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Some time ago as BioWare was discussing the Guild Banks, the topic of securing the banks with Security Key access came up. Happily BioWare has implemented such a setting in the recent patch.

Unhappily, it has much more far reaching effects than just securing the Guild Bank. The guild itself has the option of enabling Security Key access as a whole, for all ranks of membership. It works like this:

Let's say I, as your benevolent and farsighted Guild Leader, decide we want to secure the entire guild with Security Keys. I can enable this for each rank within the guild or not as I see fit. I could, for example, decide that all members of the Masters Council need to have security keys. So I click the button that makes that happen. The system then, automatically, demotes anyone on the Council who does not have a Security Key enabled on their account down to the next available rank for which Security Keys are not required. This can be done for each rank in the guild except the lowest, which, in our case, is Initiate. So, if Security Key access was enabled for all ranks in the guild, anyone without a Security Key would instantly become an initiate regardless of what level we may have promoted you to.

How does this relate to the Guild Bank? I can set Guild Rank restricted access to each tab of the bank, thereby ensuring that if a given rank requires a Security Key to be at that rank, then access to that tab is also limited to those with a Security Key.

What we want to know, before applying any Security Key access at all is as follows:

Is this a poilcy Guild Members want?

Does everyone who wants one, or holds a rank within the guild above Initiate, have one? (Keeping in mind that if you have an iPhone or an Android the app for the Security Key is free and if you do not, they are $4 from BioWare)

If you do not wish to get (or do not already have) a Security Key device, will you be okay knowing that you would likely lose any rank in the guild you may have and, potentially, free access to the bank,if the majority decide that they want this?

We, as your Guild Leadership, think that Key Access is a good idea for bank security and guild security as a whole, but we do not want to force people to have to spend money any more than necessary in order to enjoy the game and the Guild. We feel strongly about this, but want to hear your voice and opinion on the matter so that we can do what you want.

Please, also make sure to read the other posts marked IMPORTANT in the forum as they contain additional information and discussion topics related to the bank and the guild.

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As newbie recruit #1, I endorse the need for security keys for those who run the Guild Bank.

No matter how well meaning people are, accounts do get hacked. I've known guilds who had an officer that had full bank access, got hacked and the hacker decided to violate the guild bank. While this is a rare occurrence... why even take the risk? Be safe, use protection.

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I've been searching far and wide and security key devices are not available for purchase here. And I don't have an android phone so unless you want to either a) buy me a security key device or b) buy me an android phone, you'll be shutting me out of the guild bank if you implement something like this.

An all or nothing approach with security keys being required to access the guild bank is extreme and unnecessary. All you have to do is set the tabs to have separate restrictions with increasing levels of rank required. Likewise, start the credit limits low, and increase them with each successive rank.

For example, a standard member could have full access to the first tab (only) and a limit of 10,000 credits per week. If they decide to rip off the guild, they'll only be able to pull out 1 tab worth of equipment (less if you restrict them to 10 or 20 items per week), and 10,000 credits. A single level 50 can make 100,000 credit in an hour by doing dailies, so the guild can easily recover from the actions of one hacked account.

Personally, I wouldn't require a security key for anything less than the second leadership - that still allows people without security keys to have the rank to invite new members. There are reasons someone may not want to use a security key - if I lose my phone, I don't want to lose SWTOR access for days. The built-in controls should be sufficient security to prevent the guild from being wiped out by someone who slips through the cracks.

There is really very little reason for anyone in this game to not have a security key. Im sorry, but that is the truth. I work in a field where I see a lot of hacking consequences and all of these games are extremely easy to get access too. If you do not have a key, its my opinion, that you're asking for it. You might be very good at what you do, but I don't care. There is still a high potential for being hacked.

With that said, I agree with levels of restriction. We can offset the damage, but that doesnt stop a high ranking official from a hack. I think the security key system is actually a very good idea for BW to implement.

I would be willing to forward security keys to people outside the US and canada. I can't imagine there are a lot of you without keys or phones, so I hope Im not shooting myself here. Send me a PM in game (Syr and Luk'twi) and we can discuss the finer details. That is how important I think a security key is to these games.

As reference folks all the ways you can get a security key for SWTOR

http://www.swtor.com/info/security-key

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I don't have a smart phone, so I purchased the physical key. It's a little longer to log in, but I'm happy that I don't have to worry about my account being hacked.
I agree that there should be a key requirement, at least past a certain access level. Complete removal from the bank just leaves new people to the game/guild or folks that can't get the money together feeling excluded. I'd say just limit the amount someone without a key can remove just in case they're hacked.

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Yes, it's secure. Dongles are secure, too. The problem is when a form of security becomes cumbersome enough that it is not worth the benefit. For some people, the security key is not a burden...but for others, it is. Because it's restricted to a single device, you either carry around another piece of hardware all the time, or don't have access to any TOR material from BioWare - including the website. If I install the app on my phone, and want to access the website on my phone, I have to do cumbersome task switching within a short time limit to successfully log in. If I lose my phone (which has happened once) or have the phone reset due to problems (which has happened three times in the past year), I'm locked out of the content I paid for until I go through a long and involved process to reset my account...and if the process wasn't long and involved, it's wouldn't be secure.

I participate in online transactions, such as the one used to pay for TOR. That process is less secure than what BioWare is asking me to do. Why would I want to go through more hoops to protect a game with digital content than what is used to protect my real-world money? If my account gets hacked, I lose the time and effort spent to level up a character for a few months, and some virtual cash - annoying, yes, but not a disaster. Furthermore, as has been done in most other MMOs, BioWare will do their best to keep me as a customer by trying to restore what I lost. The reason they promote the security key so heavily is that it makes their job easier.


I think this is the best compromise between the two camps.

Last we checked, all the officers already have security keys of some sort, so that's likely a given. I think the real question is, at what rank level do we set the requirement to have keys? Revanchist? Initiate? Hand of Revan?

This, of course, is handcuffed to the amount of withdrawal ability each level gets. We're not gonna allow a level that doesn't require security keys to be able to get too much. But what is safe?

Keep in mind: If we set security key requirement at the Hand of Revan level, for example, this means that anyone who can't (or won't) get a security key will NEVER be able to be promoted above Revanchist.

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"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That way you don't kill your friends with area of effect powers." --thirstywizard

Just a quick note. I had the security key fob from the begining. Recently I traveled away and fogot it. It took about 5 mins and my security questions to get access over a phone and clear the key from my account. I promtly downloaded the Android App and registered it. I had access in about 15 mins from the time I sat down to login. I support the security keys. If you dont play with one currently, spend the $4 to save yourself the grief later. You spend $15 bucks a month on this game and countless hours. It is nothing in the long run.

GM Chance

I dont have an issue with the security key. I had the app on my phone until it fell in the water. after getting my new phone I found out that I couldnt get a new security key app because they didnt have a way to set the new app to my account. (2 months ago)

I have been planning on ordering the keyfob but havent gotten around to it yet.

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I'm sorry, but that seems like a bunch of alarmist and hyperbolic statements. To say typing in two passwords instead of one is cumbersome and not worth the benefit seems awfully short-sighted. I also wasn't aware task-switching on a smart phone was cumbersome (is it really that hard to press a button or two?), or carrying around a key fob was that debilitating. Finally, resetting your security key with BioWare is hardly a lengthy process, but don't confuse complexity with effectiveness. Just because it doesn't take more than 5 minutes to reset a security key doesn't mean it's not an effective deterrent/preventative measure against hacking.

What you do with your personal transactions is your business; if you don't see fit to protect your private accounts, that's your right. However, access to the guild bank affects the guild as a collective. If your inability to secure your account results in a hack and the guild bank being robbed, that's time and effort wasted for all of us, not just you. So it's just showing consideration to "go that extra mile" to make sure the guild's assets are kept safe(r).

Clearly, I support requiring security keys. I would go so far as to say security keys are a prerequisite for any sort of authoritative membership. I'd also say standard membership should be broken into two - those who have security keys and those who don't. Guildies with security keys can enjoy the full benefits of standard guild bank access, while those without are restricted to pulling fewer items and credits out of the bank per week. I hate to make it seem like people without security keys are second-class citizens, but c'mon people... show some consideration for your guildmates and spend $4 (or the time/disk space spent to install the security app) and the extra 5 seconds it takes to log in. It's not that difficult, and it's not asking that much.

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Well maybe some of us are second class citizens or don't have the cash to import a 4$ device from overseas for 20-30$ simply because our stores don't do so, or buy a new phone unless necesarry.

[sarcasm]If you are afraid of your stuff getting stolen from guild bank, don't deposit anything and use in-game mail or the trade system. That way you don't have to worry about my or anyone else'S account getting hacked. [/sarcasm]

Guys & gals, some of these posts are starting to sound a bit shrill.

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Supposedly it's possible to purchase them through their UK store, if that helps.

There's a thread discussing it here: link

The link to the store is here: link

Since the Origin store auto-redirects me to the US store, I have no way of telling what the situation is. If some of you EU people could check that out and let us know, that would be great.

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"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That way you don't kill your friends with area of effect powers." --thirstywizard