Free Authenticator: Instructions

[rol3x]

Authenticators cost $20 to buy here so I haven't gotten one, if it was 6 like everywhere else then it'd be a different story. The Winauth I use is a good option, I dont get why people assume everything is the same for everyone on an international website.

[Sobedesce]

Man I just wish i could get an authenticator for $6.50 like you guys in the US.
Total price here comes to 50 dollars (yes fifty) after shipping and taxes =\
I don't currently own a smartphone either and paying 200 dollars (for the cheapest model that isn't chinese garbage) just to use it as a blizz authenticator sounds unreasonable.
Guess I'm left with Winauth. Never really bothered with it, might actually do some reading and try it out.

[Thelxi]

gawd this really is WORLD of warcraft

[Azaril]

Man I just wish i could get an authenticator for $6.50 like you guys in the US.
Total price here comes to 50 dollars (yes fifty) after shipping and taxes =\
I don't currently own a smartphone either and paying 200 dollars (for the cheapest model that isn't chinese garbage) just to use it as a blizz authenticator sounds unreasonable.
Guess I'm left with Winauth. Never really bothered with it, might actually do some reading and try it out.

You can also use BlueStacks and run any android app easily.

[Deleted]

Thinking of trying this though I reformat my pc a lot so is there a way to back this up or is it tied to your OS install?

[Firebert]

Or just spend like £4 on a one :<.

£8.99 on the Blizzard Store.

[Spike`]

what is safer, WinAuth or WinBMA ?

[Ferocity]

Nice instructions, but I'd greatly recommend mobile authenticators for people (which are free for iPhone and Android). Smartphone isn't really that expensive even in countries with bad economy, and it is a very nice toy to play around with. Gamer without smartphone nowadays is... not a gamer. Also Android>>iPhone in everything and costs less.

Also I agree with some posters above. Authenticator adds inconvenient additional steps on logging in, especially for users who really watch their PCs to be clean and can do so without such devices. I myself only added it recently so could have access to RMAH. But there are too much users out there, who hideously buy some WoW gold or download some hacking WoW/D3 program, and then telling their PCs are clean and they don't know how they were hacked. Then they blame Blizzard for being hacked, and with RMAH around it might make a lot of problems for Blizzard if there would be rumors about how they allow accounts connected with real money transactions to be hacked - there are a lot of international organizations which would open investigation on the cause.

[rol3x]

Gamer without smartphone nowadays is... not a gamer.

I cant afford one with my current living situation, gotta spend money on food rent and my education. I am a gamer despite what you think.

[Cactrot]

Nice instructions, but I'd greatly recommend mobile authenticators for people (which are free for iPhone and Android). Smartphone isn't really that expensive even in countries with bad economy, and it is a very nice toy to play around with. Gamer without smartphone nowadays is... not a gamer. Also Android>>iPhone in everything and costs less.

Also I agree with some posters above. Authenticator adds inconvenient additional steps on logging in, especially for users who really watch their PCs to be clean and can do so without such devices. I myself only added it recently so could have access to RMAH. But there are too much users out there, who hideously buy some WoW gold or download some hacking WoW/D3 program, and then telling their PCs are clean and they don't know how they were hacked. Then they blame Blizzard for being hacked, and with RMAH around it might make a lot of problems for Blizzard if there would be rumors about how they allow accounts connected with real money transactions to be hacked - there are a lot of international organizations which would open investigation on the cause.

I really have to disagree with the part about someone without a smart phone not being a gamer. Hell, I'd argue that if your smart phone is central to your gaming experience, you're not really a gamer.

I agree with most other points, except that I think having international organizations opening investigations would be great. Then they could conclusively tell the whiners "No. Blizzard isn't compromising your accounts. Shut up."

[Ferocity]

I really have to disagree with the part about someone without a smart phone not being a gamer. Hell, I'd argue that if your smart phone is central to your gaming experience, you're not really a gamer.

Well, i was probably perhaps not very accurate with words. Should say "almost every gamer nowadays is with smartphone" :P

And nah, smartphone is not central to gaming experience, but it gives high advantages and many people don't even realize what can be done on smartphone.

[DarkSoul]

what is safer, WinAuth or WinBMA ?

I downloaded WinAuth and it's no harder to set up than the Mobile Authenticator for smartphones. You can password protect your Authenticator, as well as restrict it to specific accounts on your computer if you'd like. It's also got a handy "copy to clipboard" button in the bottom right of the program window so you don't have to physically type the numbers if you're worried about keystrokes being read.

Like I mentioned before, it's open source so you can download the source code and compile it yourself if you're paranoid about malware being hidden in it.

[Spike`]

its not being paranoid about that

its only if anyone have experience with both or know something that make 1 of these 2 safer to use (better encryption, better protection on clipboard copying, etc)

[Amed]

Works perfectly, thank you very much.

[Andyo]

If you're that poor you wont pay for an authenticator (assuming you can't get it for free on your portable device) then you have a problem with your life's financial priorities playing this game.

[Amed]

If you're that poor you wont pay for an authenticator (assuming you can't get it for free on your portable device) then you have a problem with your life's financial priorities playing this game.

Please stop spewing such non-sense :/

I am by no means "poor", i only live in a country where i cannot get the Physical Auth because it is not sold here, and i own a Nokia smartphone, so i am out of options to get an authenticator, that Winauth gives me the option to use RMAH, i never needed the Auth for security anyway during my last 6 years of WoW, but now in order to use RMAH i am forced to get one so.. the world is not all about your small room buddy.

[Bitlovin]

I'll stick to not using an authenticator, thanks.

Good luck with that.

[Revolutions]

Here's something from one of my favorite websites. I can't link the site, but here is the original forum post.

Don't have an iPhone/can't afford a real authenticator? Look no further.

I whipped this up in an hour or so after stumbling upon Kynox's Battle.Net Authenticator Library (yes, about 99% of the work was done by him :P).

It's a simple program, it generates a serial for you to attach to your account, then continuously refreshes a working code whenever the program is open. However, I've added the extra feature of 'Server-Side Backup', which will place your authenticator in a database, just in case you ever accidentally mess up the files, or delete the authenticator before having a chance to remove the authenticator from your account. I can't tell you how many times it's happened to me. Okay, I can. Once. However it would have been handy if I could have backed it up before I had to call Blizzard.

Edit: When you attach the authenticator to your account, you may recieve an error message. I don't know why this is, but the Authenticator is definitely attached to the account!!

Anywho, here's a screenshot:


Here's the virus scans of the two files included in the zip:
PC Authenticator.exe
BlizzAuthenticator.dll

And here's the download link:
For US players
For EU players

I've used this authenticator for years and have never had any issues.

[Cactrot]

its not being paranoid about that

its only if anyone have experience with both or know something that make 1 of these 2 safer to use (better encryption, better protection on clipboard copying, etc)

They use the same algorithm (which is the same as the physical and mobile ones). There's nothing you can do to protect clipboard copying really. They're pretty much the same thing.

[Sweetleader]

"Hey guys, I'm an awesome driver. I never get in wrecks and follow the road rules to a T. I don't think I"ll buy insurance anymore, and if they force me to buy insurance I'm gonna say it's extortion and Coercion."

This is pretty much all I hear when somebody says there computer is "safe". Newsflash, anything connected to the internet is NOT safe.

Thanks for the thread by the way.