Free Windows Authenticator OS

Warning: This app is not sanctioned by Blizzard, or tested in any manner – use at own risk! Blizzard have stated a stance of accepting that it works, but they prefer customers use the real sanctioned tools.

As the app runs on a pc, that app can be compromised as much as any other.

Wandering through the D3 and Blizzard discussions on security, I found a free Windows app which emulates the authenticators. Basically it is the same app as used on the mobile devices, except it is Windows software. And it is open source, currently v1.7.1314 and appears to be updated regularly.

Refs:

• Blizzard’s Official Stance (http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2569217651#5)
• Comment in D3 forums by author of the application (http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5150113315#2)
• Promo for it in the forums (http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5730074075)

Wow, a pretty impressive give away of a useful function!

WinAuth uses the same algorithm as the Mobile Authenticator for Android and iPhone, and so generates the same codes when using the same serial number and secret key. One of the initial reasons to write it was to remove the dependency on having the phone available, but still use the same codes.

Whilst you cannot directly read the Mobile Authenticator’s private keys from an iPhone or non-rooted Android, you can now use the new Restore feature to copy your authenticator over to WinAuth.

Impressive, and now even less excuse not to have an additional line of account security for Blizzard games.

Armory iphone update is pretty shmick

Holy crap, the most recent update for the Armory which came out a week ago is a great update in functions, and highly worth it.

The highlights are:

• 3d viewer,
• app seems to run faster,
• activity feed,
• improved character summary page.

The stand out for me is the improved summary screen for your character, and the 3d character viewer. Both are great and really make the Armory app seem more and more like something you need, rather than something to play with. Now this entire app might be a silly toy, and it might actually add no value to my game-play, but it seriously rocks. For anyone who is a fan boy of wow this is eye candy of the finest quality.

One thought I had was a feature they should add is a list of the patterns for each profession your character has, so I can look for specific patterns for mates. That plus the coming of the guild chat, means we can actually add some value to our fellow players who not logged in.

Paying for a turbo-wow-iphone app?

So the apps for playing wow away from wow will cost a little bit. Like using the AH from an iPhone, nice idea. What is your squeal price for this?

• the interface and features have to be freaky-high quality to be even worth pondering.
• the free version of the iphone app had better stay, because cheap wow’ers (like me) are not keen to miss a bit of functionality; particularly if it gets taken away for a paid version.
• If they start charging for the app and then remove the free one, does that mean that we can get back all the free versions that Blizzard shutdown a while back?

It rings false to me that this should be a paid app, unless of course the fee is so damn small that they’re basically giving it away. Then again that statement is interesting in itself.  That just means I’m not actually adverse to a purchase, just that my squeal price for an app is not the same as everyone else. $1 yep, $3 probably not, $10 piss off jerk.

So my cost is basically a coffee. If it gives value and costs a coffee, I’d get it. If it costs a lunch its out. If it costs a dinner I’ll get pleasure when I hear folks using it, because they’re making me feel that they’re that much more crazy about this wow offline-online thing than I am.

The way we as consumers purchase is well understood, and I think that one thing intelligent marketing and product types understand is how to figure the best squeal point to capture the most money by the end of the product life. More power to them, in fact I respect the math and theory that goes in to it.

WoW Armory for the iPhone released

We can now grab an official Armory iPhone app (wow.com article). Let me be one of the many that runs around in circles squeeling like a school girl about this, starting now – brb. *yay, squeel*

By all accounts it looks nice. That reminds me…*yay, squeel*

I’ll write impressions after a few days of playing around; but for a starting question:

Q. Why can I login to this using my Username and Password, but not using an Authenticator?

A. No Fucking Idea – but that is not good at all! This could facilitate account hacking / hijacking.

Authenticate iPhone or Keyring, not both.

There is much rejoicing about the iPhone based authentication recently released, and why not? Its a free version of the keychain. I said previously:

This little app has the potential to help every one of the millions of Blizzard clients, and if done well will help change our expectation of online services.

But they’ve got it 90% right. I tested the sign-up process and have found two things that I don’t like.

Software authenticator announced

A software based authenticator for mobile devices has been announced. Good god, that is an interesting idea!

I think the employee who thought this up, or even the team who wanted it should be taken out to lunch. Somewhere nice too, with white tablecloth. This little app has the potential to help every one of the millions of Blizzard clients, and if done well will help change our expectation of online services.

• Can you reverse engineer a iPhone/mobile/whatever app? Probably, but how hard. Does the delivery to so many platforms make it easier to get security flaws, as there are so many difefrent platforms?
• Connection only needed the first time it runs, to setup the account link. Obvious, but important.
• I wonder if I can put in the serial of my physical keychain, and then use my iPhone for authentication. This way I have two devices linking to my account. Why? So that if my iPhone crashes, or I drop my keychain into the toilet by accident I can still play wow.
• It won’t be free (nothing good is) but hopefully its no more expensive that the keychain model.

This is also a great sign of what online games, apps, links, and services all over the place should be doing if the proport to have “high security”. 10/10, but it remians to be seen if its safe. The early adopters will be taking a few risks, so I’ll stay with the keychain till after the first few rounds of release.

ps. I wonder if the Apple App Store will give the Devs grief to get the app approved. Afterall you can talk about rude things while playing the game….

Internode offers free wifi for iPhone

If you’re an iPhone user (like I am) you’ll be pleased to find that Internode are offering you free wifi. Internode already have very good plans, free downloads for some content and many other things that make them a good choice for an ISP; which is why I use them.

Armory on your iPhone

A dev named SaladFork has created an Armory web page optimised for the iPhone. That right folks – you can now browse toons on the Armory using a custom webpage built for mobile devices. The author has put a good deal of effort into the initial beta version, and my quick testing found it worked a treat. Take a look here i.array0.com, or the home page occ.array0.com

For me this is a great form of convergence: wow + iphone = geek fun anywhere.

Aussies get the iPhone

In pretty exciting news it looks like the iPhone will be released in Australia in the last week of June. Linkage via MacTalk Forums.

More than one carrier supported, iPhone 2.0, 3G support, no lock in contract. Thats a shift in policy for Apple, and hopefully it will work out well.

Will it see me upgrade from my current model – doubtful. Grats to the folks who were dying for them. (thanks to Ollie for the info)

iPhone theme for World of Warcraft

In an attempt to raise my nerd factor a little higher, I’ve taken an iPhone theme for World of Warcraft, and updated it as a SummerBoard theme that will run with v1.1.1 of the iPhone software.

The URL is: http://www.users.on.net/~typhoon.andrew/software/iPhone_WoW_theme.zip

Hope you can enjoy.

To use you’ll need to copy these files onto your iPhone and place them into the Themes directory below the SummerBoard directory.