my Blizzard Authenticator arrived

[frankz]

My Authenticator showed up yesterday, via first class mail, from VGames in Fresno, CA.
small brown padded envelope a bit smaller than the size of a video tape, 59 cents postage on it.
Still no idea why some people got charged for shipping and some of us didn't.

Very easy to install on your account, very easy to use.
Login to your account management page from the Wow website, click on Add Authenticator, type in the serial number from the back of the keyfob, you're done.
Login to account management page or game, starts the same as it always has:
2 boxes, enter login name and password. but now a second page will open with only 1 entry box, for Authenticator code.
Push button on keyfob, type in that 6 digit code, enter, done.
Just like entering a second password.

The display on the keyfob only stays on for about 10 seconds, showing the code. I think the code is only good for 30 seconds, because I can only get the same code 2 or 3 times in a row, if I push the button again right after the display goes off from the previous one.

And it really is only the size of a car alarm remote.

The only downside to it that I've noticed is that it's not used to login to the Blizz forums, so I guess we have to continue seeing keylogger posts, at least until enough people use an authenticator to make account hacking no longer profitable and leave no reason for hackers to post in forums.

[Aerath]

Seems like an extremely nice thing - I'll grab a hold of one shortly when they're back up in EU.

[WatcherZero]

According to the Faq the code works for 60 seconds before or after its been generated to allow for the clock inside the authenticator to desync a little over time.

[Moo Cow]

And what exactly does it do? I read a little FAQ but it didn't really explain much to me...

[clevins]

These devices have been around for awhile. I used one at a company I worked for 10 years ago. They generate a key that's matched on the server side... if you don't have the key from the card, you can't access the server. Great idea... but don't every forget it if you travel and want to play etc.

Any information one what you do if you lose the Authenticator?

[Aerath]

You can get a new one from Blizzard through account assistance thingy.

[clevins]

Yeah, sounds reasonable. But of course you're locked out of WoW until it arrives... and if it happens during summer... you'd have to, um, go outside! aiieeee

[frankz]

You can remove it from your account with that same phone call.
Then you're good to go till you get a replacement, or get home and find yours, whatever. Then add it back to your account.

If all you did was leave it at home and there is someone else at home, then you can get them on the phone when you want to login and they can push the button on it and read the 6 digit number to you as you type it in.

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

Yeah, sounds reasonable. But of course you're locked out of WoW until it arrives... and if it happens during summer... you'd have to, um, go outside! aiieeee

Actually, according to what I read, if you lose one and contact the billing & account services, Blizzard will make your account no longer attached to the authenticator, and then when the new one arrives, you bind your account to the new one.

Besides, it would be a security violation to have the account bound to an authenticator that the owner lost.

[clevins]

doh! yes, of course you're right... Though it wouldn't be a real security risk unless someone put their account ID and password on the card.

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

doh! yes, of course you're right... Though it wouldn't be a real security risk unless someone put their account ID and password on the card.

While true, it would be an even bigger risk if the account was given another authenticator which generated the same sequence of numbers. It really is just far simpler to send a new authenticator, and separate the account from the original authenticator.

Besides, the odds are really high that a friend or someone the person who loses the authenticator might have snatched it. So changing the account password I'd expect is also part of making the account no longer keyed from the authenticator... and it would be done kind of quickly... or else the person who lost it might go for weeks or so before getting the new authenticator, binding it to the account, and then finding, much to his or her dismay, that all of his/her characters are deleted, everything sold or sharded...

[Miramis]

I cant find any information about this on the official site for EU.. anyone able to
link me in the right direction please?

[Your Average WoW Player]

And what exactly does it do? I read a little FAQ but it didn't really explain much to me...

In short, the device adds an extra layer of very strong security to your account. In order for the hax0rz to get into an account with an Authenticator, they would practically have to break into your house and steal the device.

This (http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=4672769224&sid=1) is an extremely good post on how exactly the Authenticator works.

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

These devices tend to use the freely-known RSA algorithm, which is more or less the "industry standard" algorithm for encryption. Whenever you do online banking, or really anything which needs security on the web, sites tend to switch to the "https://" protocol, rather than just "http://" -- that last "s" is for "security", which uses what's called the Secure Sockets Layer, and utilizes the RSA algorithm to generate strong encryption. Another possibility is AES, which is yet another secure algorithm that has gained significant popularity.

[Clavina]

I cant find any information about this on the official site for EU.. anyone able to
link me in the right direction please?

Log into your account management page and scroll to the bottom. The second to last option is the authenticator option with FAQ.

[Miramis]

Log into your account management page and scroll to the bottom. The second to last option is the authenticator option with FAQ.
Thank you kindly :)