Hacked.

[freestaterocker]

So, I just found out my Live Account has been hacked. The backup email I set it up with, I just found out, no longer exists. I have no way to recover this account. Naturally, this is the account I set up my HD7 with. So now I have to re-purchase all of my apps and music if I have to do a hard reset or decide to buy a new phone. Any ideas?

 

[speedtouch]

I'd call Hotmail/Microsoft about that. That's terrible! Be sure to secure your passwords with some sort of password manager in the future. Like LastPass. I've used LP for almost 2 yrs now and it has simplified my life, no joke.

 

[jimski]

Well, having to type your Windows Live password into every app that needs access to your People Hub, Calendar and SkyDrive. Really wish Live had a master password that only Microsoft would ask for, and a user password for everything else. Wouldn't solve every problem, but could minimize issues like this.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[freestaterocker]

Update: I just learned that this turn of events also means I can't get app updates from the marketplace. I'm guessing I can also no longer download apps.

 

[Seketh]

Well, having to type your Windows Live password into every app that needs access to your People Hub, Calendar and SkyDrive. Really wish Live had a master password that only Microsoft would ask for, and a user password for everything else. Wouldn't solve every problem, but could minimize issues like this.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

Using the mobile token security system works well, as well as choosing authorized devices. This wouldn't happen if he had that extra security.

@freestaterocker: Call Microsoft immediately, only way to solve that now, I feel your pain bro.

 

[GreenScrew]

So, I just found out my Live Account has been hacked. The backup email I set it up with, I just found out, no longer exists. I have no way to recover this account. Naturally, this is the account I set up my HD7 with. So now I have to re-purchase all of my apps and music if I have to do a hard reset or decide to buy a new phone. Any ideas?

What do you mean by 'hacked'? Can't you just reset the password if someone somehow hacked your password?

 

[selfcreation]

I had my XBL account hacked last year and they even maxed out my Credit Card!!! changed my password and my gamer tag.

Call MS Xbox live customer service , they open up a investigation , with in 30 dayz they fix the issue and refund any cash they might have taken .

more info:http://kotaku.com/5858538/xbox-lives-hack-wasnt-a-hack-says-microsoft

 

[freestaterocker]

What do you mean by 'hacked'? Can't you just reset the password if someone somehow hacked your password?

I can't get into the account to reset the password, as hotmail sends a code to a back-up address, and my back-up no longer exists.

 

[freestaterocker]

Ok so I finally found a phone number for MS Canada... I had to call HTC to get it. They set my Gmail account up as my new backup address so I should be receiving a Live ID recovery code in the next 72 hours. So excited. To complicate things I had to hard reset my phone today, so no apps for me until this gets sorted out... Hope it comes soon...

 

[jfa1]

Ok so I finally found a phone number for MS Canada... I had to call HTC to get it. They set my Gmail account up as my new backup address so I should be receiving a Live ID recovery code in the next 72 hours. So excited. To complicate things I had to hard reset my phone today, so no apps for me until this gets sorted out... Hope it comes soon...

Good luck!

 

[freestaterocker]

Issue resolved, but not without a few more hoops to jump through, and also a new problem: I had purchased some music from Zune marketplace that I hadn't yet synched to my PC when my phone sh@t the bed. (over $20 worth) A couple days after redownloading the music in question, I received a Zune purchase confirmation: I was billed again for music that I had already purchased! Upon closer inspection of the buy screen, it says "You've already purchased this MP3. Would you like to buy it again?" So Zune recognizes that I've already paid for the item, but proceeds to charge me again anyways?!

Unacceptable.

 

[sting7k]

What do you mean by 'hacked'? Can't you just reset the password if someone somehow hacked your password?

Everyone says hacked but what really happens is they get phished in some manner. Phishing is no longer just an email that says you won a prize and asks for your information.

A current issue plaguing Xbox LIVE is attackers are able to glean just enough information about a target. They then call up LIVE support posing as the target and are able to convince them they are the target and get the password reset.

But if this every happens you should immediately contact Microsoft support as they can recover the account.

 

[freestaterocker]

Everyone says hacked but what really happens is they get phished in some manner. Phishing is no longer just an email that says you won a prize and asks for your information.

A current issue plaguing Xbox LIVE is attackers are able to glean just enough information about a target. They then call up LIVE support posing as the target and are able to convince them they are the target and get the password reset.

But if this every happens you should immediately contact Microsoft support as they can recover the account.

I'm not on Xbox Live, my password wasn't changed on me, I wasn't phished, and what actually happened is that my account was being used by somebody other than me for a banned activity, spamming maybe, and it got blocked. Which means it was, in fact, as the title of this thread suggests: Hacked.

 

[wolf1891]

Everyone says hacked but what really happens is they get phished in some manner. Phishing is no longer just an email that says you won a prize and asks for your information.

A current issue plaguing Xbox LIVE is attackers are able to glean just enough information about a target. They then call up LIVE support posing as the target and are able to convince them they are the target and get the password reset.

But if this every happens you should immediately contact Microsoft support as they can recover the account.

Nice assumptions there. Sometimes when people say hacked they actually do mean hacked. For example, my hotmail account was hacked a little over a year ago. I didn't have a secure enough password at the time so they were able to figure it out and start using my account to send out tons of spam. Caught on to it quickly (within just a few hours) and, since in my case they didn't change my password on me I was able to get in there, reset to a new (and more secure) password, and get the mess cleaned up before my account got locked out.

So, while the phishing type attacks that you describe do indeed happen, we do also have cases of people's email accounts being hacked as well.

 

[Nataku4ca]

my dad's account just got screwed last week as well... horrible thing is, his secondary email was entered wrong to begin with lol

trying to get support from MS through email right now, this is gonna be a long process...

 

[Seketh]

I wouldn't say that a person has been hacked because someone or a bot discovered their password, but that's the term people use nowadays.

A true hack would involve hacking the MS servers, taking over the system and changing your info and that doesn't happen.

The problem here is clearly unsecure passwords and phishing. All the people I know or seen in forums that have had their Live accounts "hacked" had unsecure passwords like "freedom" or "123456".

This can be avoided by having a proper password, which is at least 8 characters long and alphanumeric, and taking the time to set up the extra security methods that Live accounts also provides.

I will be very surprised if my account ever gets hacked. I have a 16 characters long password, I use HTTPS, mobile code authentication, device authentication... It would be a nightmare for anyone to be able to get hold of my account, even if they managed to find out my password.

 

[vp710]

Using the mobile token security system works well, as well as choosing authorized devices. This wouldn't happen if he had that extra security.

Could you please tell us more about these? Or point towards relevant resources?

Choosing authorized devices probably happens in one's live account setting, right? But I have no clue what the "mobile token security system" is and how to apply it to a WP.

Thanks in advance.

 

[speedtouch]

Could you please tell us more about these? Or point towards relevant resources?

I use LastPass as my password manager. I use it to create unique and strong passwords for every account I have. No two accounts have the same password. So if one account gets hacked, the remaining will not fall like dominoes, as would happen if I recycled passwords onto multiple accounts. (Like I used to.)

 

[DavidinCT]

This happened to me once, but, I got it before it did any damage...They were sending spam out, One person replied to it saying "Did you know someone is sending spam with your account ??".

Check your sent emails once a week, change your password every few months, and DONT use a simple password (like a few numbers, someone's name, etc).

Even if you can't remember a password, use something like miKe324 as a password or even 3miKe24, Use a name with funky caps and random numbers. It should lower the chances of a brute attack on your account...

 

[vp710]

I use LastPass as my password manager. I use it to create unique and strong passwords for every account I have. No two accounts have the same password. So if one account gets hacked, the remaining will not fall like dominoes, as would happen if I recycled passwords onto multiple accounts. (Like I used to.)

Thanks, but I was curious what "mobile token security" and "authorized devices" meant. I googled these real quick but couldn't find anything relevant on the "token" one. I think I can manage setting up "authorized devices" on my own though.

I do use LastPass myself and it's great, except for the fact it's not yet supported in IE10 yet and the WP app is a joke. I'd gladly pay for premium (then I'll also get a YubiKey), but not until they make a decent app for my phone and I have a definite answer as to whether or not they'll be able to implement it within the plugin-less IE10.