#0 - Dec. 28, 2009, 11:50 a.m.
1) Don't use the same email address for everything, having a "fake email" you use when you register for forums or other things is a good idea... email addresses are free without limit these days, gmail is your friend.
2) Don't use "stupid" passwords... "PAssWoRD" is not "secure"
3) Don't use passwords that are "related to your life," Your birthday, your zipcode, your sweethearts name, none of these are good ideas to incorporate into your passwords
4) Don't use passwords that are related to your screen names or emails, If your email is "[email protected]" using the pswword "lulzbustersword" is probably not a smart idea
5) Don't use your email/account name as your characters name in game, or at least spell it differently... this one is fairly obvious
6) DO NOT LOG INTO YOUR ACCOUNTS OF ANY KIND FROM COMPUTERS YOU DO NOT TRUST... ie: campus computers for your school.. your friends laptop, etc
7) DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR ACCT NAME OR PW OF ANY KIND TO ANY FRIEND FOR ANY REASON... simple enough, I don't need to explain this one.
Thats it for the "stupid checks" .....
Now as for basic computer skills
1) IE is not safe... its crap... don't use it. Use Mozilla firefox or Google Chrome, both are good browsers
2) Install ad block plus (with firefox) and w/e similar addon Chrome uses... this limits out lots of potential weaknesses to viruses in your browsing
3) Install "no-script" (with firefox) or w/e similar addon Chrome uses... this further limits weaknesses in your browser by preventing anything taht you don't SPECIFICALLY allow from running scripts that can contain malicious coding (IE: KEYLOGGERS)
4) Don't browse sites you don't trust... if someone links something on the forums, don't just copy and paste it like a tard, read the name of the link... its "PHOTOBUCKET" not "PHOTOPUCKET" Pay attention to where you're going
5) Install maleware bytes and spy bot search and destroy... update them and run them regularly... and run them again anytime you view a sit you even suspect might not be totally safe (ie: hint hint PORN SITES)
Do those things, and I guarantee you won't need an authenticator... I've been playing wow for 5 years using very basic protection like this, and I have never once been "hacked" (<- pro tip, you arent being "hacked" you're being keylogged in one way or another, stop being stupid)
As for authenticators themselves... theyre a novel concept.. but you can't protect everything like that.. your email, bank account, SSN, credit card numbers... ANYTHING you type in on your computer is subject to being stolen by a keylogger because you were a tard who didnt secure their machine in any way.... sure it may be harder / impossible for them to steal your wow account, but guess waht? they very well may have your bank account if they damn well please, and you'd never know because they wouldnt have right away "hacked your wow account"
Pro tip, I'd rather lose wow shinies that the GMs can restore and be aware "hey my machine isnt secure, something happened," and know to go to a secure machine and change all my passwords.. than to sudddenly wake up one day and go "oh jee, my bank account is empty... BUT AT LEAST MY GLEAMING AZURESONG MAGE BLADE IS IN TACT"
TLDR ~ authenticators are stupid tools for stupid people
