Arc defender possible issue incoming \ Accounts will be inaccessible

XXHotXx - Morai

I'll do a favour to the community by leaving this here too

So today i just received a message from Arc stating this:

What's New


In the coming days we’ll be rolling out an exciting security feature called Arc Defender. When you log in to Arc with a new or unrecognized computer we’ll send you email alerts to verify access and keep you up to date on your account activity.

Your initial log in will be saved as a secure computer, however subsequent computer log ins will result in prompts to verify credentials through email code verification. Keep in mind Defender is enabled by default, however you can turn it off at any time.



What to Expect


Defender relies on a valid email address to send codes for identify verification. Before Defender is live you will want to ensure your Arc account email is correct. You can change your email in the Arc My Account panel at any time.

Pro tip: You can opt out of promotional emails by heading to My Account - Language Preferences and unchecking the opt in option.

Want to learn more about Arc Defender? Click here to to get full details or Contact Arc Support for assistance.

- Arc Team

So for who like me has full access to the mail accounts linked to my pwi accounts and also dont log said accounts from too many different IPs, it won't be a problem.

But i am pretty sure out there, there is a vast portion of players that have accounts or alt's accounts which they forgot the infos or which they dont have access to the email addresses linked to the Arc accounts.

What it will happen?

Each time you will log your Arc\PWI account from a new\different IP you will be required to go into your email address and click on the link that will be sent to you to authorize and allow the access from the new IP\Computer position (and with dynamic IPs you will need to do that like everyday)

So if you don't have access to the e-mail address linked to your Arc account for any reason, you won't be able to log your Arc account indefinetly

What to do?

The first time you will log your PWI\Arc account after the Arc Defender feature will be introduced, Arc will automatically give you access (for just your first access only) and it will set your current IP as a safe computer\position.

At this point (and at this point only: your very first access after Arc Defender is introduced and enabled)
go on your Arc client search and disable the Arc Defender feature in order to prevent your account to be blocked for the future accesses.



(Ofc if you have full access to the mail address linked to all your Arc accounts, just ignore this)

Xainou - Sanctuary

So bascially a lot of people will lose all the quit friends and faction mates accounts they used to be able to log into? Oh PWI, your smart choices make me glad I don't care anymore b:surrender

Psytrac - Dreamweaver

Spend less time on Arc and more time on our games!!

Eoria - Harshlands

This will more affect people that share accounts than those that just use accounts of people that quit.

Peccable - Raging Tide

arc is totally not becomming the cancer that everyone predicted it to become. /sarcasm end

Verenor - Morai

Oh no! If only there was a way to circumvent Arc...Ohwait!

opkossy

Psytrac - Dreamweaver wrote: »

Spend less time on Arc and more time on our games!!

PWE doesn't develop the games, remember? It's not as if they're using manpower that could be put towards fixes here.

Xainou - Sanctuary wrote: »

So bascially a lot of people will lose all the quit friends and faction mates accounts they used to be able to log into? Oh PWI, your smart choices make me glad I don't care anymore b:surrender

Technically, that's account sharing anyways and officially speaking isn't allowed even if most either ignore that or consider it a do at your own risk thing.


Good thing this has an ability to be disabled. Otherwise people with dynamic IPs would get pretty pissed pretty fast. Just makes me even more glad I basically just use Arc for codes.

Xainou - Sanctuary

OPKossy wrote: »

Technically, that's account sharing anyways and officially speaking isn't allowed even if most either ignore that or consider it a do at your own risk thing.

Officially, yea. Still idiotic to shoot yourselves in the foot like that when your game's not doing that well anyway.

Cotillion - Dreamweaver

I don't think is much to be worried about or worth getting worked up about.

ARC can be easily bypassed and this new "feature" can be disabled, so it won't affect people for very long.

Psytrac - Dreamweaver

OPKossy wrote: »

PWE doesn't develop the games, remember? It's not as if they're using manpower that could be put towards fixes here.

They spend more time behind the scenes doing stupid things and little to none addressing issues that have been here for a long time, nor showing any presence ingame. I mean even fixing text.. they haven't done that either

XXHotXx - Morai

Verenor - Morai wrote: »

Oh no! If only there was a way to circumvent Arc...Ohwait!

i believe this will happen anytime you will connect to any server like it happens for other games that use same feature, it's not platform related, it's game related

CROVV - Raging Tide

Just based on people I've known that had their account "****", I don't think this is going to be very effective.

The last 3 accounts I saw get "****" were **** as the result of an old password on their email account, that was compromised because it was published during a breach (gmail, yahoo) or because they used the same login and password on their email as some other website that got breached (and as script kiddies do...they just try it on hundreds of popular websites).

I think this would have been more effective if it was sent as a SMS message to your registered alternate contact phone number of something (or at least where the user had a choice between another email address or phone or something).

It will be interesting that if your friend authorizes you to share their account without giving you access to their email, you could never share that account with someone else.

But it will be weird that if the friend returns in the coming weeks, they will actually not be able to login to their own account (presuming they wouldn't be the "first computer on the account marked as safe").

Jury out on this one for me, but at least they are trying.

Mosz - Heavens Tear

great, i lost access to my old email account (damn hotmail got ****), and changing the email account hasnt worked too well with pwe support, welp im screwed. gg

Esnemyl - Dreamweaver

Mosz - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Great, I lost access to my old email account (damn hotmail got ****), and changing the email account hasn't worked too well with pwe support, welp i'm screwed. gg

Pretty much the same for me..
Now i'm probably going to be ridiculed for this, but when I started playing the game I used an email account from MSN I made when i was twelve.. you hear me, TWELVE (I was 15 when I started in 09). So now I cannot access that email anymore.. yay
At least we have the opportunity to turn it off, so long as we do it the moment Defender is introduced

XXHotXx - Morai

Mosz - Heavens Tear wrote: »

great, i lost access to my old email account (damn hotmail got ****), and changing the email account hasnt worked too well with pwe support, welp im screwed. gg

you are not yet,

just be aware that at your first login after Arc defender is here,

go into Arc client and disable it or your acc will get locked

heerohex#3018

Really...

Enough with all the QQ already most programs like Arc to name none use this as well. Its a security feature and with all the problems so far this will help that little bit!

If your really gonna QQ over this some more just turn it off! It gives you first login so at least Arc can turn this off as most of the other Clients CANT!

May be a good time as well to check you still have access to that E-Mail account and its still Live! You should be able to check and change your E-mail HERE!

One other thing i think people will find usefull is this page Where it appears your be able to manage your ARC computers and security!.

Sorry little update More Support can be found HERE! This includes info on how to disable Arc Security.

SylenThunder - Twilight Temple

OPKossy wrote: »

....
Good thing this has an ability to be disabled. Otherwise people with dynamic IPs would get pretty pissed pretty fast. Just makes me even more glad I basically just use Arc for codes.

Just want to point out...
Even IF you have a dynamic IP, your address rarely changes. Usually you'll only see it change if you change your modem, or your CO has a major change on their end.

XXHotXx - Morai

heero200 wrote: »

Really...

Enough with all the QQ already most programs like Arc to name none use this as well. Its a security feature and with all the problems so far this will help that little bit!

If your really gonna QQ over this some more just turn it off! It gives you first login so at least Arc can turn this off as most of the other Clients CANT!

May be a good time as well to check you still have access to that E-Mail account and its still Live! You should be able to check and change your E-mail HERE!

One other thing i think people will find usefull is this page Where it appears your be able to manage your ARC computers and security!.

Yup this thread is not intended as a QQ thread more like a warning\awareness thread

like change your email \ be aware that after Arc defender will be up if you dont disable it and you don't have access to the mail linked, you will basically lose access to the account

None should QQ about it since there are a couple of counter-measures to this issue

(for what concerns me this is an awesome feature, and it was about time that this security thing should've been brought here

and this will reduce the chance to get my account **** below zero,
since to access my mail address you would need a 60-sec temporary code generated by an unique app that i have on my phone,
therefore none besides me will ever be able to log my email account to authorize the access to my PWI account from his own location)

Burnificator - Archosaur

SylenThunder - Sanctuary wrote: »

Just want to point out...
Even IF you have a dynamic IP, your address rarely changes. Usually you'll only see it change if you change your modem, or your CO has a major change on their end.

Hahaha for some maybe. I currently live in Belgium where ISP's still do things that are long grown out of in the civilized world. Including resetting the connection (DC and everything) once every day. Tends to get me a new IP every time.

Jadsia - Lost City

I feel that those who will QQ the most are those breaking the ToS with account sharing and those who bought accounts from others. I'm not going to have any issues with it.

Oh and those who QQ about having their accounts "****" are almost always those who shared accounts, got greedy thinking they'll get free gold for nothing from 3rd party sites, or those who are not the original account owners. They will never admit to it though because they are not going to be honest about their own stupidity.

ZentDreigon - Raging Tide

Oh, no! Another Arc Hate Storm has begun. b:shocked

Psytrac - Dreamweaver

No one wanted Arc, and we want these "security" features even less

hoover69

lol thats gonna be a problem seriously yahoo already deleted the emails i used to create my accounts lmfao i never log on those emails oh well it's looks like i'll be force to move to a new game sooner then i thought

luckycut

honestly this won t stop account sharing that is running wild through out the game sadly pwi didn t take this step further with people having the ability to turn this on or off i see no creditable result coming from this. Pwi is missing the mark an players will be still be trying to figure who is playing who in the game.

Mosz - Heavens Tear

SylenThunder - Sanctuary wrote: »

Just want to point out...
Even IF you have a dynamic IP, your address rarely changes. Usually you'll only see it change if you change your modem, or your CO has a major change on their end.

dynamic cable ones are like that, dynamic dsl often changes (mine changes every 24 hours)

also id liek to ad either my arc client hasnt updated or the feature to turn it off is not there yet

orangeladey

Geez, I got the message and I though 'Boy, its about time PW caught up.'

Valve's Steam has had a system like this for years.

This is not meant as a method for PW to manage our accounts. This is just another layer of rigamarole to try differentiating between legitimate and illegitimate access attempts. So long as you keep your computer to account relationship strait, you shouldn't have an issue. And there is nothing that indicates that having multiple ARC clients on the same computer will be a concern.

The only thing people really need to worry about is if they hop computers and can't access their email. If you have email issues, yes you have my sympathy.



Also wanted to throw out there. This feature shouldn't have anything to do with your IP addy.

Most likely your ARC installation will have a unique key, and the ARC servers will know that the key represents an authorized computer.

Alternatively, they could use your MAC addy. The Media Access Code (Could mis-remember that, been a while) is the physical embedded address of your NIC (Network Interface Card). This is not something that can be changed. This is how a router/bridge/server/etc. knows what machine you are, as the router/etc. then assigns you an IP to your MAC.


. . . I'm actually more inclined to think that they've gone with the MAC method. For security purposes if you've the software on a removable drive, ARC would need to authenticate the new MAC addy if you plugged it into a different machine.


Anyways - your MAC addy is included in pretty much any data sent from your machine as part of how a modem encapsulates a data packet. So if you take your laptop from home, to work or school, to the coffee shop or library - your computer should remain authorized despite the IP changing.

I may be wrong about a bunch of the above. It's been years since I studied System Networking.



And did anyone else find the 'Pro-Tip' odd? Yes I knew we could opt out of promotional e-mails in Arc. But I wouldn't have counted this message as a promotion . . .

Uno_one_ - Sanctuary

Simple solution~

PWE should make it disabled by default. Turn it on if you want.

Quilue - Sanctuary

Psytrac - Dreamweaver wrote: »

Spend less time on Arc and more time on our games!!

This.

Cotillion - Dreamweaver

hoover69 wrote: »

well it's looks like i'll be force to move to a new game sooner then i thought

PWE is really lacking on layers of security as far as I have seen in trying and playing other MMO's that have many layers of passwords, verification numbers, scrambled password inputs, email verification and so on.
Many of those games don't allow you to bypass these measures either. If you think PWE is forcing alot on you with ARC and this security feature (that can be turned off), wait until you try some other MMO's that don't even let you bypass or turn off some of their 'features'.

Mahidevran - Archosaur

Uno_one_ - Sanctuary wrote: »

Simple solution~

PWE should make it disabled by default. Turn it on if you want.

Agree. b:victory

Arc is already a pain in the ***, no need to make it even more unsympathetic.

It will not effect me anyway

heerohex#3018

Mahidevran - Archosaur wrote: »

Agree. b:victory

Arc is already a pain in the ***, no need to make it even more unsympathetic.

It will not effect me anyway

I dont use ARC myslef to launch PWI as im sure many others dont. Gotta question this as well unless ARC is gonna protect the website or any changes to personal info from the website then its still gonna be rather easy to take someones account and turn it upside down.

Wonder if they have thought about that...