Account Protection 101
Written by Kym
Let's go back to rudiments here. Jump on board while I take you to on a trip back to basic concepts that strangely, a lot of people forget. Regardless of how many trophies you posses, how colored your neopet is or how many rare items and piles of neopoints you have, it will all be useless if you have your account stolen. This is why I take you today on a trip back to basics - account protection 101. This will ensure that all your hard work remains just that, yours.
Lesson 1 - Your Email
When you sign up with Neopets, you are required to provide an email. This email serves as a contact point between you and Neopets and is very handy should you forget your password as Neopets provides a password recovery option where you password is sent to your email if you request it. Alas, this can also make it easier for your account to be stolen as 'hackers' can hijack your email account, request your password to be emailed to your account and then discover your account username and password. Hang on a minute I hear you say! To do this, the 'hacker' must first gain access to my email! Well amigo, as ludicrous as this may seem, it's actually quite common out there on that big network called the Internet. Better safe than sorry.
So how can you protect yourself from people like this? When you provide your email for your account, use an email address nobody knows. This means absolutely nobody. If you need to sign up a new account, then do so. This should be considered your personal email just for Neopets. Do not disclose this email to anyone else. In other words, do not use your primary or any email address which is known by others as your Neopets contact email. Basic as it may seem, also refrain from using your private Neopets email on MSN messenger. This messaging program is a breeding ground for hijacked emails.
Lesson 2 - Your Browser
When you visit Neopets and log in, your information is stored on your computer in what is known as a cookie. In the past, some people have discovered a way to manipulate website coding to 'cookie grab' your information and thus, gain access to your account. Most browsers have been provided with updates to fix this security loop so as long as you upgrade your browser software to the latest, breathe and relax and know that you can visit any website you want, without the fear of being cookie grabbed. It has been a trend that sites, which possessed cookie grabbers, were ones that promised programs that cheat Neopets.
Lesson 3 - Your Password
If your password is currently 'hello' or 'qwerty' or '12345', go and change your password now. This also goes for passwords such as 'apple' or 'banana' or 'dog' or any other one word passwords for that matter. Passwords should be a combination of letters and numbers. For example 'Jksa82jKs82' would be nearly impossible to guess. Another good guideline is ensuring that your passwords do not fall beneath 5 characters. In addition, make sure your Neopets password is not a 'universal' password. This means that the password you use for Neopets isn't the same for everything else. It would be disastrous if a 'hacker' found the password to your email, and thus gains free entry to your account.
Lesson 4 - Password Prudence
It is surprising how many people give their passwords out to other people. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever do this. This cannot be emphasized enough. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password. Never ever, ever, ever give out your password.
Lesson 5 - Too Good to be True?
As a rule of thumb, if an offer is too good to be true, then it usually is just that… to good to be true. Basically, this means don't let your greed get the better of you. Do no let someone else gain access to your account with the promise of riches and gifts. Anyone who promises this should have warning bells signaling in your head straight away. This person is a scammer. There should never be a reason that requires a person to gain access to your account.
Lesson 6 - Glitches and Bugs
If you see a glitch or are given the knowledge of one, don't abuse it. The Neopets team are notorious for freezing people who gain advantage of exploiting these glitches that appear from time to time. This means you should never consider touching these glitches, even with a ten-foot pole.
Lesson 7 - NeoBoards
This comes down to a matter of opinion, but the NeoBoards are a breeding ground for random freezing, especially if you take part is ferocious debate. Whether it be freeze happy monitors or just the unfair gang reporting of a user, politics is always a bad thing and like lesson 6, stay away from these things with a ten foot pole… nay, a twenty foot pole if possible.
Lesson 8 - Spotlight Neomails
When you gain a high score or get featured on Neopets, be prepared to be inundated by neomails offering friendship and/or begging for neopoints or items. Ultimately it is up to you to decide what to do with these, but it is advisable to ignore any such emails. People on the other end of the Internet are just plain… weird and will even attempt to report you for not selling them an item cheap or replying that you're not interested. I have witnessed many people being frozen due to the fabrications of users on the other end. Why risk it?
Lesson 9 - Anonymity is Your Friend
Repeat after me, anonymity is your friend. Occasionally, Neopets runs glitches. One of the glitches that occurred in the past were ones which allowed anyone to gain access to each others accounts via the password recovery option. Not surprisingly, the more famous neopians were the first ones targeted. Needless to say, if these people were not as well known, they would have had more chances of not being targeted.
In addition, cronies and hate groups can and will attempt to cut you down if you get too recognized by reporting you over and over again until a monitor fails in his/her civic duty and thus, freezes you bowing to public pressure. Ugly but true. Maybe this will change in the future when Neopets hires fair monitors or when a sign comes from above that the monitors really are doing their job without bias. One can dare to dream can't they.
Lesson Conclusion
So there you go, some lessons on how to keep your account safe. Keep them in mind and you can't go wrong!
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