Even when you are in the business of fun, not every week ends up being fun. This week, our security team found an unauthorized and illegal access into our internal network here at Blizzard. We quickly took steps to close off this access and began working with law enforcement and security experts to investigate what happened.
At this time, we’ve found no evidence that financial information such as credit cards, billing addresses, or real names were compromised. Our investigation is ongoing, but so far nothing suggests that these pieces of information have been accessed.
Some data was illegally accessed, including a list of email addresses for global Battle.net users, outside of China. For players on North American servers (which generally includes players from North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia) the answer to the personal security question, and information relating to Mobile and Dial-In Authenticators were also accessed. Based on what we currently know, this information alone is NOT enough for anyone to gain access to Battle.net accounts.
We also know that cryptographically scrambled versions of Battle.net passwords (not actual passwords) for players on North American servers were taken. We use Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP) to protect these passwords, which is designed to make it extremely difficult to extract the actual password, and also means that each password would have to be deciphered individually. As a precaution, however, we recommend that players on North American servers change their password. Please click this link to change your password. Moreover, if you have used the same or similar passwords for other purposes, you may want to consider changing those passwords as well.
In the coming days, we'll be prompting players on North American servers to change their secret questions and answers through an automated process. Additionally, we'll prompt mobile authenticator users to update their authenticator software. As a reminder, phishing emails will ask you for password or login information. Blizzard Entertainment emails will never ask for your password. We deeply regret the inconvenience to all of you and understand you may have questions. Please find additional information here.
We take the security of your personal information very seriously, and we are truly sorry that this has happened.
Is there anything that players need to do right now to protect themselves?
While there is currently no evidence that any of the password or player data has been misused, we encourage our North American players to change their passwords. Click here to login and change your password.
In the coming days we will implement an automated process for all users to change their secret questions and answers, as a precautionary measure. We'll also prompt mobile authenticator users to update their authenticator software.
Additionally, while Blizzard has no indication that any of your information was shared with any other unauthorized parties or that there has been any unauthorized use of your data, we urge all members of our community to closely monitor all of their online accounts.
Players should also be wary of fraudulent emails (phishing). Unfortunately, because email addresses were exposed, it is entirely possible that this could result in an increased, targeted phishing campaign being sent to our users. Check this page for tips on how to spot and avoid these types of fraudulent emails. Back to top What data was affected?
Here's a summary of the data that we know was illegally accessed: North American-based accounts, including players from Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia
Email addresses
Answers to secret security questions
Cryptographically scrambled versions of passwords (not actual passwords)
Information associated with the Mobile Authenticator
Information associated with the Dial-in Authenticator
Information associated with Phone Lock, a security system associated with Taiwan accounts only
Accounts from all global regions outside of China (including Europe and Russia)Back to top
With regard to Dial-In Authenticators, hashed (not actual) phone numbers were accessed. This is phone data from the relatively small number of people who opted into the program.
With regard to Mobile Authenticators, information was taken that could potentially compromise the integrity of North American Mobile Authenticators. We have no evidence that other regions were affected. We are working quickly to provide software updates to users.
Additionally we believe the integrity of the physical authenticators remains intact.
The information relating to Phone Lock represents a small number of hashed (not actual) phone numbers from Taiwanese players who opted into this service and had a North American Battle.net account. Was the physical authenticator compromised?
We believe the integrity of the physical authenticators remains intact. How did this happen?
Like all companies doing business online, it is not an uncommon occurrence to experience outside parties trying to illegitimately gain access to the operation’s structure at some level. We are continually upgrading our security technologies, policies, protocols and procedures to protect our customers and our games against the threats that increasingly arise in today’s online world. When did Blizzard learn of the unauthorized access?
The trespass into our internal network was detected by us on August 4, 2012. Why did Blizzard announce this on August 9?
We worked around the clock since we discovered the unauthorized user to determine the nature of the trespass and understand what data was accessed. Our first priority was to re-secure our network, and from there we worked simultaneously on the investigation and on informing our global player base. We wanted to strike a balance between speed and accuracy in our reporting and worked diligently to serve both equally important needs. What action has Blizzard taken?
Upon learning of the unauthorized access, we worked quickly to re-secure our network. Afterward, we immediately notified law enforcement as well as security experts and launched an ongoing investigation to determine what had occurred. We also took steps to notify players, which happened in a matter of days from the time we discovered the illegal access. Was any personal or financial information accessed?
At this time, there is no evidence that financial information was affected or accessed. There's also no evidence that personal information such as real names or billing addresses were accessed. What can you tell us about the scrambled passwords that were accessed?
Cryptographically scrambled versions of passwords for North American players were accessed, protected by Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol. This information alone doesn't give unauthorized users the actual passwords -- each password would need to be deciphered individually. The added layer of protection from SRP makes that process computationally very difficult and expensive. Why not immediately invalidate the secret questions and answers that were compromised?
This was a difficult decision to make but in the end we believe that keeping the secret questions and answers in place still provides a layer of security against unauthorized users who don't have access to the compromised data. In the meantime, we are working quickly to create a mechanism for players to change the secret question and answer on their account. Our customer service staff will also know to use additional measures to verify player identities and not rely solely on secret question and answer. Why not immediately revoke the mobile authenticators?
Similar to the decision surrounding secret question and answer, we still believe that keeping mobile authenticators active provides a layer of security against unauthorized users who don't have access to the compromised data. In fact, the mobile authenticator information by itself won't grant access to a Battle.net account -- that still requires the actual password as well. We are working quickly to deploy new mobile authenticator software and will notify players to update as soon as it's available. Are you taking additional security measures as a result of this occurrence?
We are continually upgrading our security technologies, policies, protocols and procedures to help protect our customers and our games, and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Teams have also been working around the clock in an ongoing investigation with law enforcement and security experts, to gain a more detailed understanding of what happened. As we conclude the investigation there will be lessons learned that can help strengthen our security going forward.
was only a matter of time, their servers have probably been getting attacked on a weekly basis (thus the giant lag spikes everyone thought was "ninja updates") figured someone would eventually get in, probably chinese
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blizzard used to care about releasing Diablo III, then they all took an arrow in the knee...
I hope Blizzard now realise case-sensitive passwords is a must.
They're not because I'd be willing to bet 90% of all the account compromises are from keyloggers, thus it doesn't matter if they passwords are case sensitive, the hacker has the exact password, he doesn't have to guess. Case sensitive passwords are pretty much a placebo in this case and mainly protect against brute forcing which is totally not feasible for hackers of Blizzard games. They want to be efficient, they get in, strip everything, and get out as soon as possible. An account would have to be super valuable for them to waste their time trying to target it and brute force it specifically, and most aren't. There are apparently plenty of people falling for phishing scams and the like to fill their pockets with cash.
I hope Blizzard now realise case-sensitive passwords is a must.
Assuming you have at least a 10-character password, bruteforcing 46^10 (~10^16) or bruteforcing 72^10 (~10^19) different passwords over the internet, with a system that surely throttles or even reject attempts after 1000 wrong tries, is definitely very efficient and the result of all the hackings over the internet.
I'm not even going to try listing the more plausible reasons...
@Topic: Awww... I liked my security question. It was a sincere question that I actually know the answer! (However anyone who checks my facebook could figure it out...)
And damn, my mail will get a lot more spam now =[
Battle.net accounts have secret security questions? I don't recall ever setting one up and I certainly can't find one on the account management site. Oh well, password changed anyway.
As someone already commented, this was only a matter of time... A huge database of credit card numbers, emails etc... it's tempting to all criminals. In Europe only emails were compromised, so as someone also said... spam-filter, meet your new friends And as long as authenticators (mobile or physical) are intact, it'll be hard for them to guess password and auth number... and secret question if it comes to that also.
I don't know if this is related but for the first time when I started my computer and started my email program I got around 30 mails, where 20 of em were identified by the spam plugin as spam. Thats load of spam email, and I don't remember to get as much spam in one day for ages. So yes, its likely that my battle.net email address was been comprimised.
I hope Blizzard now realise case-sensitive passwords is a must.
Assuming you have at least a 10-character password, bruteforcing 46^10 (~10^16) or bruteforcing 72^10 (~10^19) different passwords over the internet, with a system that surely throttles or even reject attempts after 1000 wrong tries, is definitely very efficient and the result of all the hackings over the internet.
Yeah, battle.net's login system throttles password typing attempts... But they got the encrypted passwords now! They can use their own system to brute force it, and with GPGPUS or using legal cloud services, while expensive, it's absolutely doable for a few thousand emails. Hackers can select which emails might be worth to target by some smart filtering, web search, etc.
Case-sensitive passwords would not prevent this, just reduce the amount of emails that can be hacked at a time, so they do provide better protection actually. In this case, at least.
Battle.net accounts have secret security questions? I don't recall ever setting one up and I certainly can't find one on the account management site. Oh well, password changed anyway.
Yes, they do. You are required to choose a security question and answer at account creation. However, there is currently no means of changing it. Here's a good quote from the WoW sticky:
I just changed my password after reading this. Now how do I change my secret question/answer?
You can't yet. There was no system in place to do this previously (It was not allowed at all, except in the most extreme cases, and even that required calling Account Administration.)
They are building in a way, but it is not currently available.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Even when you are in the business of fun, not every week ends up being fun. This week, our security team found an unauthorized and illegal access into our internal network here at Blizzard. We quickly took steps to close off this access and began working with law enforcement and security experts to investigate what happened.
At this time, we’ve found no evidence that financial information such as credit cards, billing addresses, or real names were compromised. Our investigation is ongoing, but so far nothing suggests that these pieces of information have been accessed.
Some data was illegally accessed, including a list of email addresses for global Battle.net users, outside of China. For players on North American servers (which generally includes players from North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia) the answer to the personal security question, and information relating to Mobile and Dial-In Authenticators were also accessed. Based on what we currently know, this information alone is NOT enough for anyone to gain access to Battle.net accounts.
We also know that cryptographically scrambled versions of Battle.net passwords (not actual passwords) for players on North American servers were taken. We use Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP) to protect these passwords, which is designed to make it extremely difficult to extract the actual password, and also means that each password would have to be deciphered individually. As a precaution, however, we recommend that players on North American servers change their password. Please click this link to change your password. Moreover, if you have used the same or similar passwords for other purposes, you may want to consider changing those passwords as well.
In the coming days, we'll be prompting players on North American servers to change their secret questions and answers through an automated process. Additionally, we'll prompt mobile authenticator users to update their authenticator software. As a reminder, phishing emails will ask you for password or login information. Blizzard Entertainment emails will never ask for your password. We deeply regret the inconvenience to all of you and understand you may have questions. Please find additional information here.
We take the security of your personal information very seriously, and we are truly sorry that this has happened.
Sincerely,
Mike Morhaime
Important Security Update FAQ
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Is there anything that players need to do right now to protect themselves?
While there is currently no evidence that any of the password or player data has been misused, we encourage our North American players to change their passwords. Click here to login and change your password.
In the coming days we will implement an automated process for all users to change their secret questions and answers, as a precautionary measure. We'll also prompt mobile authenticator users to update their authenticator software.
Additionally, while Blizzard has no indication that any of your information was shared with any other unauthorized parties or that there has been any unauthorized use of your data, we urge all members of our community to closely monitor all of their online accounts.
Players should also be wary of fraudulent emails (phishing). Unfortunately, because email addresses were exposed, it is entirely possible that this could result in an increased, targeted phishing campaign being sent to our users. Check this page for tips on how to spot and avoid these types of fraudulent emails. Back to top
What data was affected?
Here's a summary of the data that we know was illegally accessed:
North American-based accounts, including players from Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia
What information related to Mobile and Dial-In Authenticators was exposed? What about Phone Lock?
With regard to Dial-In Authenticators, hashed (not actual) phone numbers were accessed. This is phone data from the relatively small number of people who opted into the program.
With regard to Mobile Authenticators, information was taken that could potentially compromise the integrity of North American Mobile Authenticators. We have no evidence that other regions were affected. We are working quickly to provide software updates to users.
Additionally we believe the integrity of the physical authenticators remains intact.
The information relating to Phone Lock represents a small number of hashed (not actual) phone numbers from Taiwanese players who opted into this service and had a North American Battle.net account.
Was the physical authenticator compromised?
We believe the integrity of the physical authenticators remains intact.
How did this happen?
Like all companies doing business online, it is not an uncommon occurrence to experience outside parties trying to illegitimately gain access to the operation’s structure at some level. We are continually upgrading our security technologies, policies, protocols and procedures to protect our customers and our games against the threats that increasingly arise in today’s online world.
When did Blizzard learn of the unauthorized access?
The trespass into our internal network was detected by us on August 4, 2012.
Why did Blizzard announce this on August 9?
We worked around the clock since we discovered the unauthorized user to determine the nature of the trespass and understand what data was accessed. Our first priority was to re-secure our network, and from there we worked simultaneously on the investigation and on informing our global player base. We wanted to strike a balance between speed and accuracy in our reporting and worked diligently to serve both equally important needs.
What action has Blizzard taken?
Upon learning of the unauthorized access, we worked quickly to re-secure our network. Afterward, we immediately notified law enforcement as well as security experts and launched an ongoing investigation to determine what had occurred. We also took steps to notify players, which happened in a matter of days from the time we discovered the illegal access.
Was any personal or financial information accessed?
At this time, there is no evidence that financial information was affected or accessed. There's also no evidence that personal information such as real names or billing addresses were accessed.
What can you tell us about the scrambled passwords that were accessed?
Cryptographically scrambled versions of passwords for North American players were accessed, protected by Secure Remote Password (SRP) protocol. This information alone doesn't give unauthorized users the actual passwords -- each password would need to be deciphered individually. The added layer of protection from SRP makes that process computationally very difficult and expensive.
Why not immediately invalidate the secret questions and answers that were compromised?
This was a difficult decision to make but in the end we believe that keeping the secret questions and answers in place still provides a layer of security against unauthorized users who don't have access to the compromised data. In the meantime, we are working quickly to create a mechanism for players to change the secret question and answer on their account. Our customer service staff will also know to use additional measures to verify player identities and not rely solely on secret question and answer.
Why not immediately revoke the mobile authenticators?
Similar to the decision surrounding secret question and answer, we still believe that keeping mobile authenticators active provides a layer of security against unauthorized users who don't have access to the compromised data. In fact, the mobile authenticator information by itself won't grant access to a Battle.net account -- that still requires the actual password as well. We are working quickly to deploy new mobile authenticator software and will notify players to update as soon as it's available.
Are you taking additional security measures as a result of this occurrence?
We are continually upgrading our security technologies, policies, protocols and procedures to help protect our customers and our games, and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Teams have also been working around the clock in an ongoing investigation with law enforcement and security experts, to gain a more detailed understanding of what happened. As we conclude the investigation there will be lessons learned that can help strengthen our security going forward.
They're not because I'd be willing to bet 90% of all the account compromises are from keyloggers, thus it doesn't matter if they passwords are case sensitive, the hacker has the exact password, he doesn't have to guess. Case sensitive passwords are pretty much a placebo in this case and mainly protect against brute forcing which is totally not feasible for hackers of Blizzard games. They want to be efficient, they get in, strip everything, and get out as soon as possible. An account would have to be super valuable for them to waste their time trying to target it and brute force it specifically, and most aren't. There are apparently plenty of people falling for phishing scams and the like to fill their pockets with cash.
I'm not even going to try listing the more plausible reasons...
@Topic: Awww... I liked my security question. It was a sincere question that I actually know the answer! (However anyone who checks my facebook could figure it out...)
And damn, my mail will get a lot more spam now =[
Not looking forward to changing my password. It's not a password that I use anywhere else, but... pain in the rear-end hassle regardless.
I really appreciate the quick turnaround by Blizzard in getting the word out, though.
Edit: I understand that the person(s) didn't obtain the actual passwords, but I'm going to change mine anyway just to err on the side of caution.
Battle.net accounts have secret security questions? I don't recall ever setting one up and I certainly can't find one on the account management site. Oh well, password changed anyway.
I don't know if this is related but for the first time when I started my computer and started my email program I got around 30 mails, where 20 of em were identified by the spam plugin as spam. Thats load of spam email, and I don't remember to get as much spam in one day for ages. So yes, its likely that my battle.net email address was been comprimised.
Yeah, battle.net's login system throttles password typing attempts... But they got the encrypted passwords now! They can use their own system to brute force it, and with GPGPUS or using legal cloud services, while expensive, it's absolutely doable for a few thousand emails. Hackers can select which emails might be worth to target by some smart filtering, web search, etc.
Case-sensitive passwords would not prevent this, just reduce the amount of emails that can be hacked at a time, so they do provide better protection actually. In this case, at least.
Yes, they do. You are required to choose a security question and answer at account creation. However, there is currently no means of changing it. Here's a good quote from the WoW sticky: