Blizzard's Network Hacked

[The Wooster]

Blizzard's Network Hacked

Hackers have gained access to Battle.net email addresses, security question answers and authenticator info.

Blizzard has joined the growing [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.286553-Sony-Hacked-Again] list [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115784-Steam-Hackers-Probably-Got-Credit-Card-Info] of [http://kotaku.com/5810740/dirt-publisher-codemasters-suffers-major-hack-attack-personal-data-exposed] companies [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115089-UPDATE-Amateur-Sleuth-Uncovers-Xbox-Live-Hacking-Scheme] that have failed to protect their customers' private information. Today, the company announced that its security team found evidence that wily hackers had gained access to its internal network. The intrusion was discovered on August 4th.

"At this time, we've found no evidence that financial information such as credit cards, billing addresses, or real names were compromised," reads the announcement. "Our investigation is ongoing, but so far nothing suggests that these pieces of information have been accessed."
What have been accessed, however, are the email addresses, personal security question answers, mobile authenticator information and cryptographically scrambled Battle.net passwords belonging to players who use North American servers. Blizzard insists that the protocols used to encrypt the password are solid, and that the information the hackers got their grubby mitts on is not enough to allow them to gain access to Battle.net accounts. Regardless, the company suggests you change your Battle.net password and, if you're using the same password for other services, change those too.

Players on North American servers will soon be prompted to change their secret question answers and passwords, and their mobile authenticators will be automatically updated.

Source: Blizzard [http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/securityupdate.html]


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[Ranorak]

This is why we can't have nice things.
Blizzard fan or not, I don't see why those selfish hackers have to ruin things so much for others.

 

[Harbinger_]

So we just hear about this now? I mean it's almost the 10th. Thats nearly a week that they decided not to mention anything.

 

[snowfi6916]

And it's the PSN hacker attack all over again.

So glad I didn't get Diablo 3 now.

 

[babinro]

I never thought I'd live to see the day where a company whose games are filled with duping, trade scams, account phishing, and bots would get hacked.

 

[Charli]

EU Battle.net, still a secure fortress?

*sips apple juice out of a brandy glass on a rotating chair*


'Apparently' they took data that wouldn't allow them instantaneous access so my guess is they're going to sell it to gold farming companies or decoders. It would be a monumental task but it needs you to go onto your account and change the info or you'll just be bombarded with phishing scams and attempts on your account (which hopefully with the authenticator will fail but there's enough kids out there for it to affect).

But yeah, *sigh* get ready for a fresh wave of gold sellers/farmers on your realms. Sorry US.

 

[Bretty]

Because opening an Auction House with real money didn't paint a huge target on their backs.

Took 3 months? 4 months to get in?

 

[Loop Stricken]

So we just hear about this now? I mean it's almost the 10th. Thats nearly a week that they decided not to mention anything.

Would you prefer a news conference every time a company notices something erroneous, so we call all flip our collective shits until they realise it really wasn't anything at all?
And then when it IS something, we can all roll our eyes at the announcement and ***** at them for their constant scaremongering!

... I think someone could write a story out of this, but maybe make it a bit more low-tech. Instead of hacked servers, maybe... ooh, maybe a wolf could show up and eat some sheep...

 

[Canadamus Prime]

This is why we can't have nice things.
Blizzard fan or not, I don't see why those selfish hackers have to ruin things so much for others.

What he said.

EDIT: Initial comment retracted. But suffice it to say that I used to have respect for hackers, back when I was under the impression that real hackers never actually took anything. Now I don't know what to think.

 

[sir.rutthed]

I notice it says nothing about the keychain authenticators. Can we take that to mean that those of us with them are less at risk then the mobile authenticator users?

 

[Loop Stricken]

I notice it says nothing about the keychain authenticators. Can we take that to mean that those of us with them are less at risk then the mobile authenticator users?

The real authenticators are massively more secure than the mobile apps.

 

[Loop Stricken]

Turn back now, Blizzard. You're going down a path that leads to EA-ism: a blind focus on corporate interests and money-making over quality assurance and putting care into your products. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny!

I can't be certain, but I don't suspect Mike Morhaime or Thrall Chris Metzen to be regular readers of these forums.
Maybe try posting it on Blizzard's own?

 

[GAunderrated]

Remember back when Blizzard was trying to convince us that turning Diablo 3 into a game that relied heavily on Always-On DRM would make the game more secure from hackers? And remember how they told us that Battle.net was just so secure and that there was no way that hackers could get in and interfere with your gameplay, even as numerous people reported that accounts were being hacked and relieved of items in Diablo 3?

Pepperidge Farm remembers. And so do I.

While I don't normally wish harm upon anyone and I feel very sorry for the poor gamers who has entrusted Blizzard with their information, I have to be honest: Blizzard deserves every last bit of this. They were the ones boldly proclaiming that Diablo 3 was the next step in hacker-free gaming, arrogantly presuming that their Battle.net system could not be hacked, and using the DRM as a platform to make more money through the Auction House. This is what kills good studios: steps towards money and away from quality.

Turn back now, Blizzard. You're going down a path that leads to EA-ism: a blind focus on corporate interests and money-making over quality assurance and putting care into your products. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny!

How can they turn back? I'm sure i'm not the only ex-blizzard fan who just hated all the crap with D3 to outright ignore blizzard games now.

 

[Yureina]

Ugh....

I'm getting really sick of these hackers. Someone needs to end these people.

 

[GenGenners]

Uninteresting company gets not-at-all surprising news.

I've never liked Blizzard, so..............nothing to see here.

 

[Stormz]

This is what you get for trusting an always online DRM service. I for one won't be supporting any company that relies on your games being linked to an account and always being online from now on. You can't protect yourself from hackers, they will get through eventually and when they do all your info is theirs.