NCSoft Security Gone Too Far!

[:1]I know security is important, I watched SOE's fiasco... however ..

... do you think there may be a danger of taking Security 'Too Far', & not even allowing their own customers to log in to their own account?

When does 'Security' stop being a benefit & start becoming a hindrance?

Can 'over-tight' security alienate your own customers?|||I wouldn't say too far necessarily, just a bit user-unfriendly. I had to contact them for my accounts to get my ip address authorized so I could get into the game, but I only use the one computer to play, so no biggie really.

But yes, too much security is bad. I would much rather have a usb authenticator like Blizz uses, and wouldn't mind paying the extra for it... or just use the mobile version (it uses your cell phone, and is free).|||I welcome higher security, I don't think ANet has taken theirs too far. Same with NCSoft. Yes, the addition of "name your character" was a bugger with those who had multiple accounts or difficult-to-remember-names... but afaik they could clear that up with a phone call to NCSoft.

Online safety is a big issue especially these days.|||I only use one computer, but I have a dynamic IP and need to register it every single time I log in to my NCSoft account. Last time, the site wouldn't even let me register again. I had to go through Support to get the account unlocked. Very annoying, especially since all I wanted to do was change the account's email address.

But at least it's something.|||Quote:








I only use one computer, but I have a dynamic IP and need to register it every single time I log in to my NCSoft account. Last time, the site wouldn't even let me register again. I had to go through Support to get the account unlocked. Very annoying, especially since all I wanted to do was change the account's email address.

But at least it's something.






For those who don't have this problem I honestly envy you, but as with Feannag, I too have a dynamic IP & I have 4 machines currently, all of which I may log into Guild Wars with, I have 3x Guild Wars accounts*.

Although it is great having security, if you have to spend days just to try to access your account, then that stops being beneficial & becomes a major inconvenience.

I would much rather have the Authenticator of Blizzard, or the Penny Lock of Rift. NCSoft's security is beyond paranoid.

With NCSoft I have 3x Guild Wars, 2x City of Heroes, 2x Lineage II, 1x Aion... & whenever I wish to access & maybe decide to sub ... it takes days to gain access to my account & I then do not bother for fear of not being able to access to unsub again.

My trust in NCSoft has been severely put to the test the past few years & this really is starting to become an issue.

With Guild Wars 2 coming within the next 12 months (maybe), I fear I may not even be able to add it to my Account & even lose out on any & all HOM benefits due to not being able to link it to my Account. I already cannot link one of my Guild Wars accounts to my Master Account.

I'm all for good security, but when that means having to send emails back & forth, constantly trying to prove you are the owner & losing access for a few days during the checking process, this stops being 'Good Security' & becomes major nuisance.

[* bought before you could buy Character Slots]|||The thing is that this security is just incompatible with dynamic IPs. I mean, it's not the problem with NCSoft, but it's a feature that should you want to use it, you should get an IP that lets you have a static IP.

Complaining about this is like complaining that you have to carry an authenticator to get the security it gives... when you can opt out of using that added security layer instead.|||Quote:








The thing is that this security is just incompatible with dynamic IPs. I mean, it's not the problem with NCSoft, but it's a feature that should you want to use it, you should get an IP that lets you have a static IP.






Considering that most people use a dynamic IP, that dynamic IP's are the norm, then no, I completely disagree with you.

ArenaNet are grabbing any & all Video Cards so that their game can run on the majority of systems. If their parent company only allows Static IP, however, then I see that as an issue with NCSoft.

There are going to be people who WANT to play Guild Wars 2, but simply cannot due to NCSoft's inflexible Security.

So, if NCSoft's security measures are not flexible enough to work with Dynamic IP (& that IS the norm in Europe), then that is an issue with NCSoft's security, not the customer.|||As far as I understand, you don't have to use the IP protection. You can disable it.

So it's not that dynamic-IP players can't use the product, it's that static-IP players have an additional layer of security they can use.|||Quote:








The thing is that this security is just incompatible with dynamic IPs.




And that is why it should work with an auth file instead. A file, tied to your account, which you simply copy to the computers you want to play on. As part of the login process, the server sends a code to the client, the client calculates the combination of the code and the file, and sends back the reply. Essentially what a hardware authenticator does, except you don't need to be slowed down by some stupid little box.|||The nice thing about IP is that it's much harder to record and emulate. Even a file could be read easily by a third party software. Of course, nothing is ever 100% secure.

Any security measure will have costs, benefits, and flaws. Best-case imo is to implement as many as possible, and let users choose those that fit their needs.