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How to not be "hacked"
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Post by
Pwntiff
if you mix up capital and lowercase letters and use some numbers in your pw, by the time some program figures it out with brute force wow will no longer be around.
Despite setting your password with capital and lower-case letters, you can enter your password without using any capital letters and successfully log in. This should be patched, imo.
Edit: Also, never store your WOW password in your internet browser. Those files are NOT secure and are usually the first target of hackers who are also interested in identity theft or bank account information.
You are correct...mostly. Blizzard does not case-check passwords. I believe they should, but it would require more than a "patch" since it applies to the WoW forums, us.battle.net, and the WoW client.
Yes, it should be fixed, but if you use a mix of alphanumeric (A-Z, 0-9) and special characters ( ! " # $ % ), you'll be almost as safe as case-checking.
Post by
260150
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
344679
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Joona
I'd like to add that Opera is a nice browser to use. It has a build-in feature to act like IE, and you can block the ads easily (
http://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/
and for a quick list
http://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?hostformat=operafilter&showintro=0&mimetype=plaintext
(find "urlfilter.ini" on your computer and replace it with the text file above)).
Great help for a newbie. :)
Post by
TheReal
I'd like to add that Opera is a nice browser to use. It has a build-in feature to act like IE, and you can block the ads easily (
http://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/
and for a quick list
http://pgl.yoyo.org/as/serverlist.php?hostformat=operafilter&showintro=0&mimetype=plaintext
(find "urlfilter.ini" on your computer and replace it with the text file above)).
Great help for a newbie. :)
Another great idea is to avoid clicking links to little- or unknown websites posted by 1st time Wowhead posters. In no way am I saying that Joona has linked us some malware (maybe, maybe not, but I'm not clicking), but when someone's first post contains links and the person doesn't contribute more to the site after posting them, everyone should be hesitant to click the links.
If you want to get Opera, I'm sure there are official distribution channels for it that would not entail the same level of risk you'd be taking by clicking the above links. If your links are legit Joona, then I apologize that this is the way of things.
Post by
344679
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
TheReal
Never run more than one antivirus program. COMODO is a firewall, so you can run it with Avast no problem.
You should not be using an administrator account for everyday use of your computer. Doing so allows malware to write to vulnerable system directories.
And for anyone who likes to visit the shadier side of the Internet (who am I to judge?), use virtualization to set up a browser that NOTHING can get out of and use it to surf the hinky sites.
Post by
344679
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
TheReal
Never run more than one antivirus program.
Antivirus programs integrate into your computer's operating system quite tightly. With more than one antivirus running in the shell, they will interfere with each other and prevent the optimum performance of both. You might be somewhat protected with two programs, but running only one of them will protect your computer quite a bit better.
Post by
Joona
Another great idea is to avoid clicking links to little- or unknown websites posted by 1st time Wowhead posters. In no way am I saying that Joona has linked us some malware (maybe, maybe not, but I'm not clicking), but when someone's first post contains links and the person doesn't contribute more to the site after posting them, everyone should be hesitant to click the links.
If you want to get Opera, I'm sure there are official distribution channels for it that would not entail the same level of risk you'd be taking by clicking the above links. If your links are legit Joona, then I apologize that this is the way of things.
They indeed are safe and all. I'm sorry, I'm new here, and so I don't have so much posts. I must be 100% on your side within this, as mostly the first timers are indeed scamming or trying to get you download some viruses.
I found Opera's community a bit messy, so I haven't been around there much, and I found the filter (which is actually just plain text) by reading comments about Opera's 10th version being released, at a Finnish over-clocking (and news..) site.
Messy post, who cares.
Post by
TheReal
Heh. Well I appreciate that you understand, and I'm very glad you didn't take offense. I'm quite the paranoid type, but one has to be in my line of work. = )
Post by
Joona
Heh. Well I appreciate that you understand, and I'm very glad you didn't take offense. I'm quite the paranoid type, but one has to be in my line of work. = )
Oh wait, your an undead. Nevermind.
Post by
loozerr
Sorry, I should of been more specific. I don't recommend not because it's not safe, but because it's a horrid browser to use.Oh yeah? I've used Opera for years, and I don't feel like using any other browser. This is a safe browser and it is very convenient to use after getting used to it. You should realise that the browser itself isn't bad to use, it is just different.
Post by
331902
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Malgayne
WHY IS THERE NO REQUEST STICKY BUTTON!1!
It's in the "report" list. :P(##RESPBREAK##)2##DELIM##Malgayne##DELIM##
Post by
dagos
Another alternative for a free virus scanner, assuming you're running a legit version of Windows, is Microsoft Security Essentials:
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
I've used Avast and AVG in the past but Security Essentials seems to be much less of a resource hog and has done well in tests.
Post by
TheReal
Another alternative for a free virus scanner, assuming you're running a legit version of Windows, is Microsoft Security Essentials:
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
I've used Avast and AVG in the past but Security Essentials seems to be much less of a resource hog and has done well in tests.
Yes, but I'll continue to cite the
av-comparatives.org
studies that shows the premium G-Data antivirus being the one antivirus that catches the most stuff, closely followed by the free Avira.
In my opinion, anything with the name "Microsoft" is presumably going to be flawed. Just sayin'.
Post by
Maulee
Great thread.
Just a few things: firstly, if you have WPA-2 as your wireless network security, there's currently no-one in the world who can hack into that network (at least, not that is publicly know). WPA can be hacked in roughly 12-15 minutes (
http://dl.aircrack-ng.org/breakingwepandwpa.pdf
), but it's better than WEP, which is pretty much only useful to keep your elderly neighbors out.WPA2 using AES, if your router supports it, is the superior choice.
Isn't this all a little paranoid? WoW is just a game. So what if someone steals both my 80s? It's always way more fun to start a new character than it is to play a level capped one.
I've played WoW for almost two years, and never had a problem with my account getting hijacked, neither have any of my WoW-playing buddies.
Sticky this please, very detailed and well-thought-out thread.The problem with that mindset is just because it's "been safe" for 2 years doesn't mean it will stay that way indefinitely. Complacency and internet security don't typically mix well. In those terms, the more popular this software becomes the more incentive people will have to devise ways to exploit users, and if someone can gain access your WoW account, they may also be able to gain access to other things you don't want them to. A lot of the information in this thread is also pertinent to more "real world' best practices as well.
Post by
647106
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
TheReal
Another step one can take is calling Blizzard and setting a passphrase. The passphrase will only be known between you and Blizzard, so if your account is compromised, simply calling in with that passphrase will get your account back. Easy Peasy. }-)
I actually suggested something like this to my wife the other day. She was reading me an article in Reader's Digest about identity thieves and how they can get credit card information with a utility bill they find in the garbage. In my opinion, a security passphrase should be implemented by utility companies and any other organization that uses customer accounts. The passphrase could be as simple as a single letter or digit, or it could even be a complete sentence.
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