Fri, Sep 21, 2012 | 09:18 BST

Guild Wars 2 security issues: ArenaNet issues account protection guide

Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet has been dealing with a lot of security issues lately, although it has done so with admirable transparency. Keeping the trend alive, studio hear Mike O’Brien has issued a security statement that explains breaches, and how players can protect themselves from them.

O’Brien’s post goes into known security issues within Guild Wars 2. The statement covers email authentication, two-factor authentication, database breaches, password blacklisting and much more.

It’s a comprehensive guide, and should go some way to answering questions players have been asking of the studio lately.

Meanwhile the first Guild Wars 2 expansion and free DLC updates were teased recently. Check out what ArenaNet had to say here.

Thanks Massively.

3 comments

Takeshi
21/09/12, 9:57 am

Awesome article. I am definitely going to change some of my passwords at a few places. Greatly informative. I am definitely one of the people who have been using some passwords for everything for years. Although of course, not for the very important stuff.

Will definitely take advantage of their upcoming security incentives.

TheWulf
21/09/12, 6:14 pm

That’s a damn good article. It’s honest, straight up, and it treats people with respect whilst confronting them with the reality of things.

See… this is exactly what I mean when I said elsewhere that ArenaNet knows that two of the top rules when dealing with your customers is that you don’t treat them cynically, you treat them with dignity (not like walking wallets), and with respect. They’ve been garnering a lot of good will by doing just that.

My favourite developers have always done this. Cryptic, for as much slack as the yobs give ‘em, has always been just as transparent. The devs talked openly on the forums about game design. From Tumerboy I learned more about MMORPG design than I ever could have, otherwise. He was completely candid and hid nothing.

This is what I want from a developer. It’s nice to have developers which have a few thick skinned members who can actually hang around a forum and talk to people, or who’re willing to just come forth and talk to people like this. You wouldn’t see something like this from Blizzard or SOE. I’d expect it from Cryptic, yeah. But few others.

I like this. More of this. If MMORPG developers are wondering how one might win my favour – this is it. Don’t be so damn cynical.

Kalain
21/09/12, 6:24 pm

Obvious article about protecting your account is, indeed Obvious.

Plus, why wasn’t a 2-tier authentication already available if they knew they would have users who would lose their accounts?

Hindsight is wonderful..