Countless people lose control of their World of Warcraft accounts on a daily basis, whether through good old-fashioned hacking, falling for phishing scams, clicking on bogus email links, etc. In answer this ever-growing problems, Blizzard released the World of Warcraft Authenticator at an extra charge, offering participating players a solid layer of security between their passwords and WoW account. Up till recently, the WoW Authenticator proved robust and secure, but has since been the target of a successful hacking attempt.

Blizzard suspects a keylogger may be involved. A Keylogger is a nefarious bit of code that sits on your computer and reports all keyboard interaction, ultimately ratting out your passwords so a hacker.

MMOCrunch article:

So the Authenticator is not a fail safe way to keep accounts safe but it is still a very good investment. If you want to check to see if you have the virus just search for the file “emcor.dll” on your computer. If you have it then your account most likely has already been hacked.

Tools like the Authenticator can only do so much. It is really unfortunate that people are getting hacked even with this security measure but it all comes down to the user. Safe browsing habits, a good anti-virus, common sense (against phishers) and things like an Authenticator can make your account virtually hack proof.

Going outside. It’s quite dangerous. Just ask a World of Warcraft player. Gang fights, turf disputes, trade swindling, imposing authorities, Mr. T. – and we’re not even talking about WoW yet.

So imagine what happens when you mix those things, rampant drug and alcohol usage, internet anonymity, a cross between GTA-style violence and Harry Potter-style witchery, 13-year-olds, and good old FPS teabagging. You get a rather dangerous place called a “PvP Realm.” Roughly translated for those who haven’t yet mastered WoW-speak, it means “open season on your ass.” But since Blizzard has yet to debut its patented in-game butt cup (available soon for only $10, limit one per account) to shield your character (aka toon) from unwanted posterior intrusions, you’ll have to settle with my $5 “Don’t-even-think-about-going-there” tour guide, provided to you free of charge.

So, without further adieu, I bring you, ranging from “hunting guide for Dick Cheney” to “sparring partner for Chuck Norris,” the top 10 most dangerous world PvP areas of WoW.

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As MMOs increase in popularity, an alarming number of people are having their accounts hacked on a daily basis. The problem has become so epidemic that its overall weight is dragging down respective customer support centers as they attempt to placate irate and confused customers. In some cases, it can take weeks to retrieve your character and if you’re lucky, you may get your items back.

Now, the vast majority of these problems could be avoided if gamers used their heads, but with the increased casual appeal of your typical MMO, we’re finding more players who simply don’t know better until it’s too late. It’s a hell of a way to learn. How are hackers getting account information? A variety of ways:

1. You get an email that looks like it’s from the Customer Service department of the MMO in question, asking you to update account information. You click the supplied link and are taken to a site that looks legit. Unfortunately, it isn’t…and you have just supplied all relevant account information to a hacker.

I get these emails on a daily basis. Here’s what one looks like (DO NOT CLICK THE LINKS!):

Blizzard Entertainment -> Legal -> Terms of Use

A 3-hour probationary suspension is pending on this account, awaiting confirmation from a specialist. A

final warning has been issued. The investigation will be continued by the Account Administration team

to determine the any further suspensions. If the account in question is found in violation of the EULA

and Terms of Use, further action will be taken. Be aware that any additional inappropriate actions may

result in the permanent closure of the account.

Thank you for respecting our position on this matter.

=======================================================================================================

===========
** We request that you verify your legitimate ownership of the account here:

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/login/login/
Blizzard staff will verify your account information submitted in two days, please do not modify your

account information during this time . It will not affect your game uptime.

1.) WHY DID THIS HAPPEN AND HOW CAN I STOP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN?

which state that your Password is to be kept confidential at all times and you are solely responsible

for the security of your Password. You may not disclose your Password to anyone, or allow your Password

to be used by anyone other than yourself and/or your one (1) minor child. This includes, but is not

limited to, compensated third parties accessing the account to advance characters in any way.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Password, and you will be responsible

for all uses of your Password, whether or not authorized by you. Also, note that the security of the

Account is your responsibility. Furthermore, Blizzard Entertainment does not recognize the transfer of

Accounts, and any authorized transfer of the World of Warcraft software (as set forth on the

worldofwarcraft.com website) will result in the permanent deletion of the Account attached to that

software. You may not offer any Account for sale or trade, and any such offer is a violation of this

Agreement and may result in suspension or termination of the Account.

To help ensure that no viruses are present that may threaten your account, please regularly scan all

computer systems that you use to remove all viruses, including Trojan files, spy-ware and key loggers.

You can find links to scanners in our article about computer and Internet security tips at

http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=msi0504p. Also be sure to change your account password regularly at

https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account.

2.) I SENT MY SUBMISSION, NOW WHAT?

We will contact you again once your submission is received and processed. If you do not receive a reply

within 48 hours of sending your submission, please resend it and notify us at

http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/?id=eSupport000. If you send your submission by postal mail,

please allow time for delivery. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.

Only Account Administration is able to assist with account retrieval issues. To learn more about how

Account Administration is able to assist you, please visit us at

http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/.com

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter, and your continued interest in World of Warcraft.

Sincerely,
Amanda

When you receive an email with a link, hover your mouse over the link and analyze the URL that appears in your browser. Chances are extremely high the URL points to a shady site, a site that is named in such a way that it fools you into thinking it’s legitimate.

The above example clearly illustrates that you are one-click away from having your account hacked, but you have to examine the links in that email to know better.

2. You visited a site that placed a “keylogger” on your system. The keylogger monitors every input of the keyboard and sends this information to a remote hacker, who weeds out password and account information. At this point, you have bigger worries, like protecting the sanctity of your bank account.

#1 is the most common. #2 is a worst-case-scenario, but still very common.

As for #2, you should have a virus protector installed that will prevent most keyloggers from being placed on your computer. I personally recommend Avast, as it’s free and doesn’t hog up system resources, nor does it interfere with my games like McCaffe and Norton.

Protecting yourself is YOUR responsibility, not the responsibility of MMO companies who now have to clean up your ignorance. That doesn’t mean MMO companies are not entirely to blame, however. Let’s face it: security measures for your typical MMO suck. If the same companies who run MMOs ran banks, none of us would have any money remaining in our accounts.

So both sides in this ever-growing issue need to behave better. MMO companies need to enhance their security measures and gamers need to get their head out of their ass and stop falling for lame hacker tricks.

A good website, MMOCrunch, has a fine feature up specifically about Aion and security that is worth your time.

All hell broke loose yesterday in the world of Spider-Man, with Sam Raimi leaving his directorial position for Spider-Man 4 and Tobe Maguire retiring from the costume. As such, Sony canned the script they were working on and are now going in a completely different direction. Unfortunately, the direction indicated by Sony’s press-release indicates we may be in for a terrible film.

“Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.”

High school? So this is going to to be Twilight with Spider-Man?

Color me completely uninterested.

On the upside, Sam Raimi is now a free man and that means he has all the time in the world to devote to the cinematic version World of Warcraft, which Mr. Raimi signed on to adapt last year. At that point, Sam indicated he would begin production of World of Warcraft after the next Spider-Man movie. With no Spider-Man movie, Sam can now accelerate his plans on Warcraft.

There is one little problem though: a small movie called Avatar. Avatar has raised the bar so high in terms of world-building and effects that Mr. Raimi will now have to at least equal, if not surpass, the visual wonders delivered by James Cameron. Sam will have to channel new abiltiies, for he has never worked on a project of this magnitude, despite the huge budgets on Spider-Man. Warcraft is a whole new beast that comes saddled with massive expectations and a fan base that will hunt you down and murder you in your sleep if you screw up this adaptation.