Security concerns have been the reigning topic on Aion forums for a few weeks
now and it seems that the compromising of player accounts is not slowing down
leaving many players upset, confused, and down right pissed off.  With good
reason!  I have yet to have my own game accounts hijacked but it is
certainly something that I hold a healthy fear of and have spent a good amount
of time fortifying my own accounts and system to try to keep my virtual stuff
safe.

I realize though that not everyone is internet savvy and many fall prey to the
countless techniques that sly internet thieves use to gain access to those
things that you don't want them to have so I thought I'd share a little about
why the account "hacking" is happening and what you can do to prevent it.

First, understand that the reason more accounts are being hijacked is a direct
result of NCsoft's harsh stance on in game botting and kinah selling.  As
more bots get banned, gold sellers have to find other ways of gaining access to
large amounts of kinah quickly.  These aren't part-time hacks and they know
exactly what they are doing.  Chances are they have been harvesting account
info for months now and utilize what they can, when they can. If you've ever
played Aion, you can still be at risk even if your account is not currently
active.

These are professionals and no matter how much we may know about internet
security, they will know more. New viruses are written all the time and they
have the resources and staff to get a hold of what will work.  Anti-virus
programs are what we use to protect ourselves, but they do not work against new
or recently altered viruses.

This doesn't mean we are helpless to their tricks!  We just have to be a
little more vigilant in our efforts to protect ourselves, and certainly these
are steps that we should be taking anyway to stave off any internet crime, but
sometimes it just hits home a little bit more when we see our friends becoming
victims to these scams.

Do you have great tips for internet security? 
Share what you do to keep your system safe from attacks!


Run more than one anti-virus. I personally have three that I like and
often one will pick up things that the others missed. I have them scheduled
to run on a weekly schedule but lately, I've been running them more frequently.

Firewalls are a savior! I have software and hardware firewalls and while
they are a pain at first to work with, they offer protection that can't be beat.

Links are bad. Only click links that come from a trusted source and if it
sounds too good to be true (Megan Fox caught topless, oiled up, and in a naughty
embrace with Hayden Panettiere = too good to be true), then don't click on it. 
Adult, hack and cheat sites are big draws so they also tend to be laden with
viruses so it's often better to stick with quality and well known websites for
security purposes.

Protect your gaming accounts by being pro-active. This applies to far more
than Aion because this game is far from being the only game that comes under
this kind of attack. After you've scanned your comp a million times and
are certain it is perfectly clean, or if you use another comp or net capable
device that is not linked with any of your gaming activities, use it to change
your gaming passwords regularly and use passwords that will not be found in a
password generator. Combinations of letters and numbers in a seemingly
random format (but easy for you to remember) work the best.

Remember that even with the best security in the world, viruses can still find
their way in.  Open ports for gaming, usenet, file sharing, or other
various purposes are often exploited by attackers and can slip in unnoticed
between virus scans.  If, even with the best security in world, something
still gets in and your account is still compromised, work with NCsoft to get it
fixed.  Contact
their customer service immediately
and explain what has happened. You will
probably still be locked out of your account pending investigation, but then so
will the thief.  They will need to look over your account's logs and you
may need to make clear what has been changed or lost, but they have the tools to
make things right. 

Events like the account hijacking that we are experiencing in Aion serve as
reminders that our systems are all at risk if smart people want what we have.
Internet security is a tricky thing and it takes a lot of work, but in the end
you will rest easier knowing that you've done all you can to protect your
virtual assets and personal information.

~Savanja

Aion Site Lead

 

Dropped items will sometimes offer quests but can easily be
missed if we aren't looking for them.  Generally, the item will state in
its description that it is a quest giving item so if you get something unusual,
read to see if it has some use.  In the case of items such as the

Elyos Flame Sword
, an item could be key in

progressing a quest
that you don't yet have and may be worthwhile to hang
onto.

 

 

If you have questions, comments or suggestions for our
newsletter please feel free to drop me
an e-mail
any time!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Aion Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

Comments