Battle.net Authenticator Change (I lol'd)

[MiRai]

If it wasn't about the money then they'd give out authenticators for free. Just think about it...

I'm sure they're raking in the cash from these authenticator sales...

While I am a strong believer in authenticators- this solution does nothing to stop keyloggers and hackers. Most people who are hacked don't OWN an authenticator. They get hacked then the hacker puts one on their account. How is this exactly helping the situation at all?

...what? How many more accounts would be compromised if they didn't have authenticators attached to them? We have no way of figuring out that number, but I'm sure the that number would be pretty high. How many people don't run an A/V program but use an authenticator, I am guessing a lot of people fall into that category. In fact, there was a long time where I didn't run an A/V program but used an authenticator. Did I have a keylogger on my system? I may have, I have no idea. Did the authenticator still help? Whether it did or it didn't, I sure did sleep a lot better at night knowing my shit would still be there the next day, and it always was.

Looks like Blizz wants in on some of that hacker gold selling cash. The solution- make the hackers buy lots of authenticators- and they will... Because once again the people being hacked don't own authenticators.

Like I said in the beginning authenticators should be free. They probably cost less than a dollar to make and a dollar to mail. That should be covered in our subscription fees. If they were upfront they'd sent out an authenticator to every active WOW account, include an authenticator in every box and expansion.

Yes, I can see it now... almost as if I was at that particular meeting with the Blizzard staff, dressed in their suits of one hundred dollar bills, when they realized their original design flaw and thought, "We could make sooooooo much money off of the hackers who are using a single authenticator by making this change and forcing them to purchase multiple ones."

When in reality...

The hackers themselves, will just detach the authenticator when they're done with the account giving them the ability to re-attach it to the next account. And if they don't detach it themselves, when Blizzard unattaches the authenticator and restores the account for the owner that authenticator is now able to be used once again. Will the hackers have to purchase a few more authenticators? Sure. Will it make Blizzard rich beyond their wildest dreams? No. The only way Blizzard would make a little bit more money from this change, is if they decided to actually black list the authenticator serial numbers truly forcing the hackers to purchase authenticators in mass quantities.

[Fat Tire]

I dont believe this is a money making move by blizz, and god knows how I hate the vanity shit they pedal like a crack dealer on a corner. However, they will still make money off of the change.

Hackers will always adapt and prevail no matter the security measures of blizzard. Time is money, even in a virtual world. Furthermore, hacking accounts is a no risk venture, its no wonder its a booming business.

Blizzard alone sets the price of gold and accounts. I am sure anyone who has bought and sold accounts or gold knows of what I speak.

Blizzard could stop the hacking so easily by not placing artificial prices on gold/items or accounts(achievements). Again time is money, even in a virtual world.

[Souca]

I'm sure they're raking in the cash from these authenticator sales...

I think jinkobi was saying that they are cheap enough that they should be included with the game purchase, not that Blizzard is trying to profit from them. FF14 gave you one in the Collector's Edition, would be nice if Blizz did the same. The tricky part is that Blizzard has very little control over the cost of them, since a third party makes them. Even if they only cost $1, Vassco can still charge Blizzard $6 for them.

- Souca -