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PlayOnline Viewer Update (Jun. 2)May 31st, 2005 at 4:14 AM by Haggan

At the following time, we will be performing a version update of the PlayOnline Viewer. There will be no PlayOnline server maintenance during this version update. The use of PlayOnline and FINAL FANTASY XI will continue as normal. *The client software will also be updated at this time. The version update process will automatically begin upon login after the time stated below. Please follow the instructions that appear on your screen. [Affected Period] Jun. 2, 2005 from 1:00 (PDT) [Important Update Details] - Several issues with the Login screen, such as member lists being deleted and PlayOnline passwords not being saved at times, will be addressed (Windows version only).
Tags: FinalFantasyXI, News

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Ignorance is not bliss
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# Jun 03 2005 at 4:35 AM Rating: Decent
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... You know, sometimes it's really infuriating if people start blaming someone else for things which are beyond that person's control, or when it's due to his own fault.

Being a software engineer myself, let me highlight some stuff which most of you may be ignorant of:

1) DDOS attacks cannot, and is impossible to prevent. The only steps a company can take is to take action and get the server back up/filter out those attacks after they have started. You can't prevent them, and you need at least a few hours to react. Law enforcement is extremely tricky and impossible especially if the culprit is in another country.

2) SE employees will never be able to access your password even if you killed them. Your passwords are most likely being encrypted even at their side, and if you think that decrypting stuff is easy without the key, think again. There's always a 1% chance that the developers slack off and don't implement an encryption feature, but we're talking about about a very big international product, so chances of that happening is almost nil, esp. when SE's name is riding on this. Anyway, why would SE even need your items when they can simply "magic" out all the gil and items their characters need?

3) The main reason why you guys' accounts are hacked is because you either save your passwords, or have some virus/spyware/etc on your computer which tracks your keystrokes and/or lets anyone have access to the files on your computer. Choose a good password. "password", "1337u$3r", "lucky88" and "loverboy" are not good passwords. Playing FFXI in a LAN gaming centre is a good way of telling the world your password too.

Hope this helps. In short, it's not SE's fault, but YOUR own fault if your account gets broken into, and they can't do much about the the idiot DDOS attackers as well. Be glad the entire FFXI system did not go down with the attacks; it's a sign that they already have some system up.

Edited, Fri Jun 3 05:49:33 2005
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Hacked Accounts - Part II
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# Jun 01 2005 at 9:31 AM Rating: Decent
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With so many stories of accounts being hacked into, I decided to call SE to discuss this issue with them. Here is there response.

Accounts are secure on there servers. They cannot be hacked into.

According to SE, hacked accounts are the result of two events and two events only.

1. You gave your ID and password to a friend or you did not protect these items in your home.

2. Your ID and passward were stolen by spyware. These include keystroke programs and downloads from unoffical FFXI sites. These later pograms promise one thing but instead are programs that will steal you password and ID. Spyware programs are only a problem on PCs not PS2s.

Other posts on this subject have provided very valuable information. My only contribution is that the program CounterSpy is a must have program for PC users. Its only $20.00 and can be downloaed from the Web. Firewalls and anti-virus programs are a must.

Of course SE did not mention a third possibility. Hacked accounts could be the result of the actions of one or more dishonest SE employees who have access to ids and passwords. Internal theft is a problem for every business. UPS recently discovered a driver who stole $1 million worth of goods.

Anyone got the telephone number for the FBI?
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Pc protection
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# May 31 2005 at 2:31 PM Rating: Decent
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I have a PC, and I tried using the new 2005 Nortons System works. I would get booted off the game every 10 mins or so. I ended up uninstalling it. Has anyone else had problems with this?
What are some other program I could use that works with the game? Thanks for any input
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RE: Pc protection
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# Jun 02 2005 at 6:36 AM Rating: Decent
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A guy that used to be in my LS had issues with XI and norton main;y with the antivirus becuz it spits out a pop up telling you when its updating itself which will 9 times outta 10 break full screen mode and disconnect you. I also have this problem with the security suite my cable company gives out for free every time it downloads updates it kicks me out of the game. It does it at some REAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY inopportune times too I got screwed out of an avatar battle cuz of it >_<. I also have issues with the firewall component if I have it running while I'm in game it will sporadically decide to block incoming packets when ever I zone
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Password Change?
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# May 31 2005 at 1:34 PM Rating: Decent
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There was a dear friend who played this game that had his account f**ked with. He had his gil stolen, most of his exspensive Items, sniper rings +1 emp hairpin leaping boots Ochiudos kote. This sucks as he has left the game mad and discouraged. Maybe something we can do to protect against these attacks in change your password regularly. Like Holthaus suggested, get some protection man, its kind of like having sex with a prostitute without a condem....what the hell you thinkin? ok maybe not that bad just watch your stuff people, i hate to see this happen to anyone and they leave the game before they get to any of the really good stuff.
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-_-
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# May 31 2005 at 9:34 AM Rating: Decent
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these people who were "jacked" probably had thier acct info taken by a 3rd party program w/ a hack in it or they gave thier info out. just be careful w/ your acct info and this wont happen.
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RE: -_-
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# May 31 2005 at 10:17 AM Rating: Decent
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I agree with Ollorin. See my post in the thread below for more details.
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A Bigger Problem
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# May 31 2005 at 8:51 AM Rating: Good
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While DDoS is annoying, there is a more serious problem is developing. I know of two instances where a player's account was hacked into. All their gil and high value items where stolen. Only rare/ex items were left (for obvious reasons).

Has anyone else heard stories similar to this? One of the victims was a friend of mine. Very sad indeed.

My friend says that SE will not replace the stolen gil or items. Furthermore, SE cannot determine who stole the items and to whom the items went.

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RE: A Bigger Problem
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# May 31 2005 at 10:19 AM Rating: Decent
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one of my LS mates had everything of hers taken, and she was only a lvl 32 RDM. bastards took all of her gil, her complete shade set and much more. only thing they left was all her lvl 10 and under equip she was storing for her extra jobs. as far as if she was on PS2 or comp, i couldn't really tell you. i was in a party in garliage when she was telling everyone what happend, so i only caught bits and pieces of the conversation. but because of this, i think she is going to quit and she hasn't even really begun to discover how great FFXI is.........
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RE: A Bigger Problem
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# May 31 2005 at 10:19 AM Rating: Decent
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meh... double post... >.<

Edited, Tue May 31 11:21:54 2005
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RE: A Bigger Problem
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# May 31 2005 at 9:14 AM Rating: Decent
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I was told a RNG I know had his Kirin's Osode and some other stuff jacked from his account last week . I hope this is stopped and someone is caught .
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RE: A Bigger Problem
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# May 31 2005 at 10:10 AM Rating: Decent
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If this is truly the case, I would hope Square-Enix would post some tips on how to maintain your computer/PS2 against hacking. SE has taken the position that this type of problem occurs with the end-user (since the in-game items supposedly reside only on your computer/PS2), leaving the gamers as the responsible party for the problem.

Let me offer some advice:

For PC - Anti-Virus/Spy-Ware/Pop-Up Blocker/Firewall programs are a must. If you are not running these programs and keeping them up-to-date, you are asking for trouble. TechTV once had a guest hacker on Screen Savers (now Attack of the Show) where he showed how to manipulate the computer into recording keystrokes. Needless to say, it was pretty easy to steal passwords this way. A stolen password equals lots of problems.

Also, if you are not playing the game, turn the computer off. If for some reason you like to do the bazaar thing while your are AFK, I understand. However, if someone gains control of your computer, then they can obviously do whatever they want while you are away. I've had to pull my Cat-5 cable out of my PC a couple of times because I noticed something was going on, and not being there to protect your computer in a live situation can be disasterous.

For PS2 - Right now, I have yet to see any type of anti-hacking utlities become available. I'm curious to know if the two thefts described above happened on an "always on" PS2 or an "always on" PC. If this indeed occured on a PS2, then it represents an interesting problem that may yield little solutions until the next generation of console gaming.

For PC & PS2 - Change your passwords often (every 30 days recommended).

1) Include a number of some kind in your password.

2) Write it down on a sheet of paper and put that paper in a safe place if you must, but don't store this information on your computer.

3) Be unique. Don't use things like initials, zip codes, or social security numbers as those can be hacked with ease. Some of the best hackers have bragged about breaking 99% of all passwords if all they had were your name, address, and/or birthday. I don't doubt their talent.

I hope this sheds some light for gamers.

=================================================
UPDATE
=================================================

I stand corrected, information regarding what items you have is stored on Square's side, not in your computer. My apologies for accidentally misleading anyone.

Edited, Fri Jun 3 16:22:15 2005
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RE: A Bigger Problem
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# Jun 01 2005 at 12:27 AM Rating: Decent
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The problem is that your character info , armor , gil ,ect is not stored on your computer itself but on the server your on . From what I've been told , S.E has tried a lot of solutions to protect accounts and prevent DDoS attacks but hackers keep finding ways in . I am no a computer tech or security analist so I wouldn't even know where to begin and know what option S/E has to actually fix these and prevent these attacks . Hopefully they can finx this soon .
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Ohhhh
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# May 31 2005 at 6:49 AM Rating: Default
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What is the new update i wonder ^^ i hope something for BLM
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RE: Ohhhh
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# May 31 2005 at 6:51 AM Rating: Decent
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Its a Playonline update, dosent affect FFXI.
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