AHQ Archive Oct 2023: Spotting scams phishing and malware
Our commitment to raising awareness about cybersecurity comes to the fourth week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This week, we will cover the topic of phishing: how to identify phishing and how to defend yourself against it. So first – What exactly is phishing? Phishing is a social engineering attack where the main goal of the attacker is to trick you into giving your sensitive information (personal and payment information, passwords, etc.). There are many types of phishing (the idea is the same, but we recognize them by the type of media used by the attacker). Smishing – via text messages Vishing – via voice messages Email phishing – via email Spear phishing – the attacker is targeting a specific group of people, for example, people from the same company or with the same interests. Search engine phishing – the attacker positions themselves as a first/top result in search engines. The victim clicks the link, thinking that they will be redirected to the legitimate website they’ve been searching for. Recognizing phishing scams. How to recognize a phishing email? Since the body of the message might mimic the official EA message, first check the email address from which the message came (remember that e.ea.com is a legitimate address). Check for names in the email address – phishers will almost always use names in emails to seem trustworthy. Also, remember that the Community Managers on the forums will never ask you for your account details in forum messages. This rule also applies to messages sent over the console messaging system – we will never do it. Phishers may also try to create urgency by sending you a message claiming that your account has been hacked. If you receive any email claiming that your account is in danger, always check the links within the email to see if they are redirecting you to official sites. Without clicking anything in the email, hover over the pictures and buttons and make sure that the link is redirecting you to the advertised place. Misleading hyperlinks and phishing sites. The official EA website uses the URL http://www.ea.com. Be aware of any links that don't use “ea.com” as the domain name. Even if they include "ea" somewhere in the URL, make sure it is from an official subdomain, just like with email addresses. The text of a hyperlink may contain a URL that is not the URL it actually links to. Notice how in the image below, when you hover your mouse over this link, the URL in the text box in the bottom left does not match the original one we’ve hovered over. Depending on your browser, you can check links like this at the bottom of your browser or in a small text box that hovers over the link. Make sure that any link you click leads to the place it claims it will take you. Redirection to a fake page: The official EA website uses the URL http://www.ea.com. Be aware of any links that don't use “ea.com” as the domain name. Even if they include "ea" somewhere in the URL, make sure it is from an official subdomain, just like with email addresses. The text of a hyperlink may contain a URL that is not the URL it actually links to. Notice how in the image below, when you hover your mouse over this link, the URL in the text box in the bottom left doesn't match the original one we’ve hovered over. Phishers may pretend they are EA. Whenever you receive an email message pretending to be from us, where you are asked to provide your account information – that’s not us. No one from EA will ever ask for your password. What’s a legitimate EA email address? You may receive an email from the address – e.ea.com – that's an official EA email address. You may receive a message from us (Customer Support) or have a password reset link from this address. If you receive a phishing email – don’t click anything in the body of the message. This includes not clicking links, banners, pictures, spoilers, or any buttons (like the report phishing button). You might also be told that you’ve been offered freebies, offers, or any free in-game content. While this happens, if the offer is too good, always check any official messages about promotions, campaigns, and competitions you might have won. Be cautious about third-party websites that promise free in-game stuff or cheats. Keep in mind that we will never sell currency that you can earn in-game by playing (like FC Coins) - the sale and purchase of those, as well as EA accounts themselves, are against our User Agreement. Remember to buy games from trusted retailers. In the event when we would have to add content to your account, it will be automatically added. We will not ask for your account info to give you prizes or presents. To wrap up the information given in this post: Use official channels only – only log in to official EA sites. Check the email addresses. Inspect the hyperlinks in the email. Watch out for redirection URLs. Remember that we won't, ask for the password to your account.AHQ Archive Oct 2023: Social Interaction Security Principals
Welcome to another week of Security Awareness Month on Answers HQ! This week, we would like to delve into the topic of Social Interaction Security Principles. Gaming is all about interacting with other people. Even if you love playing games that are single-player, I can bet that you would love to talk about your favorite game with others. It does not matter if you are a casual or hardcore player, a streamer, or if you play games competitively. All of your interactions can leave a footprint, which in some cases might compromise your privacy or someone else’s. There are a few things we want you to consider in relation to your social interactions in your daily gaming sessions. This would be great preparation for next week's topics where we’ll cover social engineering, like phishing. Protect personal information. Connecting with other people is one of the best advantages of online gaming. Many times, you can meet someone like-minded, living in the same country, or even in the same town. Although it is great to have many things in common, think twice (or thrice) before you give your personal information to anyone online. Giving your real name might be harmless, but combining it with some other personal details might put you in danger of compromising your privacy. Mind your digital footprint. Be aware of what you say online; this applies to both text and voice chats. Things you’ve said might be recorded by other people and used against you. A silly joke or sentence taken out of context might get you in trouble. Be skeptical of strangers. Remember that strangers met online might not be exactly who they claim to be. Be cautious when you meet your favorite streamer playing on their alternative account, or if you’ve accidentally joined the game and played with Geralt of Rivia himself. While it is possible, be skeptical and don’t trust everything that is said by your teammates. Utilize privacy settings. Use the privacy settings available on your EA account to control information visible to other players. Apart from information visible to other players, you can also change how other people can find you or interact with you. If it turns out that the recently-met witcher is not the one he is claiming to be, you can add them to the block list. Check out our article about updating privacy settings here. Report suspicious activity. Whenever you come across suspicious activity, report it to us. You can find more information on how to use reporting tools at EA Help. Be nice. Lastly, be nice and treat others with respect. Creating a friendly environment can foster a healthy community and make harmful behaviors more visible.AHQ Archive Oct 2023: Protecting your gaming account(s)
This week we'll learn more about how to secure your gaming accounts. Your EA account can be linked to many different accounts (such as Discord, Amazon, Xbox, etc.). It is crucial to secure all of your accounts and use all the tools provided to achieve the highest level of security. Securing all your accounts and utilizing the provided tools to achieve optimal security is absolutely necessary. Let's start by addressing the fundamental aspects. There are also some DON'Ts you need to follow. Don't reuse your password. Don't use the same password on two or more platforms. Never reveal your password to anyone. Don't type your password into public computers. Don't use your personal or public information (such as your ID) in passwords. Avoid keeping your password in a physical form near your workspace, like on a sticky note or any easily accessible location. And “DO”s you have to remember. Change your password periodically. Be suspicious of pages asking for logins, passwords, or your personal information. Log off from your gaming client and PC when you are done gaming. Delete all information that contains details about your password (emails, files on PC, or in cloud storage). Create a strong, unique password. Having a complicated password is the first line of defense. Upon creating your EA account, your password must be at least 8 characters long. If you choose to keep your password this short, ensure that it is very complicated. Alternatively, consider adding an additional 4 characters to make it 12 characters long. Adding a few digits, letters, or special characters significantly improves the uniqueness of your password. Of course, mixing numbers, lowercase and uppercase letters, and special characters can be a bit challenging to our memory at the beginning. However, you can develop a system to help you remember even the most complicated password. For example, take a phrase from a game, book, or movie and create an acronym from it. Ensure that your acronym consists of at least 8 letters, and the letters are not duplicating next to each other (like aabbccdd). The next step is to mix uppercase and lowercase characters, along with numbers and special characters. After you've finished, check the strength of your password at https://passwordmeter.com/. Aim for a score of 90-100%. Set up EA Login Verification for extra protection on certain EA services. EA Login Verification provides an extra layer of security and can help prevent anyone other than you from gaining access to your EA Account. You will learn how to set up Login Verification here. How does it work? Whenever you attempt to access your account information or log in to select EA games and services from a new device, you'll be asked for a verification code. There are various ways to obtain the authentication code. We can send the codes to you via email or text message. The quickest way to get your code is by using the app authenticator. The most important part is to write down your backup codes once you've set up Login Verification. Why? Imagine you've lost your phone or access to your email. Having the codes written down in a safe place can help you regain access to your EA account or make changes to the account. If you decide to write them down on a piece of paper, make sure to hide it securely. You can also include some misleading information in the note with your code. In case anyone gains access to your backup codes, they won't be able to link them to your EA account. If you choose to write them down as a file on your PC, it's important to have a secure location on your PC. For example, you can create a Word file and protect it with a password – you'll find an article here. Use Trusted Devices Once you have enabled Login Verification, whenever you mark "remember this device" upon logging in, the device will be considered trusted. Every time you log in, the device will be saved in your list of trusted devices. You can review this list by accessing your security settings menu. Create a habit of checking this list once in a while and reviewing any suspicious activity. In case your account gets hacked, you can remove any trusted device from the list that you do not recognize and haven't logged into yourself. Types of trusted devices and how to secure them: Mobile devices - use passcodes and lock your screens when you aren't using them. PC and Mac - use a strong password for your computer. Consoles - set up passwords for your console accounts to ensure you're the only one gaming on your profile. This is especially important if you share your console with other people. Mind Where You Play We have covered Login Verification and Trusted devices. We understand that on some occasions, you might want to play on a device you do not own. For example, you may be visiting your friend and want to show them how skilled you are on the skating rink in NHL 24. In scenarios like this, after you are done playing, remember to delete your profile from the console. This won't affect your PlayStation or Xbox account when you return home. Another scenario that could put your account at risk is when you log into your EA Account to play a game in an internet café or another location where many people are using the same device. Be aware that other people could have installed software on that device without your knowledge. This could range from keyloggers that compromise your account security to cheat software that might lead to you being banned or suspended from your game. When you log into your EA Account from a device like this, you are playing at your own risk. If you are logging into your account via a browser, ensure that information about your account is not saved in the browser. Lastly, be mindful of "shoulder surfing." Whenever you are about to enter your credentials in a public space, make sure no one is looking over your shoulder. Add a Secondary Email to Your EA Account Another layer of protection is to add a secondary email address to your EA account. In case you lose access to your email account and can't regain access to your EA account, a secondary email address will help you reset your password. How to add a secondary email address? It's simple: Find the Secondary Email section in your EA Account Security tab. Click "Add Secondary Email." Enter an email address different from the one registered to your EA Account. Log in to that email address and locate the security code email sent by EA. Enter your security code in the EA Account settings verification window. Don't Share Your Info With Anyone. Seriously, no one needs to know your password. By sharing your password, you are putting your account at risk. You might trust the person you are sharing your credentials with, but they could also be hacked or have their information stolen. By ensuring that you are the only person who knows your password and login details, you are keeping your account secure.AHQ Archive Oct 2023: Importance of Online Security in Gaming
The gaming community is constantly expanding. Various individuals with different levels of security awareness are attracted to the world of gaming. Our mission is to help everyone be on the same, high level of vigilance over their own online security, and ensure that our gaming experiences remain enjoyable, safe, and secure. Gaming experiences in online games are all about interaction with other people, who love the same game as we do. It does not matter if you are competing on the virtual football field, or playing the objective together on the Battlefield. You have to strike a balance between interaction and compromising your privacy. We, as gamers, must be aware of what information that we share in text or voice chats, because in some cases, this information can be used against us. A safe gaming community means that everyone must feel safe in it. Online security extends to maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment where players can interact without fear of harassment or bullying. At Answers HQ, we - the Community Managers - keep our home free from toxicity. We encourage anyone who spots toxic behavior on the forums to report it to one of us. If you encounter such behavior while gaming and wish to report it, use relevant tools. Having a strong password (we’ll talk about passwords and securing account(s) next week), is a great start, but we want all of you to know that online security does not only mean having complicated passwords. It is a strong foundation, but it is also about protecting your personal identity. The landscape of potential risks is constantly changing, with phishing (we’ll cover phishing in the upcoming week), hacking, scams, and exploitation of vulnerabilities. This month we will help you in identifying such threats, and give you tips on how to avoid them while gaming. We hope that the information we will share in the upcoming weeks will help you better understand the principles of online safety. Through a combination of vigilance, education, and cooperation, we can create a safer gaming environment for everyone! If you have anything to add, share your thoughts!
