Microsoft and EA announce a recent scamming attack has compromised an unknown number of Xbox Live accounts with the starting point being the release of FIFA 12.
Microsoft confirmed the network itself was not hacked and the attack was more of a scamming issues regarding emails with the spike in activity found in that area of the network. The company also said the issue of FIFA 11 and FIFA 12 stuff appearing on affected accounts was more of a coincidence than something intentionally done by the scammers.
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“We do not have any evidence the Xbox Live service has been compromised,” said a representative. “We take the security of our service seriously and work on an ongoing basis to improve it against evolving threats. However, a limited number of members have contacted us regarding unauthorized access to their accounts by outside individuals. We are working with our impacted members directly to resolve any unauthorized changes to their accounts.”
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Most of the affected accounts were previously suspended accounts related to other scams or issues but when made available again were found to have the FIFA data on them.
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Similar stories can be found inside my inbox from dozens of different readers. Something was up. A few noticed achievements for FIFA 11 or FIFA 12 had been unlocked, others found hundreds of dollars missing from their bank accounts thanks to a series of point purchases, and many noticed the people accessing their account were interested in purchasing tons and tons of cards for FIFA Ultimate Team.
The common thread, however, was FIFA. But why? How? FIFA? A Google search brings up exponentially more stories of digital soccer woes from users of Xbox Live. To Microsoft’s credit, many appear quickly resolved.
“With the popularity of FIFA globally, and the sheer number of players playing the game online, FIFA is an obvious target for phishers and frauds,” said an Electronic Arts representative to me. “This is why we try to educate FIFA players to take measures to keep their accounts safe.”
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EA has denied their servers and the FIFA games are directly responsible for the attack although they did mention they are working on closing the vulnerability with Microsoft. The company responded to the issue after their forums had a spike in complaints regarding potentially affected accounts.
Current rumors are placing the blame on EA due to their Ultimate team mode in the FIFA series being a well-known target in attracting scammers and people who sell accounts and pre-made teams with all the stats available.
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/micros...ve-hacks/3746/
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