We saw reports yesterday and they are ongoing today in regards to yet again hackers trying to obtain personal information from another site. This time, they targeted EA. We have been waiting for confirmation and more details on just what happened. For now, you can find all the specifics and details of what is being said that happened in the link below.
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2014/03/19/ea-games-website-hacked-to-steal-apple-ids.html
We’re also seeing a statement from EA saying this has been found, isolated and FIXED. More on that here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-13846031
This brings us to a very serious and crucial part of life right now. There are so many people out there on the internet now that will do anything to make a quick dollar by trying to camouflage themselves as someone else to try and obtain any and all of YOUR personal information. Please make sure you are taking the basic steps to protect yourself at all times.
1- DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION. EVER. Most sites now only ask you to register to start. Even then, the information is very limited and basic. Most even allow you to bypass most and just ask for your Name, Email, and Zip Code. From that point on, you are usually only asked to provide your user name and password. If you are ever asked for your personal information again, question it. If it still does not make sense, then contact THAT company personally. (Their information should be on their site. I suggest starting a brand new screen and going to their site by typing it in. That way you know you are there.) If it still seems suspicious, report it immediately to authorities.
2- NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR ID AND PASSWORD. Due to you did fill out some basic personal information, treat your user ID and password as though it is a bank account number. Once you give out that information, ANYONE can access it. So just don’t do it. If you are worried it has been compromised, change it immediately.
3- USE PREPAID CC/GIFT CARD WHENEVER POSSIBLE. For online purchases, I personally set up specific accounts to use for ONLY that purpose. This way the amount I want to use is the only amount available. No possibility of more being taken. Not only that, it is not linked to my other bank accounts in any way, shape, or form. This protects a lot of my personal info and money from unauthorized access. I know a lot of us like to use our CC for those extra “points & mileage” which is fine. This is where purchasing a gift card from your local store may come in handy. You still use the card to make an initial purchase and still get points, but there is no need to give out your CC online. Even many banks are offering free prepaid credit cards to their customers. These are very handy.
The basic conclusion here is to protect yourself and your personal information at all times. If something is suspicious, report it. If you’re not sure, please ask. We’re always here to help.
P.S. About 2 months ago Yahoo was hacked, mainly Yahoo e-mail accounts were impacted. If you didn’t hear about it 2 months ago here’s the initial story: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jameslyne/2014/01/31/yahoo-hacked-and-how-to-protect-your-passwords/ This has since been fixed BUT if you have a Yahoo mail account and did not change your password back in January when this hit you might want to change your password now. Here’s some details from Yahoo on the matter: https://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=answers&y=PROD_ACCT&locale=en_CA&startover=y&source=product.popular_search&question_box=account%2520has%2520been%2520hacked&ywamode=popularsearches
Keep in mind…this has NOTHING to do with EA. This is not something connected with the Apple Phishing scam that was shut down. This is isolated and only pertains to Yahoo accounts (and it’s about 2 months old). However…it’s still a good idea to go in and change your password if you haven’t already 🙂
Yahoo may be sending out precautionary emails to some of its users due to the compromise in January after the release of the Apple ID hack. However, I use a Yahoo email for my TSTO account and I have not received an email from Yahoo as of right now. SO I would be very cautious of any emails you receive asking for personal information again. Especially if you play on an iOS device and use a Yahoo ID for your Apple login. When in doubt report it to your email service provider for confirmation that it is in fact from them.