Please follow the security hints carefully to avoid losing access to your MasterCores account and to protect it from hacking attempts. This page also offers help if you have already lost your account to a hacker.

Security Hints

Do not give your account data to anybody!
People pretending to be gamemasters or members of the MasterCores Team might contact you and ask for your password, your account number or your recovery key. They might tell you that they have to fix an error, or that they want to give you free items or a Golden Account. This is nonsense. Please always keep in mind that neither gamemasters nor members of the MasterCores Team will ever ask you for your account number or your password. Never give away your account number, your password or your recovery key to other people, not even to the MasterCores Team. Be also very careful about what you are saying in chats, emails or messaging services such as MSN or ICQ!

Do not enter your account data on any website except for www.mastercores.com!
There are websites which claim to do surveys, promise you free items or offer cheat tools etc. You are usually asked to enter your password there, but the only goal of the website is to steal your account. Also, watch out for websites that fake the official MasterCores website. Only the address www.MasterCores.com will bring you to the official website of MasterCores!

Memorise your password and account number well!
Never store your account data on your computer. Also, delete any emails containing account data. If somebody gets access to your computer or email account, he must not find your password, account number or recovery key there. If you have problems to memorise your account data, note them on a piece of paper and keep it at a safe place. Make sure that nobody can find it, not even your friends!

Use secure passwords!
Your password should contain a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Never choose your account number as your password and do not use common words because hackers can guess them easily. The same is true for passwords that refer to your person, e.g. the name of your pet, or your date of birth. A good strategy to find a secure password for example is to think of a sentence and pick the first letters of every word. The sentence will help you to remember your password at all times, and nobody will be able to guess it. Finally, make sure that you do not use the same password for different services. It is important that you use different passwords for your MasterCores account and your email service!

Watch out for suspicious files that can be used to hack your computer!
Some people are distributing files that contain spy software such as trojan horses or key loggers. Dangerous software like that is frequently spread through websites, emails or messaging services such as MSN or ICQ. Carefully examine any link before clicking on it. Any email attachments and downloads should be handled with caution. Most of all, cheat tools and clients that have not been released by MasterCores are often designed to hack your MasterCores account!

Be aware of phishing emails!
As it is possible to fake the sender of an email, it can happen that you receive an email that has MasterCores as sender which was not sent by us. Such emails usually contain links or attachments and are designed in a way to look like an official email from us. Do not simply click on links in such emails. To make sure that you are entering the official website, we strongly recommend you manually type www.MasterCores.com. Also, please note that we will never send you emails with attachments, so do never open them!

Update the software of your computer regularly!
Old versions of your operating system or other software frequently contains security holes that have been removed in newer versions. For example, a hacker can already spy out data from your computer if you visit a website with an old browser. Ideally, all programs on your computer should be updated to the latest available version. Most importantly, update your browser and your operating system regularly to ensure the best possible protection of your computer. Remember many programs will automatically notify you if there are available updates.

Protect your computer using up-to-date security programs!
We recommend you use anti-virus programs as well as a firewall to prevent unwanted intrusions into your computer system. Make sure that you update your firewall regularly and your anti-virus program at least once a week.

Do not play MasterCores in public networks!
If you play MasterCores on a computer to which many people have access, you can never be sure if this computer or the network it is connected to are safe. There may already be trojan horses or key loggers installed on the computer by other people. Also, the data you send through public networks such as those found in schools, libraries or internet cafes can easily be recorded by hackers. Keep in mind to close your character list after you have logged out of the game and want to leave the computer. Otherwise, it is possible that another user logs in. Therefore avoid playing in public networks!

Assign your MasterCores account to your own correct email address!
The assigned email address is the key to your MasterCores account. Make sure you always have access to this email account. Use your email account regularly because many email providers delete inactive email accounts. Do not create an extra email account for your MasterCores account. You might forget to use it regularly after some time. Adjust the assigned email address in time if your current email account is about to change. Also, handle your email account with the same caution as your MasterCores account. A person with access to your email account might be able to hack your MasterCores account!

Do not share or trade accounts!
There is a reason why account sharing and trading is forbidden under the MasterCores Rules. Remember you are running a great risk if you give your account data to any other person. We know from experience that even close friends have stolen or ruined each other's accounts. Also, people who trade their accounts are tricked frequently by the original owner and lose their accounts. Please note that MasterCores will not provide support in case an account is lost due to account trading or sharing!

Register your account and enter correct registration data!
When registering your account you will receive your very own recovery key, which allows you to reassign your account to a new email address immediately. What's more, as a registered user you can request a new recovery key via postal mail for a small fee. Make sure to enter your correct and complete address and remember to keep your registration data up to date, as our letter may not reach you if you have not given your correct postal address. Only registered players can use the full range of account recovery options, so make sure to register your account today if you have not done so yet. Keep in mind that you may lose your account if another person gets access to your account and registers it!

What to Do If Your Account Has Been Hacked

Step 1: Remove the Security Problem!
The very first thing that you have to do is to find out how somebody got your account data. Remember that if you have not removed the security problem, the hacker can again get access to your account. Below you will find a list of questions that might help you to find the security problem and to remove it.

Did you download or open any files that possibly contained spy software such as trojan horses or key loggers? Remember there is a risk that your computer gets infected by spy software whenever you get emails containing attachments, visit websites or receive any kind of files, even if they have been sent by close friends. Therefore you should run one or two up-to-date anti-virus programs on your computer and remove any infected files. From our experience the majority of hacking cases are caused by spy software. For this reason you should be extremely careful whenever you receive any files no matter how trustworthy the source may be. Did you play MasterCores on a computer other than your own? Always remember that you can never be sure that computers owned by other persons are not infected by viruses or key loggers. Inform the owner of the other computer that there might be a security problem that should be removed. Avoid playing on other computers otherwise you risk losing your account again. Did you give your account data to somebody else or did you share your account with a friend? Is it possible that somebody found a piece of paper with your account data on it? Always remember not to give your account data to anybody, not even to people who claim to be gamemasters or members of the MasterCores Team. Often friends trick each other if the characters are quite valuable or they ruin characters carelessly. For this reason do not entrust your hard-earned characters to your friends. Make sure to store your account data in a safe place. Is it possible that your email account has been hacked and that somebody found an email containing your account number, password or recovery key? In this case secure your email account immediately with a new password or contact your email provider for assistance. You might also consider changing the email address your MasterCores account is assigned to. Also, make yourself familiar with the security guidelines of your email provider to avoid further problems. Did you buy the account from somebody or did you trade it? Often the original holder of a MasterCores account has registered it to himself and received the recovery key. By using this recovery key the holder can get his account back anytime by reassigning the account to a different email address. For this reason account trading is forbidden under the MasterCores Rules, and MasterCores will not provide support for accounts that have been traded. Did you enter your account number, password or recovery key at any other website than www.MasterCores.com? Perhaps you have entered your account data on a website which you thought was www.MasterCores.com, but you did not get the expected result? Always remember to check the address carefully before you enter your account data on a website. Only if you see www.MasterCores.com in it, it is safe to enter your account data. Are you sure your password was secure, and that it was not possible to guess? Always make sure to use a secure password for your MasterCores account. Your password should contain a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

If none of these questions helps you to find the security problem, do not simply ignore it. There must be a security problem, otherwise you would not have been hacked. Remember you must remove the security problem before trying to get your account back. If you can exclude all other possible explanations, it is still possible that there is a key logger on your computer that cannot be found by your anti-virus program. To be absolutely sure to get rid of all viruses and key loggers, you need to format all hard disks and to re-install your computer system. Remember that not only your MasterCores account is at stake if your computer is infected by spy software, but possibly also other confidential data such as bank account information.

Step 2: Get Your Account Back!
Once you have removed the security problem you can get back access to your account by using the Lost Account Interface. Of course, you need to prove that your claim to the account is justified. Enter the requested data and follow the instructions carefully. Please understand there is no way to get access to your lost account if the interface cannot help you.

Step 3: Follow the Security Hints!
Losing your account is the hard way to learn that you should be careful with your account data. Please make sure to follow the security hints that are stated above from now on. Otherwise you might make another mistake that a hacker could take advantage of.