Blizzard’s Battle.net system “illegally accessed”

A security update posted on Blizzard’s official site warns users that the Battle.net system has been subject to “unauthorized and illegal access”. Email addresses for global users are known to have been accessed, as are answers to ‘personal security questions’ for players on North American servers.

Blizzard claims that this information alone is not enough for the hackers to gain access to Battle.net accounts. At the present time, the company is also claiming that there’s no evidence of financial information, billing details or real names being accessed.

“Cryptographically scrambled” versions of Battle.net passwords were taken, again from North American servers. Those affected (that’d be anyone who uses Battle.net in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, pretty much) are urged to change their passwords and personal security questions as soon as possible.

Mobile authenticator users are also being prompted to “update their authenticator software”.

The full statement from Blizzard’s Mike Morhaime can (and should) be read here.