My account has been hacked --> locked

I don't know if anybody has experimented this but yesterday i received the following e-mail from Blizzard (I've already verified the source and acted properly):

Battle.net Account Locked - Action Required

Due to suspicious activity, the Battle.net account [my account name] has been locked. To restore access to this account, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Secure Your Computer

In the event that your computer has been infected with malicious software such as a keylogger or trojan, simply changing your password may not deter future attacks without first ensuring that your computer is free from these programs. Please visit our Account Security website to learn how to secure your computer from unauthorized access.

Step 2: Secure Your E-mail Account

After you have secured your computer, please create a new password for your e-mail account since it may also be compromised. Be sure to check your e-mail filters and rules and look for any e-mail forwarding rules that you did not create. For more information on securing your e-mail account, visit this Support page.

Step 3: Choose a New Password

You must change your password in order to resume using this Battle.net account. Please click this link to choose a new password:

(...)

*Note that your former password no longer grants access to Battle.net account management, World of Warcraft, or any other login-protected Battle.net account service.

If you still have questions or concerns after following the steps above, feel free to contact Customer Support at https://eu.blizzard.com/support/webf...l?locale=en_GB.

Sincerely,
The Battle.net Account Team
Online Privacy Policy

Has anybody received this too?

You are absolutely sure that it was a legit email? There are huge numbers of scam emails that try to get you to type any kind of info into a fake site.

well, if it's really locked - then it's blizzard. Otherwise it's scam. I receive similair emails about WoW (though I quit long time ago) almost everyday. So be careful.

Pro-tip for clicking a link: check what the real address is before clicking on a link on the bottom of your window:

http://www.blizzard.com

If the link is legit and there is nothing linking to other sites or asking for any personal details then it probably is from Blizzard.

Also note that the email address can be faked as well, so if you get an email it can say its from blizzard but actually be from some random hotmail account.

the best way to be sure is try logging in. if it works its a scam. also i always check the headers in the email and its usually some lame ass hotmail idiot trying to get your account.

yep try logging online in the actual game. I get like 5 of these emails a day pretty much, all scams =/

1. Try logging in. If you are locked, it will let you know that you have a banned account.
2. If your account really is banned, the SAFEST and most productive method is the following, call Blizzard and prepare 2 hours.. expect a LONG wait and plan ahead for it so you don't get it cut in the middle.
3. I don't know if the methods have changed over time, but also be prepared to drive to the nearest government building and get a notarized copy of your personal ID. It's a very easy/very cheap method for Blizzard to KNOW that you are indeed you.
4. Hope that your account information matches your Account ID you'll send to them.

Well, I didn't use the link provided by the e-mail.

But since I have tried to log in on battle.net and failed to do so (received the same sort of message on screen), I proceeded as suggested in the e-mail.

1) I changed my e-mail password...just in case, I usually change it once per month...I'm a bit paranoid :)

2) I went on battle.net and chose a new password answering my secret question (the only real alternative is to do what gifted wrote, as the web-site says.)

Now I'm able to connect to battle.net.

The weird thing is that I've received spam e-mails of this type for months but this one was the only not blocked my Yahoo anti-spam filter (one of the best IMHO) so I get upset.

So, beware. There are actually people hacking accounts out there, I suppose :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blackholexan

Well, I didn't use the link provided by the e-mail.

But since I have tried to log in on battle.net and failed to do so (received the same sort of message on screen), I proceeded as suggested in the e-mail.

1) I changed my e-mail password...just in case, I usually change it once per month...I'm a bit paranoid :)

2) I went on battle.net and chose a new password answering my secret question (the only real alternative is to do what gifted wrote, as the web-site says.)

Now I'm able to connect to battle.net.

The weird thing is that I've received spam e-mails of this type for months but this one was the only not blocked my Yahoo anti-spam filter (one of the best IMHO) so I get upset.

So, beware. There are actually people hacking accounts out there, I suppose :(

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well, it's a good thing it's working then...
and there will only be more blood from their guts should they try to enter my personal data...
...only more blood...

I agree with all the advice here and second it. I have had similar issues with paypal and careerbuilder. The paypal duplicate/scam site I picked off immediately when I noticed several small details did not load or were the wrong color/shape/size. The careerbuilder scam was a harder nut to crack. It was an e-mail with an announcement of a service change that never happened. I wound up with a trojan horse containing a very malicious virus, which I stopped very quickly and kept from infecting my computer. It was disguised as antivirus software called Antivirus 7. Good luck!

I keep getting e-mails about my WoW account.

Funny, since I've never played WoW.

sorry to give it to you hard kid, but you've been scammed.
its a scam link, its it obvious? Your PC is probably running with tons of viruses.

Get zonealarm free and avast free for the best protection.

If you have the money i suggest zonealarm internet security extreme as it has the best spam email protection and with numerous email programs.

sorry buddy, next time be more intelligent!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dustinbrowder

sorry buddy, next time be more intelligent!

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That was what Sarge should had said to Lester...
Or what Raynor, Mengsk and Fenix should had known...

BackOnTopic: Gifted's simple steps were all you needed to be sure. You were fortunate nothing more serious happened, but hell. Whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...stranger.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dustinbrowder

sorry to give it to you hard kid, but you've been scammed.
its a scam link, its it obvious? Your PC is probably running with tons of viruses.

Get zonealarm free and avast free for the best protection.

If you have the money i suggest zonealarm internet security extreme as it has the best spam email protection and with numerous email programs.

sorry buddy, next time be more intelligent!

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How could it be a scam?

I went on battle.net and tried to log in. I couldn't and the website told me my account had been locked.

I then tried to log in with the game: same message.

So...from what do you possibly see that as scam?

I didn't use the links provided to me by the e-mail.

Furthermore ZoneAlarm is possibly the most intrusive and useless firewall I have ever used. Avast is a very good AntiVirus instead.

Yesterday I remembered a small detail I had forgotten: on Saturday night when I was playing SC2 with 2 friends Avast cut my connection for "anormal activity" through the port used by SC2...what a stupid I was not to give credit to my AV... :(

Quote:

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How could it be a scam?

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Very simple. Blizzard doesn't email stuff like this. Think about it for a moment...why would blizzard be monitoring *your* account for "suspicious activity"?

Do you think blizzard is going to log every single IP address login attempt AND monitor them simultaneously? (they do log, but i guarantee they don't monitor) Furthermore, what sort of "suspicious activity" could blizzard POSSIBLY monitor among the millions of people playing, on your specific account?


Not only that, but the email you've paraphrased in your opening post is almost identical to the garbage i get in my inbox EVERY DAY. Here's a perfect example:

Quote:

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Due to suspicious activity, your Battle.net account has been locked. To restore access to this account, please follow these steps:
Step 1: Secure Your Computer
In the event that your computer has been infected with malicious software such as a keylogger or trojan, simply changing your password may not deter future attacks without first ensuring that your computer is free from these programs. Please visit our Account Security website to learn how to secure your computer from unauthorized access.
Step 2: Secure Your E-mail Account
After you have secured your computer, please create a new password for your e-mail account since it may also be compromised. Be sure to check your e-mail filters and rules and look for any e-mail forwarding rules that you did not create. For more information on securing your e-mail account, visit this Support page.
Step 3: Log in your Account
You must Log in your Battle.net account. Please click this link:
https://us.battle.net/account/suppor...B050D9A7063A0A
If you still have questions or concerns after following the steps above, feel free to contact Customer Support at http://us.blizzard.com/support/artic...rticleId=20606.
Sincerely,
The Battle.net Account Team
Online Privacy Policy

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However, the actual link is just text, and if you were to click on the link provided in the email, you'd actually be relocated to an entirely different address (Which i will not post here, since that particular address hosts a keylogger)







If you want to be for sure, and aren't just jerking someone's leg, then post the full headers from the email, along with the email its self so we can see the link that they have you click on.


Also - when your account gets hacked and you try to login, you do get a "account blocked" message, but it doesn't ask you to go change your password.

Get malwarebytes from malwarebytes.org, do a full scan, and purge your system of viruses.

So either you're scared that your account is in danger, and didn't really login to verify and thus are making this all up...or you are the sole exception to every rule in the Blizzard Customer Relations handbook.


My guess is you have a keylogger and my followup guess is they now have your email address password as well, and it's just a matter of time.

There's actually HTML scripts where WoW users commonly left open, then alt tabbed to log into their WoW accounts. The website still running in the back ground - key logs everything - resulting in a stolen account.

Now I know your account was locked upon login attempt, but just keep this in mind for the future.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ender

If you want to be for sure, and aren't just jerking someone's leg, then post the full headers from the email, along with the email its self so we can see the link that they have you click on.

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I'll do it right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ender

Also - when your account gets hacked and you try to login, you do get a "account blocked" message, but it doesn't ask you to go change your password.

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The fact is I couldn't log in on battle.net or play SC2 on Monday night (I hadn't still checked my e-mail at that time...)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ender

Get malwarebytes from malwarebytes.org, do a full scan, and purge your system of viruses.

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I'll do it right now and hope you're wrong.

The e-mail as I received, I just took out my e-mail account name (sorry for some Italian words in it).

Battle.net Account Locked - Action Required Lunedì 6 settembre 2010, 09:57

Da: "noreplyeu@blizzard.com" <noreplyeu@blizzard.com>
A: [my e-mail account]

Due to suspicious activity, the Battle.net account [my e-mail account] has been locked. To restore access to this account, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Secure Your Computer

In the event that your computer has been infected with malicious software such as a keylogger or trojan, simply changing your password may not deter future attacks without first ensuring that your computer is free from these programs. Please visit our Account Security website to learn how to secure your computer from unauthorized access.

Step 2: Secure Your E-mail Account

After you have secured your computer, please create a new password for your e-mail account since it may also be compromised. Be sure to check your e-mail filters and rules and look for any e-mail forwarding rules that you did not create. For more information on securing your e-mail account, visit this Support page.

Step 3: Choose a New Password

You must change your password in order to resume using this Battle.net account. Please click this link to choose a new password:

https://eu.battle.net/account/suppor...7146D1D3A19A1A

*Note that your former password no longer grants access to Battle.net account management, World of Warcraft, or any other login-protected Battle.net account service.

If you still have questions or concerns after following the steps above, feel free to contact Customer Support at https://eu.blizzard.com/support/webf...l?locale=en_GB.

Sincerely,
The Battle.net Account Team
Online Privacy Policy

I hope this can help somebody else too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ender

Get malwarebytes from malwarebytes.org, do a full scan, and purge your system of viruses.

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I got it and ran on my laptop, my PC and my computer at work. No suspicious malware found. (I can post the 3 logs if it can help).

Basically I did the following (please explain to me what I did wrong):

Monday evening (home): I couldn't log in on SC2. I blame my poor connection for that.

Tuesday morning (office): I check my e-mail account and receive the "strange" e-mail (please note that I received tons of similar e-mais but all of them were blocked by Yahoo spam filter).
Tuesday afternoon (office): I tried to log in to battle.net and I couldn't (account locked message).
Tuesday afternoon (home): I tried to log in to battle.net and I couldn't (account locked message). I changed my battle.net password (providing my Italian Identity Card number) and succeded.

Wednesday morning (office): I opened the thread.
Wednesday night (home): I scan my laptop and PC with the program you suggested to me [thanks for that] and found nothing. I changed my e-mail, Messenger and sclegacy passwords again just in case.

Thursday (morning, 1 hour ago): I scan office PC and found nothing.

This afternoon I'm going to send an e-mail to battle.net support to report all that it happened to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DemolitionSquid

I keep getting e-mails about my WoW account.

Funny, since I've never played WoW.

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And yet you constantly talk about how shitty it is.