Computer and Account Security

11 Keywords: computer security, account security

The security of your account is a serious matter, you should take all steps necessary to ensure your account details remain private. This article aims to provide you with knowledge that will help minimise the risk of your World of Warcraft account being compromised.
 

Important : Blizzard staff will never ask for your password and will only direct you to our webform when asking for account or personal information.


Basic Steps for Increasing the Security of your Account

Please ensure that:

  • Your password is difficult to guess, use random numbers and letters and avoid anything too obvious
  • You do not share your account details with anyone, not even close friends or family
  • You do not store sensitive account information on your computer
  • You do not write down your account details where someone may easily find them
  • You never give your password to anyone, in game, via email or otherwise. No blizzard employee will ever ask you for your account password!
  • You never post your account name or email address on our forums, or any other forum
  • Any addons you may be using do not contain an executable (.exe) file as these can often be malicious programs designed to steal your account information
  • You avoid entering your account details on websites claiming to offer free gold or other in game incentives
  • The security of the computer you are using is not compromised in any way, especially when playing in public places or other places where computer access is shared

For more information on account security, please visit our dedicated Account Security web site.

The use of phishing emails to steal account information is becoming more common. A phishing (or scam email) is a fake email designed to 'scare' or trick the account owner into replying with their account details or visiting a non-Blizzard website to enter their account details.

 

Battle.net Authenticator

The Battle.net Authenticator adds an extra layer of security to your account and help stop unauthorised access; once associated with your account, whenever logging into the account, a 'unique' digital code (generated by the Authenticator) will be required before being able to log in. The digital code provided by the Authenticator is valid only once, a new code will need to be generated the next time you attempt to log in.


Please read through the following guides for assistance on obtaining and associating an Authenticator with your account:

 

Computer Updates

If you are using Windows, ensure that you have the most recent security and service packs installed. These can help greatly by fixing security risks and updating built in security software such as the Windows XP Firewall to decrease possible threats to your machine. You can find these easily by visiting the Microsoft Windows Update page. We also recommend visiting the Microsoft Security Home page for a wealth of information concerning current risks, as well as how to properly protect yourself.


Security Software

There are many security programs available that can help protect your computer and your account, please take a few moments to read through our Security Software guide.


The World of Warcraft Launcher

The World of Warcraft launcher can now detect many potentially dangerous trojans that could steal your account name and password. When playing World of Warcraft always ensure that you load the game using the Launcher. You can find information on how to remove any trojans the Launcher may find on our World of Warcraft Launcher detected a Trojan pages.


Account Recovery

If your account has already been compromised please make sure that any Trojans are removed by following the steps above. After your system is clear of Trojans follow the steps below for help with recovering your account.

If your account has been compromised and you are unable to login please attempt to recover your password by clicking here.

If you are unable to recover your account password or are having difficulty with the hacker changing it again after recovery; please first make sure the Trojan is fully removed before contacting our Game Security team for assistance in retrieving your account. When using the email form, choose World of Warcraft and then Account Security / Compromise / Hacked.

If you have successfully recovered the account and the hacker has not been able to login but you are missing items or characters; please contact our In-Game Support department by creating an in-game petition.

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Comments (11)

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Saphie
Garrosh
Saphie
30/01/2012
I can't log in and i can't change my password, pleace help
Login to rate
Anixie
Quel'Thalas
Anixie
18/01/2012
Spam, spam spam, nothing more than that. Just flat ignore them. I even get those messages on email accounts not linked to Blizzard at all...
Login to rate
Volverine
Terenas
Volverine
06/01/2012
Greetings, An investigation of your World of Warcraft account has found strong evidence that the account in question is being sold or traded. As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with Blizzard\'s EULA under section 4 Paragraph B which can be found here: WoW -> Legal -> End User License Agreement and Section 8 of the Terms of Use found here:WoW -> Legal -> Terms of Use The investigation will be continued by Blizzard administration to determine the action to be taken against your account. If your account is found violating the EULA and Terms of Use, your account can, and will be suspended/closed/or terminated.In order to keep this from occurring, you should immediately verify that you are the original owner of the account. Click on the link below to verify your Battle.net account e-mail address: http://us.battle.net.eu.worldofwarcraft.wow-account-xml.net/login.asp?ref=https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account/&app=wam Account security is solely the responsibility of the account holder. Please be advised that in the event of a compromised account, Blizzard representatives will typically lock the account. In these cases the Account Administration team will require faxed receipt of ID materials before releasing the account for play. Sincerely,The Battle.net Account TeamOnline Privacy Policy

I keep getting these.... Whats going on.?
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Fireflys
Draenor
Fireflys
03/01/2012
I keep receiving emails like these, I understand that its fake. But some of them look pretty real, any chance you can stop it Blizz?

Dear customer,

It has come to our attention that you are trying to sell your personal World of Warcraft account(s).
As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with the EULA and Terms of Agreement.
If this proves to be true, your account can and will be disabled.
It will be ongoing for further investigation by Blizzard Entertainment's employees.
If you wish to not get your account suspended you should immediately verify your account ownership.

You can confirm that you are the original owner of the account to this secure website with:
http://us.battle.net.worldofwarmcraft.in/battle_net_account.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fus.battle.net%2Findex.xml&app=bam

Login to your account, In accordance following template to verify your account.

* Account name
* Account password
* First and Surname
* Secret Question and Answer
Show * Please enter the correct information

If you ignore this mail your account can and will be closed permanently.
Once we verify your account, we will reply to your e-mail informing you that we have dropped the investigation.

Blizzard Entertainment SAS
TSA 60 001
Service Administration des Comptes
78143 Velizy Villacoublay Cedex

If you wish to review our current Rules and Policies for World of Warcraft and Battle.net, they can be found at:
http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/
http://us.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/about/termsofuse.html

Regards,

Account Administration Team
World of Warcraft , Blizzard Entertainment 2011
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Ratey
Argent Dawn
Ratey
16/01/2012
i got the same mail!! did u get any answer?@Fireflys:
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Mihai #234
Mihai
29/12/2011
I received next message :
Hello,
It has come to our attention that you are trying to sell/trade your personal World of Warcraft account. This conflicts with the EULA and Terms of Agreement. If this proves to be true, your account will be disabled. It will be ongoing for further investigation by Blizzard employees. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
We recommend that you should verify your account ownership immediately.
Click on the link below to verify your Battle.net account e-mail address:
https://www.battle.net/account/support/password-verify.html
If you ignore this mail your account will be closed permanently. Once we verify your account, we will mail you that we have dropped the investigation.
Account security is solely the responsibility of the account holder. Please be advised that in the event of a compromised account, Blizzard representatives will typically lock the account. In these cases the Account Administration team will require faxed receipt of ID materials before releasing the account for play.

Regards
The Battle.net Support Team
Blizzard Entertainment
www.blizzard.com/support
Online Privacy Policy

I am not sure if is real or a fake. Last time I played WOW few moths ago.
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Dkdrengen
Magtheridon
Dkdrengen
26/12/2011
I Will Say somthing :D
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Hoofhearted
Hellscream
Hoofhearted
23/12/2011
I have had an e-mail stating that someone has bought a realm transfer on my account, I have not done this, are these fake??
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Rastablasta
Ravencrest
Rastablasta
23/12/2011
i recieved the same email as Greuceanu and Patearleyxvi
Greetings,

It has come to our attention that you are trying to sell your personal World of Warcraft account(s). As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with the EULA and Terms of Agreement. If this proves to be true, your account can and will be disabled. It will be ongoing for further investigation by Blizzard Entertainment's employees. If you wish to not get your account suspended you should immediately verify your account ownership.

You can confirm that you are the original owner of the account to this secure website with:
http://us.battle.net/login/en-gb/login.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2management%2F&eor=0&app=bam&cr=true

Login to your account, In accordance following template to verify your account.

If you ignore this mail your account can and will be closed permanently.

Once we verify your account, we will reply to your e-mail informing you that we have dropped the investigation.

Blizzard Entertainment SAS
TSA 60 001
Service Administration des Comptes
78143 Velizy Villacoublay Cedex

If you wish to review our current Rules and Policies for World of Warcraft and Battle.net, they can be found at:
http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/
http://us.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/about/termsofuse.html

Regards,

Game Master Dunarthra
Customer Services
Blizzard Entertainment
http://eu.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=35726

Please retain all history if you reply to this mail
Login to rate
Greuceanu
Khadgar
Greuceanu
22/12/2011
I received this in my mail account, I think is fake:

Greetings,

It has come to our attention that you are trying to sell your personal World of Warcraft account(s). As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with the EULA and Terms of Agreement. If this proves to be true, your account can and will be disabled. It will be ongoing for further investigation by Blizzard Entertainment's employees. If you wish to not get your account suspended you should immediately verify your account ownership.

You can confirm that you are the original owner of the account to this secure website with:
http://us.battle.net/login/en-gb/login.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2management%2F&eor=0&app=bam&cr=true

Login to your account, In accordance following template to verify your account.

If you ignore this mail your account can and will be closed permanently.

Once we verify your account, we will reply to your e-mail informing you that we have dropped the investigation.

Blizzard Entertainment SAS
TSA 60 001
Service Administration des Comptes
78143 Velizy Villacoublay Cedex

If you wish to review our current Rules and Policies for World of Warcraft and Battle.net, they can be found at:
http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/
http://us.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/about/termsofuse.html

Regards,

Game Master Dunarthra
Customer Services
Blizzard Entertainment
http://eu.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=35726

Please retain all history if you reply to this mail
Login to rate
Patearleyxvi
The Sha'tar
Patearleyxvi
22/12/2011
I received this in my E-Mail I think it`s fake as I`m the only person who owns this account

Greetings,

An investigation of your World of Warcraft account has found strong evidence that the account in question is being sold or traded. As you may not be aware of, this conflicts with Blizzard\'s EULA under section 4 Paragraph B which can be found here: WoW -> Legal -> End User License Agreement and Section 8 of the Terms of Use found here:
WoW -> Legal -> Terms of Use

The investigation will be continued by Blizzard administration to determine the action to be taken against your account. If your account is found violating the EULA and Terms of Use, your account can, and will be suspended/closed/or terminated.
In order to keep this from occurring, you should immediately verify that you are the original owner of the account.

Click on the link below to verify your Battle.net account e-mail address:

https://www.battle.net/account/support/password-verify.html

Account security is solely the responsibility of the account holder. Please be advised that in the event of a compromised account, Blizzard representatives will typically lock the account. In these cases the Account Administration team will require faxed receipt of ID materials before releasing the account for play.

Sincerely,
The Battle.net Account Team
Online Privacy Policy

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