Public Notice on Internet Security

Punkin Pie

Pirate Lord
Hey folks, I want to remind everyone to STAY SAFE ONLINE!

Most of our information comes from social media including emails and messages from senders we don't know. Following these steps can help keep your personal information and your system safe.

Hover over any links before following them to ensure they're from a reputable and trustworthy domain. Be sure to look closely, sometimes they can be tricky. It's best to avoid clicking links from people you don't know very well.


PHISHING & SCAMS
Phishing scams typically come in the form of disguised email messages that either have a spoofed sender or that appear to come from a legitimate source. They usually send you to a look-a-like website that intends to trick you into visiting it or entering in your actual information.

Things to look for:

  1. Hover over links to see where they actually go to before visiting it.
  2. Look for subtle differences in the attached URL. For example, prntscr.com is a legitimate site, but prtnscr.com is NOT.
  3. Check out the domain of the sender's email address (the piece after the @ sign) to see if it matches up with the legitimate service's site.
  4. If you've NEVER signed up for a particular service/website and you receive an email from them, the message likely isn't real.
  5. Shoddy image editing/fake looking logos
  6. Lack of an SSL certificate (SSL certificates basically show that a website's connection is encrypted and that any information sent through it cannot be seen by anyone else. A website that has an SSL certificate will have https:// at the beginning of its address and show up "green" in the address bar).
  7. Email attachments (usually files that end in .zip) from senders you do not trust/do not know.
Keylogging
A keylogger is a form of malware that can read every single key you press on your keyboard. Everything that you type is sent over the Internet to the attacker. The intent of this type of malware is to steal usernames, passwords, credit card info, and other sensitive information that you may type in.

If you notice that you receive "suspicious log in activity" emails from websites you use, or notice that your account shows activity that was not made by you, chances are you may have become victim to a keylogger (assuming you are following all of the password guidelines in one of my previous posts).

Here are steps to take if you think you have a keylogger on your system:

  • Run a scan with your antivirus program of choice or Malwarebytes. The keylogger should come up as a detected object. From there, you can blast it right out of the water.
  • Even though the keylogger is now gone from your system, data has already been sent to the malicious individual on the other side. Change ALL of your passwords. If you made any online purchases using your credit card, ask that your card be deactivated and that you receive a new card.
Things you can do to prevent further incidents of keyloggers grabbing information from your system:
  • Copy and paste sensitive information from a text document (obviously not accessible to other users on your PC). To the keylogger, all that will be sent over is a CTRL+C and a CTRL+V.
  • Use a password manager, like LastPass. LastPass automatically fills in login details - no keyboard activity is required.
NEVER EVER give anyone your log in information!!
DON'T share accounts!!
NO ONE in game OR off game including Staff will EVER ask you for your information!

Stay safe online - stay safe on the Forums - stay safe in game!
 
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With the game reopening Sunday, I want to reiterate the importance of not Sharing accounts. If you have kids that play, please make sure they know this. No one will give you a 'special weapon' or 'master your pirate' if you "just give them your log in information for a minute". That's a pretty old trick that sadly works on a lot of unsuspecting kids in many games.
No one in game should ever ask for your account information. If they do, report them.
Be safe, be wise, and
have lots of fun!
See you in game!
 
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