Blizzard authenticator questions and what are your experiences using it?

[QuantumLo0p]

We all have stories of knowing someone who had their account hacked or have been hacked themselves. The authenticator is inexpensive, supposed to reduce the chances of being hacked and Blizz says it is cheaper for them to market authenticators cheaply because it costs them less than having to recover accounts all the time. I was thinking of using the mobile authenticator simply because it uses more digits than the fob.

However, I have heard stories of accounts getting hacked even with an authenticator. Of course then accusations fly that "MY ACCOUNT WAS HACKED BECAUSE OF THE AUTHENTICATOR!!!"

What are your experiences with the Blizz authenticator?

Do you use it only at home or do you feel brave enough to use it on friends' computers?

Do you use the Blizz fob or the iPhone/Touch mobile authenticator?

 

[SilentPanda]

I've used both the fob and the iPhone app. Currently using the iPhone app.

People got hacked with an authenticator on their account? I find that extremely hard to believe. I've heard of people getting their accounts hacked without an authenticator and then somebody placing an authenticator on their account. I suppose it might be possible if your iPhone was jailbroken and you used the application on your iPhone... maybe. But that would be the only scenario I could see it happening.

The authenticator generates a new 8 digit number ever 30 seconds I believe. So even if I gave you my login, you'd be hard pressed to guess the right 8 digit number.

If you don't have an authenticator I highly recommend it. There's nothing wrong with using it on the go and it does make your account more secure.

 

[Nermal]

I'd say to avoid it unless you need it. A friend's one went for a swim in a cup of coffee and it took him almost 2 hours on the phone to Blizzard (at a cost of about $70) to get it removed from his account. It might increase security but it can be a real nightmare if something goes wrong!

 

[eulen76]

I'd say to avoid it unless you need it. A friend's one went for a swim in a cup of coffee and it took him almost 2 hours on the phone to Blizzard (at a cost of about $70) to get it removed from his account. It might increase security but it can be a real nightmare if something goes wrong!

I use the iPhone authenticator app and haven't had any problems. When my phone crashed a few weeks ago, I was on the phone with Blizzard for maybe 10 minutes, answered some questions about my account and they removed the authenticator with no cost to me.

I can't think of a good reason NOT to use the authenticator, except one:

It takes an additional 2 seconds to login. Worth it for the security imo.