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Old Sep 02, 2007, 02:36 AM // 02:36   #1
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I just had 2 of my accounts stolen. at about 6:30PM Est, i was on account number 2 and when i went to my guild hall, i spotted my other account show up and immediately dissappear. when i went to log onto that account, i was told i had an invalid password. I went and changed the password via the playNC website to something different and was able to log onto my account, but 5 characters had their armor all salvaged(obsidian sets as well as several ascended sets) and thier inventories emptied. I sent a ticket to arenanet and did not recieve a reply, so i went and changed both passwords on my two accounts, as well as my playNC master password. and sent another Ticket to let them know what i did. i also moved items off my accounts in case they got back in, and they are being help by close freinds for me, which i found to be a very smart move, since at about 8PM Est, when i tried to log onto my accounts again with the NEW password, the same invalid password message appeared. but this time when i went to the PlayNC website to reset the password, my playNC master psasword also didnt work, and is most likely changed. ive updated my ticket several times, each reflecting one of these events. and still havent received any reply. Guild members have been keeping an eye on my accounts for me while letting me know whats going on through Vent. the hacker has systematically went thru all my characters, and would log on and immediately set to offline. I have done full system scans with AVG and Symantec and they have both turned up nothing. I dont use any third party programs and dont share my information. I just purchased GW:EN off the online store on friday morning/thursday night on both accounts, and have this happen a day later... both accounts have all campaigns and updates, as well as many character slots on my main account. so this is a very expensive and serious THEFT, and hope that arenanet treats it like that.

hopefully someone here can share some insight as to what might be done, or if anything is possible.
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 02:50 AM // 02:50   #2
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Well if you are telling the turth and you don't use 3rd paty programmes, or given your information out in a public manner, then it could be the online store.


Personally I would triple check your own PC first since you reset the past words, and your playNC password, And stilll got hacked.

Just keep at support, remain civil and understand it could take alittle time. The need to investigate the matter, but also they have lives too. So hang in there.
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 03:28 AM // 03:28   #3
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just an update on my situation. My email account has also just got its password changed by the person hacking me, and has locked me out. its a Gmail account, and they dont let me use the secret question/answer until the account has been inactive for 5 days. this explains how they may have gotten my passwords after i changed them, because i beleive that you recieve an email confirming your new password after changing it. im now unable to access my email, both guild wars accounts, or my PlayNC master account. this seems to be getting worse... if they have my email account, there is alot of personal information on there such as my online billing and banking. i have called in and had my credit cards cancelled just in case. the strange thing is, my email and guild wars passwords were not the same, and my PlayNC password was also different. ive done multiple full system scans now, with several different antivirus programs and they all turn up nothing. I cant find any keyloggers, so it may not be that, but it also might be something undetectable. like most people in my situation(guild wars addicts) i really want my accounts back lol. a 27 month old account, and a 25 month old account, all 4 campaigns n many character slots. 20 on account one n 11 on account two. after spending that much money on it, i seriously hope that arenanet is able to do something, or at least investigate the matter to let me know whats going to happen. my accounts were the guild leader and officer on my accounts, and i had actually assigned someone else to be leader and had them demote both my accounts as a safety precaution. but both accounts are still on the roster and were just watching them for activity. last logged on 1 hour ago for both...
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 03:36 AM // 03:36   #4
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Well,i suggest u to re-install the system ,some trojans are hard to be detected
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 03:56 AM // 03:56   #5
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Ever heard of the word 'Paragraphs'?
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 04:01 AM // 04:01   #6
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Sorry to hear it. That is really low


Have you tried any of the online free scans? (the reputable ones)
http://www.eset.com/onlinescan/index.php
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeuse...ns/activescan/
http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

I would be gutted to lose all that GW history and hard work (and I havent played since Feb, but still would be mighty upset)

Hope you get some joy.
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 05:46 AM // 05:46   #7
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after trying all those, i still came clean on the full scans. although i was told by a guildy that some custom made keyloggers may not show up on alot of scans because they arent in the databases, and that may be the case here.
although several of the scanners were not compatible because im using Vista x64.

Im going to wait until i get a solid response from anet before i do anything, but if the account is not retreivable from the hackers, i have the option of having both accounts permanently banned by doing a chargeback on the visa card i made the purchases of the expansion packs n a few character slots. i dont want to resort to that now in case theres a chance i can get the account back, which im hoping.

and sorry about the lack of paragraphs in my msgs, im sort of in a panic n didnt take the time to format it at all.
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 06:51 AM // 06:51   #8
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You WILL get the accounts back if you still have the cdkeys (the physical card that it's on). ANet will ask you to fax/mail a photocopy to them.

I know because that's what I had to do
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 06:54 AM // 06:54   #9
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True, I had to send my keys in as well to be able to get in to my master account. Will he any of his items/armor back though?
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 08:26 AM // 08:26   #10
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well, that sucks for you. its kinda your fault though. always keep a clean system. sorry
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 09:00 AM // 09:00   #11
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I know you've scanned with various virus scanners, but have you tried any spyware scanners? If you haven't, I'd suggest trying to d/l a few of the free version's, updating them and running them. such as:

Lavasoft Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoft.com/
Spybot Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/
Spyware Doctor - http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/ (detection only, won't remove)
Windows Defender - www.microsoft.com (just search for it on their site)

Sorry I don't know if those work on Vista x64 though ;/

I'd suggest that if you can update them and then run them in safe mode, they would have a better chance of finding and removing spyware from your system. Same with your anti-virus - if you can run them in safe mode while not connected to the internet, things will be better.

Unfortunately what your guildie told you is correct - many custome made keyloggers either can;t be detected, or won't be detected for a time after being released. This is because spyware scanners check vs a "known" database of spyware.. anything not on that list isn't detected. This is why anti-spyware programs are being updated regularly - as companies detect new spyware and work out how to detect and remove them, they need to update their databases so ppl using their programs are then protected against them.

Also, as long as you can prove you purchased the accounts you'll be able to get access back. What you'll need is:

- any receipts of the products (ie proof of purchase)
- your cd-key's
- be able to show the card/book/paper that the cd-key came on
- be able to prove who you are (ie driver's license, bank statements, passport, etc)

When I had some issue with needing to get a password for my plaync account I scanned images of my receipts for all GW products I had (deposit slips & payment slips) as well as scans of the faction's & nightfall cards that the cd-key's were on (both front and back), as well as scans of my diver's license (proof of my identity).. and with that they then gave me the plaync password.

Pro Border Crosser - chances are he won't get refunded anything. It's possible he might be able to get a character re-created if it got deleted, but I'm not really sure about even that. It is a bugger though ;/

in the end, if you can't detect any spyware/keyloggers/malware with any spyware/virus scanners you will likely have to format your HD and re-install windows. A full clean install is nasty and yucky, but should clean out any infection of your system.
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 11:31 AM // 11:31   #12
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The other possibility is if you use the same password for both gmail and forums you register to, and signed up to a bad forum...
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Old Sep 02, 2007, 12:59 PM // 12:59   #13
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thank you for the replies. I have to wait until plaync responds to my ticket, but im really glad i kept my old GW boxes now, since i think i have all my old CD keys in them, and i have the credit cards that the exp packs n char slots were purchased on. i know that they were able to salvage most of my armor while i was still able to get on my account, and after i completely lost access to the accounts they went thru the rest of my characters, so they all probably lost all their armor and weapons as well. i was hoping that there would be a way for them to do an account rollback or something, to reverse what was done after the hacker first got on. im sure they have records of when the passwords were changed, so they might be able to revert back to before the changes?
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 02:03 PM // 14:03   #14
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Just an update on whats happening. Gmail was pretty quick in restoring my access to my email accounts, so now i am able to get back into them. The IP addresses from which the passwords were reset were sent to me via email, so now i have the IP address of the person that stole my account, but there isnt much i can do until i get a response from PlayNC... I've been updating my question with more information whenever i was able to find something new, but no solid response from them as to what will be happening yet. I've given them all my info (address, personal info related to the account, last digits of all credit cards used to purchase online, 25 Digit Access keys, Unnique account IDs) and my IP address as well as the hackers IP address.

I was able to trace the IP of the hacker to NY, which i think should be proof that the account doesnt belong to them (the address on the account is in Toronto, Canada) and my IP traces back to toronto, so ANet shouldnt have much trouble figuring out which one i am.

With all the information i've given them so far, the only response i've been able to get is that they need to verify that the account is mine... so im pretty pissed off that they dont seem to be doing much.
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 03:01 PM // 15:01   #15
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Remember, it has been a long weekend, I'm sure they only had a skeletal staff in general support over the weekend.
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 03:27 PM // 15:27   #16
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Same thing just happened to me. I logged on last week and for some reason I was in the Temple of Ages - International district. Checked my xunlai chest and found that everything was gone. 130plat + probably another 70plat in stuff. Luckily my plaync and gw passwords are different and I hadn't logged onto plaync on this computer, so they couldn't steal my account. I formated my computer, got on my laptop and started changing passwords (took 3 hours).

I emailed support and they said they do not replace stolen items. Luckily again for me they perp didn't take any of my equipped items/armor and nothing from my heroes either. So I mostly just had a few weapons in storage, quite a few minipets, (A few of which were already customized in HoM, lol). I also had a lvl 11 that they didn't even bother with. I'm now going to store my important stuff and most of my money on the lower level characters.

EDIT: This is the note they sent me about my account.

Quote:
Dealing with a hacked account is terribly frustrating, and can leave a victim with a feeling of sincere vulnerability and loss. We have constructed this document to help players get through this situation, as well as to empower you to take action on the individual(s) responsible.

Please understand that NCsoft only considers a "hacked" account to be the unauthorized access of an account resulting from the criminal act of distributing and propagating a keylogger, Trojan, or other computer virus. We do not recognize a "hacked" account to be the theft of items resulting from any sort of account sharing, trading, or selling. Please remember that the integrity, security and interactions of characters on an account are the sole responsibility of the account owner, and not NCsoft's. Additionally, we do not return any items that are missing as a result of hacked/stolen accounts or having been accessed by another person. Owners are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their password and security of their account at all times.

The act of writing and distributing malicious code is a criminal act, one that the police will often investigate. A victim will need to contact their local authorities in order to report this activity. Because the actual crime was committed on the user's system, and not a system owned by NCsoft, we cannot file such the report on behalf of the user.

During the investigation, police will likely need to contact us with a subpoena request to identify and track down the perpetrators. This can be done by writing or faxing NCsoft at the contact below:

NC Interactive, Inc.
Account Administration Department
6801 North Capitol of Texas Highway
Austin, Texas 78731

Fax Number: 512-498-4099

Once we receive this information, we will then proceed to review the account history and pursue the individuals responsible. If there are any additional questions or concerns, or if there is anything else that we may be able to assist with, please let us know and we will help as soon as possible.

Last edited by Sparticuz; Sep 04, 2007 at 03:33 PM // 15:33..
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 03:30 PM // 15:30   #17
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+1 on kamatsu's suggestions of Spyware Scanners. Spyware is different that virus activity, so isn't picked up by the majority of A/V products.

Lavasoft's Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy are AWESOME products. SCAN your system now. If you haven't already they probably have your new gmail password already. Scan it, clean it, change your gmail p/w again!
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 03:44 PM // 15:44   #18
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This sucks, but you prob have a keylogger. No amount of scanning is gonna pick it up as most don't really act like Viruses or spyware. Otherwise your work computer would most likely set them off evertime you run a scan.

You need to reformat. Contact everyone you regularly contact with a password and attempt to change them AFTER you reformat or use another computer. Don't save stuff at this point cause you might save the keylogger.

Most likely they were after your Guild wars account and attached to you by going somewhere to look at something or downloading some form of a attachment. Its not always illegal 3rd party software that is going to get you a keylogger they can be hidden pretty well now.

Hope you Kept the hard copy of your codes and goodluck with your equipment.
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 03:45 PM // 15:45   #19
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Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by VPRiceBoi
With all the information i've given them so far, the only response i've been able to get is that they need to verify that the account is mine... so im pretty pissed off that they dont seem to be doing much.
2 things

they cant restore lost items even for top employees so you will get back an empty account as the hacker is a vandel noy just a thief

NOTE THIS EVERYBODY

people say i am a paranoid security freak but i caught a keylogger that both spyware doctor and spysweeper missed

it was caught by the zone alarm firewall blocking it on an OUTGOING attempt

it showed exactly where it was in the registry so i removed it.

google said it was a varient of another keylogger that would give full access to everything on my hd

this is scarey
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Old Sep 04, 2007, 03:55 PM // 15:55   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loviatar

NOTE THIS EVERYBODY

people say i am a paranoid security freak but i caught a keylogger that both spyware doctor and spysweeper missed

it was caught by the zone alarm firewall blocking it on an OUTGOING attempt

it showed exactly where it was in the registry so i removed it.

google said it was a varient of another keylogger that would give full access to everything on my hd

this is scarey
Like I said previously, Keyloggers are coded to be overlooked by spyware and Virus software because they are not Spyware or Viruses. They are often used and developed by companies to track their employees on the internet. People have taken them and used them as a type of virus.

Your advise is good, Nothing goes out of my computer without me allowing it. It makes somethings annoying, esp after a format and I need to set up my normal day to day uses for my firewall, but it is well worth it.

inn this case he need to reformat and follow up on this. Your guild wars account, while important right now, is not the only thing in jeopardy. This programs are often used to Steal your identity. And if you are like me and use online Banking you can be in real trouble.
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