Microsoft Warns Of MMO Account Theft

Microsoft warns developers about Massively Multiplayer Game accounts being stolen and sold on the black market.

At Microsoft's Gamefest event, security development engineer Dave Weinstein told attendees that MMOG's are becoming targets for criminals who steal account information to sell on the black market alongside stolen credit cards and passports. With hundreds of hours being put into aquiring goods and leveling up characters, some of these accounts can be worth a great deal of money to the right buyer.

"The police are really good at understanding 'Someone stole my credit card and ran up a lot of money,'" Weinstein said. "It's a lot harder to get them to buy into, 'Someone stole my magic sword.'"

Blizzard banned over 59,000 World of Warcraft accounts in July for using programs that aid gold farming. Unfortunately, those actions do not help users who have their personal information stolen via malware or hacking.

Thanks, Reuters.