Recent ICQ Hackings, and How to Avoid it Yourself

[Vaen Swiftar]

There's been some RAMPANT hacking on ICQ lately, and the person has done it WITHOUT sending you any files or getting your IP. In fact, the way this person does it is actually quite genius.

He will go to icq.com and find your SECURITY QUESTION for you account, and then initiate a conversation with you based off of that. Because the ICQ is coming from a friend, you won't suspect it. After you've answered the security question, it's too late.

Don't answer fishy questions. kthxbai

 

[MalagAste]

Thank you for the heads up I'll spread the news!

 

[Tina Small]

ICQ now lets you write your own question (and answer) for purposes of retrieving a lost password. It of course still offers a range of pre-determined questions for which you provide your own answer.

It took a bit of digging to figure out how to reset the Q&A, since it doesn't seem to be something you can do under your Profile or Options once you're logged into ICQ.

The most direct route I found is to go to the ICQ home page (www.icq.com). Then click on the Support button and choose Help from the drop-down menu.

On the next screen, click on the link for the Knowledgebase. (Kind of center left side next to a blue book with a flower on it.) (You can try to use the search bar but I could never get it to work correctly.)

On the next screen, under the "ICQ Software" heading, click on the "Passwords" link.

You should now see a list of related questions. Click on the last one that reads, "How does the Password Assistance System work?"

On the next screen, you'll find a brief description of how the ICQ Password Assistance System works. What you want to click here is either of the two links at the end of this description. The first link is for setting/changing your questions and answers if you remember your ICQ password. The other is for setting your questions and answers if you do not remember your ICQ password.

I would provide a direct link for either of these, but it's a very odd looking link and I think you will feel much more secure just going through those steps above yourself rather than using a link I might provide.

 

[Vaen Swiftar]

Thank you, Tina. I couldn't find it myself.

 

[AesSedai]

- ICQ has been an inferior & 'hackable' method of conversing for many years (but hey, so has email & much more).

You want to secure yourselves as best as possible, then use Skype (it is encrypted fairly well) & never give anyone any information regarding the security info. of your UO account (~valuable accounts of any kind), related emails (all email security info. for that matter), or personal messaging, etc... to... anyone. never.
AKA best keep your stuff to yourself, if you want to stay safe

 

[hawkeye_pike]

He will go to icq.com and find your SECURITY QUESTION for you account, and then initiate a conversation with you based off of that. Because the ICQ is coming from a friend, you won't suspect it. After you've answered the security question, it's too late.

Can't happen to me:

1. I don't talk to strangers on ICQ
2. The security question is in a foreign language, as is the answer
3. The content of the question can never be part of a casual conversation.

 

[Petra Fyde]

I don't think I can even remember what my security question is.
It's bound to be something personal though, and I don't discuss personal stuff on icq, only uo related stuff.

 

[Aboo]

Thanks Tina, I didn't know we could set our own security question now. Your instructions were great!

 

[Maplestone]

I've never been a fan of the idea behind security questions - the whole idea of encouraging people to add a weak password that allows access to their strong password has always been a head-scratcher to me. Yeah, defense-in-depth I know ... but it still feels like a false sense of security unless you make it equally random gobbledegook as your main password.

 

[Alezi]

SQ Anwer: Firehose. Now find my ICQ and hack my account!

 

[Mitzlplik_SP]

I think the term " gettin hacked " is way off. Hacking is totally different from divulging your own info to someone you`ve never met.

I dunno,I`ve played online games for bout 11-12 years now and not one time has my accounts in any game ever been comprimised. I don`t use anything more than Mcaffee and common sense. Works like a charm.

 

[Ailish]

Can't happen to me:

1. I don't talk to strangers on ICQ
2. The security question is in a foreign language, as is the answer
3. The content of the question can never be part of a casual conversation.

#1 is not helping you at all. When it happened to me, the guy apparently got my ICQ # from the contacts list of someone I knew whose account he hacked. I never spoke to him until *after* he already had my account in his control. In fact, the person whose account he got my # from was actually blocked from my end because the guy was an asshat.

The guy himself admitted he had never talked to me, did not know me at all, and that I had done nothing to leave myself open for the hacking other than what ICQ provided.

Having said all that - your #2 and #3 ARE what is/will protect you from this.

I think the term " gettin hacked " is way off. Hacking is totally different from divulging your own info to someone you`ve never met.

While the way the the guy gained control of my account would not be considered a hack, exactly, more of a guessing game, it had nothing to do with me divulging information. It had to do with a weak "pre-designed" question provided by ICQ before they allowed custom question. I have since rectified that situation with my new ICQ number by using a custom question with a gibberish answer.

 

[thelust6]

For ICQ you could always give made up details for that extra level of security, surley your freinds and family already know who you are, why provide the your real credentials for a messenger site? This works for me because I rarley use ICQ x