Be Excellent To Each Other :: View topic - XBL / EA servers compromised ?

Yeah, it is. It's non-simple though.

WTB wrote:

Also gonna change my Live ID to a different email address and get shot of my old Hotmail for good.

Is that possible now? It used to be, then it stopped being possible last time I tried it (a couple of years ago).

Regardless, there's nothing stopping you having two Live IDs I suppose.

A few posts about the 'non' hack

However I cannot delete this as it says it is still linked to my gold membership (despite being purchased via a pre paid card) and i am now going through the fun of recovering my profile.
Is there any way to remove this , as i'm not reading 3 pages (well, i did, but i can't see an answer) and i trust BEEX far above any other source of info....

Download them to another console and play them off there - but then you can't play those games when the original account isn't signed in and online, so when the gamertag is recovered, what is the point?

zaphod79 wrote:

A few posts about the 'non' hack

But to get hold of so many player's details they'd have to run these 'scams' for an awful long time. But as I understand it this story has only just exploded today. So, did they 'phish' and 'befriend' the information out of hundreds or thousands of gamers and then simultaneously defraud them all at the same time? Or has this been going on for ages and the story has just come to light at the same time as Myp's problems by nothing more than a coincidence of timing?

Er. The email didn't say "6k Points purchase failure! Click live.xbox.com.filthy.spammer.ru?your_email to find out more!" did it?

But to get hold of so many player's details they'd have to run these 'scams' for an awful long time. But as I understand it this story has only just exploded today.

So, did they 'phish' and 'befriend' the information out of hundreds or thousands of gamers and then simultaneously defraud them all at the same time? Or has this been going on for ages and the story has just come to light at the same time as Myp's problems by nothing more than a coincidence of timing?

And yes, what exactly IS the point of this scam? To buy points, spend points, then what? Download them to another console and play them off there - but then you can't play those games when the original account isn't signed in and online, so when the gamertag is recovered, what is the point?

Doc G: can you not use your contacts at tuaw to probe a bit deeper into this?

myp it wrote:

Doc G: can you not use your contacts at tuaw to probe a bit deeper into this?

TUAW? Not really, no, there's not much overlap between my (feeble) list of contacts and the Xbox Live world.

What about during the RichardGaywood gamertag hooha? No insider sources at Microsoft? Shame.

Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me.

myp it wrote:

Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me.

I'll never speak to you again if you don't do this.

For fuck's sake don't give them a photo. It's bad enough somebody's got your gamertag. Next thing you know you'll be walking along the streets of Nottingham and you'll see someone with your face.

myp it wrote:

Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me.

I'll never speak to you again if you don't do this.

I almost did just take a creepy pic of me and my Xbox, but I just know that one of you wags would email it to the newspaper.

Finally agreed to a compromising photo for the paper

When's it going in the paper?

Since we'really not going to see the picture? What comprise did you reach?

Were you going to be a silhouette like on Crimewatch?

TheVision wrote:

When's it going in the paper?

Tomorrow. I expect I'll come across as a total loser who has nothing more to his life than playing Xbox online.

Which is true, to be fair.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 16:58 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Craster wrote: Yeah, it is. It's non-simple though.

Author:	WTB [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:07 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: WTB wrote: Also gonna change my Live ID to a different email address and get shot of my old Hotmail for good. Is that possible now? It used to be, then it stopped being possible last time I tried it (a couple of years ago). Yeah, but you have to do it through the chuffing console! First create a new Live ID, then go into account management on the console and the option is there. Edit: to clarify, I didn't 'change' my Live ID. I created a new one and associated that with my Gamertag, leaving my old Hotmail Live ID to die.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:16 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Oh. Hmm. I still use this Live ID for Messenger, though.

Author:	WTB [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:18 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Messenger?! Regardless, there's nothing stopping you having two Live IDs I suppose.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:20 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
WTB wrote: Messenger?! It's how Grim... and I maintain our BEEX LEET CLEEQ. Quote: Regardless, there's nothing stopping you having two Live IDs I suppose. But also no particularly advantage in doing so. The password is a secure one I only use for that account and I've never typed into anything dodgy.

Be Excellent To Each Other https://www.beexcellenttoeachother.com/forum/

XBL / EA servers compromised ? https://www.beexcellenttoeachother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7850	Page 3 of 12

Author:	WTB [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:24 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Well sure! I just felt it was high time I changed mine seeing as it has been my 'throwaway' email address for nine years. I'd always use it to sign up for potentially spammy things and stuff, so it's definitely 'out there'. The address itself I mean, not any passwords - my password was pretty strong and recently changed. It's just now rather than someone possibly trying to brute force my account, they don't even have the username to try that.

Author:	markh [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:39 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
In summary: the shits. Luckily i have been using the prepay cards for live/points for years so the card they have on file is two cards ago. However I cannot delete this as it says it is still linked to my gold membership (despite being purchased via a pre paid card) and i am now going through the fun of recovering my profile. Is there any way to remove this , as i'm not reading 3 pages (well, i did, but i can't see an answer) and i trust BEEX far above any other source of info....

Author:	Mimi [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:47 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
zaphod79 wrote: A few posts about the 'non' hack But to get hold of so many player's details they'd have to run these 'scams' for an awful long time. But as I understand it this story has only just exploded today. So, did they 'phish' and 'befriend' the information out of hundreds or thousands of gamers and then simultaneously defraud them all at the same time? Or has this been going on for ages and the story has just come to light at the same time as Myp's problems by nothing more than a coincidence of timing? And yes, what exactly IS the point of this scam? To buy points, spend points, then what? Download them to another console and play them off there - but then you can't play those games when the original account isn't signed in and online, so when the gamertag is recovered, what is the point? I'm having trouble seeing the benefit to the scammers in all of this. Any update from MS, Myp?

Author:	BikNorton [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:54 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
markh wrote: However I cannot delete this as it says it is still linked to my gold membership (despite being purchased via a pre paid card) and i am now going through the fun of recovering my profile. Is there any way to remove this , as i'm not reading 3 pages (well, i did, but i can't see an answer) and i trust BEEX far above any other source of info.... It's a tit - if you entered pre-paid cards before the credit-card sub expired, it's counted as a continuation, so you need to wait until your current sub expires (having carefully made sure that auto-renew is off on xbox.com). You can try ringing support if you like.

Author:	BikNorton [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:57 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Mimi wrote: Download them to another console and play them off there - but then you can't play those games when the original account isn't signed in and online, so when the gamertag is recovered, what is the point? A download is tied to the purchasing console or account, so all accounts on the naughty xbox can access the ill-gotten goods. Which consoles you'd think MS would be able to track and brick, unless they're filled and then unplugged, never to touch Live again. It does seem a bit baffling. Although can you 'gift' avatar tat?

Author:	markh [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:57 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Dammit, my current sub ends Jan 2013! I may try support, although having spoke to them once this morning i don't feel encouraged. I had an email saying i had failed to purchase 6k of points as my card had expired, which set this whole sorry affair in motion - despite my password being changed etc, they could find no record of this attempted transaction.....

Author:	BikNorton [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:59 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Er. The email didn't say "6k Points purchase failure! Click http://live.xbox.com.filthy.spammer-bas ... your_email to find out more!" did it?

Author:	Trooper [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 17:59 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Mimi wrote: zaphod79 wrote: A few posts about the 'non' hack But to get hold of so many player's details they'd have to run these 'scams' for an awful long time. But as I understand it this story has only just exploded today. So, did they 'phish' and 'befriend' the information out of hundreds or thousands of gamers and then simultaneously defraud them all at the same time? Or has this been going on for ages and the story has just come to light at the same time as Myp's problems by nothing more than a coincidence of timing? It's been going on for a few months, every since Fifa 12 was released in fact, it just hasn't affected enough people to get above the waterline until now.

Author:	markh [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:01 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
BikNorton wrote: Er. The email didn't say "6k Points purchase failure! Click live.xbox.com.filthy.spammer.ru?your_email to find out more!" did it? Nope! there was no link, plus it was like the usual email you get when you redeem points etc from billing.microsoft.com. I didn't click on any links etc, just tried to log onto live (to check my points balance) on the 360 and found my password changed....

Author:	BikNorton [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:29 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
I imagine EA's still big enough to tell Microsoft "You just keep your filthy hussy mouth shut" - Microsoft truthfully tell everyone nothing but "Live has not been hacked", the lie being through omission. Which isn't to say that MS aren't in fact staring at a tattered, bloody wreck of an arsehole somewhere inside their data warehouses.

Author:	WTB [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 19:45 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Oh man! Do it, myp! You have to! GAY PAEDO USES XBOX LIVE TO GROOM SMALL BOYS NOTTINGHAM, UK. A child fondling sex pest's devious perverted video game grooming ring was brought crashing down by hackers yesterday.

Author:	zaphod79 [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:10 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Mimi wrote: But to get hold of so many player's details they'd have to run these 'scams' for an awful long time. But as I understand it this story has only just exploded today. Its been going on for a number of months (have a look at the posts at the start of this thread which are from early October and even then it was 'a few weeks old' , I do think they are going through times when its happening more often and I'm not entirely sure i believe all the stuff thats written about it - I also wonder (given the timing) if any is related to the various other password hacking problems over the last 6 months (e.g. there was a recent Sony one where Sony came forward and said that someone had basically just thrown something like 10,000 username / password combinations at PSN and a number of them were valid and they were now going to lock out those accounts). I am also suspicious of the links to EA Mimi wrote: So, did they 'phish' and 'befriend' the information out of hundreds or thousands of gamers and then simultaneously defraud them all at the same time? Or has this been going on for ages and the story has just come to light at the same time as Myp's problems by nothing more than a coincidence of timing? I think that Myp has just been unlucky in 'this batch' Mimi wrote: And yes, what exactly IS the point of this scam? To buy points, spend points, then what? Download them to another console and play them off there - but then you can't play those games when the original account isn't signed in and online, so when the gamertag is recovered, what is the point? The points can be used to buy Fifa points which can be transferred to other accounts freely so can then be 'sold' on Ebay for real cash (probably a fraction of what they were bought for) and i dont know about games on demand but again they could be downloaded and played by any account on that machine (although XBL titles can be 'revoked' from a system I do not know if games on demand can be)

Author:	myp [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:15 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
So MS are categorically saying they haven't been hacked - ok. Why is there complete silence to do with the EA link? The problems before were to do with Fifa 12, and now my account has been compromised a mere couple of weeks after I tied my gamertag to Origin. Doc G: can you not use your contacts at tuaw to probe a bit deeper into this? MS could be completely telling the truth, but the fact is that the weak link could be the company who forces you to register with them to play the sodding games, with MS's explicit approval.

Author:	Doctor Glyndwr [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:16 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
myp it wrote: Doc G: can you not use your contacts at tuaw to probe a bit deeper into this? TUAW? Not really, no, there's not much overlap between my (feeble) list of contacts and the Xbox Live world.

Author:	myp [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:18 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Doctor Glyndwr wrote: myp it wrote: Doc G: can you not use your contacts at tuaw to probe a bit deeper into this? TUAW? Not really, no, there's not much overlap between my (feeble) list of contacts and the Xbox Live world. What about during the RichardGaywood gamertag hooha? No insider sources at Microsoft? Shame.

Author:	Bobbyaro [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 18:21 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
well silence implies an issue with ea. ms may want that, it is a useful scapegoat.

Author:	WTB [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 19:18 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Annnnnnd all paid up for 12 months. Ahhh.

Author:	myp [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 19:36 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me.

Author:	WTB [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 19:42 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Would you be looking forlorn, holding the Xbox?

Author:	Malabelm [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 19:43 ]
Post subject:	XBL / EA servers compromised ?
myp it wrote: Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me. End of Movember? They'd stick you straight onto the sex register.

Author:	Dimrill [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 19:49 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
For fuck's sake don't give them a photo. It's bad enough somebody's got your gamertag. Next thing you know you'll be walking along the streets of Nottingham and you'll see someone with your face.

Author:	Grim... [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:13 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Or they'll unlock your phone.

Author:	lasermink [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:13 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Your face has your face. Also: WTF

Author:	Cras [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:16 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
myp it wrote: Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me. I'll never speak to you again if you don't do this.

Author:	Joans [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:21 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Craster wrote: myp it wrote: Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me. I'll never speak to you again if you don't do this. That doesn't sound like much of an incentive.

Author:	myp [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:25 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Dimrill wrote: For fuck's sake don't give them a photo. It's bad enough somebody's got your gamertag. Next thing you know you'll be walking along the streets of Nottingham and you'll see someone with your face. I'm actually more concerned that one of my neighbours will recognise me and then know I've got luxury goods to rob.

Author:	Dimrill [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:27 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Use this one. I loved you in Frankingsteing Must be Destroyed.

Author:	myp [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 20:43 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
I almost did just take a creepy pic of me and my Xbox, but I just know that one of you wags would email it to the newspaper.

Author:	MaliA [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 21:45 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
Craster wrote: myp it wrote: Nottingham Post reporter wants to send a photographer to take a picture of me with my Xbox. Decided that's far too geeky, even for me. I'll never speak to you again if you don't do this.

Author:	Dimrill [ Tue Nov 22, 2011 21:48 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
myp it wrote: I almost did just take a creepy pic of me and my Xbox, but I just know that one of you wags would email it to the newspaper. Like this one?

Author:	Alberto [ Wed Nov 23, 2011 2:43 ]
Post subject:	Re: XBL / EA servers compromised ?
I done all them things what you said, and I've been boycotting EA for almost a year now* and every month seems to give me a new reason to continue that, so I'm untouchable now. YES YOU HEARD ME GODS, UNTOUCHABLE!!! I didn't realise Dead Space 2 was one of theirs when I ordered it so that was an inadvertent exception