Keyloggers

[Kaos]

I would just like to make you all aware of a post that was made on http://www.wow-europe.com

"A recent account-theft scam is being circulated via email, game forums, in-game chat, and other mediums. We'd like to make the community aware of this scam that involves fake URLs or hyperlinks which, once clicked, will install harmful "key-logging" software, which will then attempt to steal your World of Warcraft account name and password.

The scam comes in many forms, including URLs advertised as links to class guides, gameplay videos, and, in many cases, user-interface (UI) modifications. For these reasons, it is very important that players take caution when being directed to external websites and update the security on their computers accordingly.

A complete guide to avoid being scammed is now proposed in the Game Masters forum. Be sure to check http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=31483341"

So please make sure you run any spyware programs you have (Feel free to post links to any freeware ones you know) and perhaps change your password if you suspect anything is wrong.

[Palmar]

Okey. Here are some tips to secure your computer.

There are several things you can do to avoid getting your account hacked (note, some of these will also help protect your credit card numbers, personal information etc)

1. kill internet explorer, that thing still has some holes in it (even though they've improved it alot). Go download something else. I'd recommend Mozilla Firefox: http://www.mozilla.com/

2. You need a firewall. Windows has a decent built in firewall (xp that is). make sure it is turned on at all times. Also, having a hardware router works pretty much as a firewall, so if you have one a firewall isn't all that important, but the more you have, the better.

3. You need a virus protection. Doesn't really matter which one. I can recommend one free one: http://www.avira.com/ <- this one is easy to understand and updates itself regurarly.

4. You need a spyware remover. The most popular in the past have been spybot and adaware. I recommend adaware from lavasoft. Remember to run this one at least weekly (shouldn't take too long): http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

5. Make sure your wow account (or all other accounts) are unique. Don't use the same password for your wow account and your e-bank, or to log on this site etc. Changing the wow account around every once in a while might be a good Idea. I random it between four passwords and change every 2-3 months. Never ever write your passwords in documents stored on your computer.... you should rather just write them down on paper and keep it somewhere in your room. AND NEVER GIVE OUT EVEN A HINT OF YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD TO ANYONE! (yes, not even if delling/kaos promise you extra dkp for it)

These are all quite essential in keeping you safe in the jungle we call the intraweb. Here are some extra tips that you'll find helpful. but these require a bit more effort.

6. Best thing you can do is to have a dual boot computer, Windows for playing wow and Linux for everything else. I personally use Ubuntu: http://www.ubuntu.com/ for almost everything but wow and my personal oracle server.

7. Another option is to have 2 seperate computers, one pretty much only for playing wow/accessing secure sites (e-bank).

And last but probably the most important tip:

8. STOP WATCHING PORN! seriously... or get a seperate computer for porn browsing... or something. Also do not click any links about "powerlevelling" "cheap gold" or anything like that. Watch out for item database sites, or use them on a seperate computer (I know Delling does this, has his laptop for TS/Browser)

[delling]

(How did you know? :P)

Great tips, Palmar.

Just practising safe surfing (don't open random files, visit seedy website, etc.) and NOT using Internet Explorer eliminates almost every single risk you will come across.

[Kaos]

5. Make sure your wow account (or all other accounts) are unique. Don't use the same password for your wow account and your e-bank, or to log on this site etc. Changing the wow account around every once in a while might be a good Idea. I random it between four passwords and change every 2-3 months. Never ever write your passwords in documents stored on your computer.... you should rather just write them down on paper and keep it somewhere in your room. AND NEVER GIVE OUT EVEN A HINT OF YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD TO ANYONE! (yes, not even if delling/kaos promise you extra dkp for it)

Just an additional point on this, this is also why you should never give out your password to your account to other people. Because your computer may be secure but if a keylogger finds its way onto a friend's computer who logs into your account not only will they get your friend's account but yours too.

[Myogoblin]

so i shouldnt let quax chin play wow on my 98 pc anymore then?

[Kaos]

More info about the recent Keylogger craze.

http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=27653074&sid=1

[greylaw]

If you haven't read it already

We suggest for every addon user who downloaded and installed addons from other websites recently to check their computers with anti-virus software.
fura @ Thursday, September 21, 2006 - 04:06 am

The same goes for any addon you've downloaded over the past month.