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Old 06-27-2008, 06:35 AM   #1 (permalink)
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If Blizzard can do it, why can't BofA, HSBC, WaMu, Chase, Wachovia et. al?

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View: BLIZZARD® AUTHENTICATOR OFFERS ENHANCED SECURITY FOR WORLD OF WARCRAFT® ACCOUNTS 2008 ANNOUNCED
Source: Blizzard
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BLIZZARD® AUTHENTICATOR OFFERS ENHANCED SECURITY FOR WORLD OF WARCRAFT® ACCOUNTS 2008 ANNOUNCED

BLIZZARD® AUTHENTICATOR OFFERS ENHANCED SECURITY FOR WORLD OF WARCRAFT® ACCOUNTS 2008 ANNOUNCED

Keychain token generates unique codes used to help prevent unauthorized account access

IRVINE, Calif. –- June 26, 2008 -– Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today introduced an optional extra layer of security for World of Warcraft®, its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Designed to attach to a keychain, the lightweight and waterproof Blizzard® Authenticator is an electronic device that generates a six-digit security code at the press of a button. This code is unique, valid only once, and active for a limited time; it must be provided along with the account name and password when signing in to the World of Warcraft account linked to it.
This optional security measure will be available at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational, which takes place June 28-29 in Paris, France. In addition, the Blizzard Authenticator will be made available for purchase via Blizzard's online store in the near future for a cost of $6.50.

"It's important to us that World of Warcraft offers a safe and enjoyable game environment," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "One aspect of that is helping players avoid account compromise, so we're pleased to make this additional layer of security available to them."

To learn more about the Blizzard Authenticator, please visit http://www.blizzard.com/security-token.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users. Return to the Press Release Index
I've read lots of stories about security for banking and paying online. There's lots of fraud that happens online, from paypal to World of Warcraft. If Blizzard can do this cheaply, $6.50 pricepoint for 10 Million users, why aren't the banks doing such a thing?

Many companies use SecureID fobs for their employees. It's expensive to implement and cost of ownership isn't cheap, but I don't see why a video game company can do such a thing, and yet we're being given PayPass no swipe access and under $50 no signature required as part of our security allowances.
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Old 06-27-2008, 07:47 AM   #2 (permalink)
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SecureID systems aren't THAT pricey, and there are non-RSA branded alternatives that are even cheaper. Some banks, I believe, DO offer this type of option. It isn't a bad plan. When I first heard Blizz was offering a PAID security option, I was offended. When I heard it was key fobs, I decided it was an awesome idea.
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Old 06-27-2008, 10:39 AM   #3 (permalink)
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Banks have to strike a balance between security and convenience that Blizzard doesn't have to worry about. People don't want to be inconvenienced when doing something so mundane as accessing their bank account. If they had to use a keychain fob and enter a code every time they swiped their credit card, a lot of people would just stop using the card alltogether. Whether or not this is a disadvantage is questionable when viewed from the end user's perspective, but from the bank's perspective it certainly is. Especially if that individual then uses a competitor's card instead.
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Old 06-27-2008, 10:40 AM   #4 (permalink)
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This is great. I'll be getting one. My SO will most likely be getting one as well. He had a weird thing happen a couple months ago where his password was changed--and not by him. Luckily, he caught it quickly and emailed Blizzard and they took care of it; nothing went missing from his account, and none of his information was stolen. Blizzard has actually been really good on this score--their customer service is also excellent in my experience (and some of the GMs are downright funny).

But yes, I wish other organizations had similar offerings for security.
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Old 06-27-2008, 10:48 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martian
Banks have to strike a balance between security and convenience that Blizzard doesn't have to worry about. People don't want to be inconvenienced when doing something so mundane as accessing their bank account. If they had to use a keychain fob and enter a code every time they swiped their credit card, a lot of people would just stop using the card alltogether. Whether or not this is a disadvantage is questionable when viewed from the end user's perspective, but from the bank's perspective it certainly is. Especially if that individual then uses a competitor's card instead.
I understand what you're talking about. I'm not necessarily talking about using my MC/VISA. But today in NYC I don't even have to sign for something. I can swipe the card for purchases under $50, and walk out the store with whatever was purchased. No signature required.

I am however talking about ACCESSING my bank account via the internet. It isn't smart to use a Internet cafe to access your bank account, as there may be a keylogger present. My bank HSBC actually has a mouse click keyboard as a secondary authentication to combat keyloggers. But if there was a keyfob, then there isn't any real fear of keyloggers recording and access.
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Old 06-27-2008, 10:52 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
I understand what you're talking about. I'm not necessarily talking about using my MC/VISA. But today in NYC I don't even have to sign for something. I can swipe the card for purchases under $50, and walk out the store with whatever was purchased. No signature required.

I am however talking about ACCESSING my bank account via the internet. It isn't smart to use a Internet cafe to access your bank account, as there may be a keylogger present. My bank HSBC actually has a mouse click keyboard as a secondary authentication to combat keyloggers. But if there was a keyfob, then there isn't any real fear of keyloggers recording and access.
Right, except that it's the same story again. The bank has to be as secure as possible, but also has to keep the security as transparent as possible. Online banking is your bank's best friend, because it means less branches, less tellers, etc. But if people needed a keyfob to use it, fewer people would. The bank balances the risk of keloggers with the convenience of being able to access your account from anywhere with internet access, and this is the compromise.

I don't think I'd do online banking in an internet cafe anyway, but perhaps that's just me.
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Old 06-27-2008, 11:05 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Some banks do this with business accounts. You get a little keychain thing that displays some 12 digit number that you have to enter on the site to access various functions.
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Old 06-28-2008, 03:58 AM   #8 (permalink)
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I work for one of the top 15 banks in the US and we decided it was completely too expensive, especially in today's economy. By expensive, I mean too expensive to implement.

Also, we did some market analysis, and pretty much nobody was interested in having this because it adds one more step to logging in to your account. Nobody wants to have to carry something around to be able to access their online banking.

Lastly, a good chunk of our client-base is over the age of 50, and an even larger percentage of those don't even use debit cards - still write checks. There's no convincing our Executive Management to allocate millions to this initiative whenever a massive chunk of our clients don't even use online banking.

Great idea, difficult to implement with the masses. WoW's clients are probably at least somewhat more PC-initiated than banking in general - that's the reason this works for them.
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Old 06-28-2008, 11:32 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redjake
I work for one of the top 15 banks in the US and we decided it was completely too expensive, especially in today's economy. By expensive, I mean too expensive to implement.

Also, we did some market analysis, and pretty much nobody was interested in having this because it adds one more step to logging in to your account. Nobody wants to have to carry something around to be able to access their online banking.

Lastly, a good chunk of our client-base is over the age of 50, and an even larger percentage of those don't even use debit cards - still write checks. There's no convincing our Executive Management to allocate millions to this initiative whenever a massive chunk of our clients don't even use online banking.

Great idea, difficult to implement with the masses. WoW's clients are probably at least somewhat more PC-initiated than banking in general - that's the reason this works for them.
Actually, you see that this is a cost implementation that can be offered at a reasonable cost. $6.50 for the fob... sure yes there are backend costs associated with this, but note most importantly this is OPT in for WoW.

So why not give me the option of if I would like to have additional security for my online banking?
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Old 06-28-2008, 02:43 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
Actually, you see that this is a cost implementation that can be offered at a reasonable cost. $6.50 for the fob... sure yes there are backend costs associated with this, but note most importantly this is OPT in for WoW.

So why not give me the option of if I would like to have additional security for my online banking?
If the corporation I worked for implemented every new technology that seemed like a clear winner, we'd be bankrupt or bought out in 6 months.

Most corporations don't have the flexibility to try every new technology - they have to wait things out and make sure it's the way to go. I remember our last blunder - we implemented biometric hand scanners in various branches that were located in technology-savvy markets/regions. They secured access to the safety deposit boxes. NO ONE used them. They worked perfectly, but no one would use them - it was a hassle. They want to just walk in to the safety deposit box room, do their business, and leave - having to plant their hand on a scanner to get access to the room complicated things. They would rather be less safe and secure in order to expedite their trip to the bank.

Our Board of Directors and CEO probably see items such as a key fob as money down the drain - you'd be surprised how much the back end costs affect the bottom line. Take the fact that our stock price has dropped nearly 50% in the past year because of the banking industry's overall down turn, and that's your reason why we can't do this
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Old 06-28-2008, 07:23 PM   #11 (permalink)
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HSBC has been doing this for my business account for a few years now.
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