Online gaming accounts for "Guild Wars 2" have been under siege from hackers since the game's launch.
According to the game's developer, ArenaNet, the hackers have caused problems on more than 11,000 accounts by plugging in account information that was stolen elsewhere.
"Hackers have lists of email addresses and passwords stolen from other games and web sites, and collected through spyware, and are systematically testing Guild Wars 2 looking for matching accounts," ArenaNet wrote on the Guild Wars Wiki. "To protect yourself, use a strong, unique password for Guild Wars 2 that you've never used anywhere else!"
According to the BBC, most of the hacking attempts are coming from China.
"Guild Wars 2" accounts may be attractive to hackers because of the game's virtual economy. Virtual goods and valuables that people buy and sell in the game do translate into real-world value. Additionally, the more characters an individual has, the more revenue he or she can collect.
Once these accounts are cleaned out, their spoils sold off on other sites, they turn into spammers and bots, becoming a detriment and drag on the game's enjoyment for everyone.
In addition to the online warning, ArenaNet said it was attempting to contact users individually at the first sign of a security problem.
Despite the many compromised accounts, ArenaNet does have safeguards in place to protect against unauthorized access. Players can opt into an additional security check that will send users an email if someone attempts to access their account from an unfamiliar location. Once an email is received, a player can either allow or deny the login request.