe something like this. Or even better, just google "authenticator emulator" and you get a whole mess of ways to do it.