Battle.net hacked, user information stolen

Blizzard prez apologises and provides details of the breach

Jeremy ProomeAugust 10, 2012

Blizzard has revealed that its Battle.net servers have been hacked and user data and passwords were compromised.

“This week, our security team found an unauthorized and illegal access into our internal network here at Blizzard. We quickly took steps to close off this access and began working with law enforcement and security experts to investigate what happened,” said Blizzard president Mike Morhaime in the update.

While the security of Blizzard’s infrastructure has been breached, Morhaime still assures users that billing addresses and credit card details are safe.

“At this time, we’ve found no evidence that financial information such as credit cards, billing addresses, or real names were compromised. Our investigation is ongoing, but so far nothing suggests that these pieces of information have been accessed.”

“Some data was illegally accessed, including a list of email addresses for global Battle.net users, outside of China. For players on North American servers (which generally includes players from North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia) the answer to the personal security question, and information relating to Mobile and Dial-In Authenticators were also accessed. Based on what we currently know, this information alone is NOT enough for anyone to gain access to Battle.net accounts.”

Blizzard is asking all North American users to change their passwords, and will be prompting users to change their secret questions and update their authenticator software in the following weeks.