Incentivize/Mandate Two-Factor Authentication

The Two-Factor Authentication system is a great resource and tool to provide a lot of extra security for the site, especially with the amount of "hacked" accounts that end up being involved in scams (just look at the Request a Pardon/Dispute a Ban sections).

My suggestion would be to periodically incentivize enrollment in the feature through something akin to a raffle, which would take place every so often, just because while most people can see the obvious benefit of added security, many don't want to go through the hassle for something akin to a mini-rank. I, of course, being the one who came up with the idea for the raffle, would be willing to put up the first prize pool, be it in the form of Runescape Gold or Paypal cash, amount to be determined.

Rules for the raffle would be along the lines of:

1. A post is made in the Community General section a week or so prior to the raffle's actual date, so as to reach as much of the community as possible.

2. All users using the Authentication system at the time of the raffle get one ticket a piece, provided they post in the aforementioned topic to enroll.

3. A number is assigned to each of the people who post who are actually enrolled in the system.

4. A random number generator will be used to select a winner/winners (up to staff how many people can win).

5. These winners will be paid.

The only problem with this sort of system would be the fact that many people may sign up for the program just for the raffle, and then opt out immediately after, only to sign-up again immediately before the next one. This would, obviously, be against the true purpose of the raffle, which is to have people enrolled for their entire stay on Sythe.org. While the added security should be incentive enough once someone is actually signed up for the program, I'm open to ideas on ways in which this problem may be circumvented.

Of course, the alternative would be to simply mandate that every registered account be involved in the authentication process, much like Blizzard Entertainment does for World of Warcraft, but that kind of forced action might not be taken too well by the community as a whole, and may drive people away. Not to mention some people may not have the resources required to take part.

In short, I really like the idea of authentication, because that provides a lot more security for the users of Sythe, but I believe that mass-enrollment will require a little incentive. I'm willing to provide the first prize pool, should the Staff/Community Development Team decide to run with the idea.

Thanks for reading.

 

You are allowed to run events like these yourself. Most of the big traders will get this as is, so they don't get caught. But usually when they're getting banned it's their Skype that is hacked. I like how you're trying to encourage people to use the new program, but most people won't care much for it. (Guess that's more of my opinion) Especially people who don't worry about their account being touched. I will never use the market most likely, and if I do, it'll be to sell something real quick then minimize the market again.

 

Ah, but nobody cares about someone who joined in Oct 2012 with less than 100 posts, hence why it would be better for an organized and well-respected section of the community (Staff/CDT) to host the event/make the posts etc.

And lack of interest is, in principle, the reason for the raffle. Most people may not care about securing their account, but they may be willing to do so if they have a chance to win some cash off of it. In reality, the goal is not to protect the accounts of the users themselves, but to protect the potential victims that a hacker might target.

 

Incorrect, in the marker or SF that may be true. Community is different though. I hosted a League tourney (due to my horrible planning though it took a long while :/) around 100 posts and I was only here for a month or so when it started. There was a good amount of interest and seemed to spark the League section a bit. Hosting it yourself would work, though the CDT could probably host it better. Write it up and send it to one of them if you don't feel like hosting it yourself.(Sorry if that sounded a little blunt)

As for this, what I'm gathering from this is you want to offer incentive for getting something that benefits the ones getting a prize. I feel as if you're being too generous. It's true you'd be protecting more then the hacked person, one or two people may get scammed in time, sure. But if the original user doesn't pay back, they most likely won't be coming back to Sythe. If it was someone who was worth hacking, they'll most likely be a high donor with plenty of trades. That would/should be enough incentive to pay back the scammed members and get the two-factor.

 

Regardless, the raffle, if approved, should be at the hands of someone in a leadership role. Hosting it myself would just make it look like I was trying to be a mini-mod, and it wouldn't garner the amount of attention it could if executed by someone in a leadership role. Hosting a competition using Sythe as a medium, such as a LoL competition, is different than hosting a competition based around a feature of the site itself. And yes, the community is more accepting of the ideas/constructions of users like myself, who just lurk, but this entire suggestion is based around market security, and, as you said, my point about nobody caring about a user such as myself stands true in regards to the market.

Anybody with any posts at all, let alone donations or ranks/mini-ranks are "worth hacking." Any hacker knows the value in assuming another person's identity, and even if the hacked account is just a $5 donor, some people with no donations might take that as an adequate sign of trust to go first in a trade/partake in a trust-based transaction such as dicing with them.

The value in the system doesn't only lie in scam-prevention, it can also prevent someone getting banned/infracted just because somebody with access to their account wants to troll/be a jackass.

Regardless, there's literally no reason to not use the authentication system, no matter how trusted you are/how likely it is that a hacker's scam attempt may succeed, besides perhaps lack of access to a device that can run the client-side of the authentication process.

 

This will probably be my last post here, but here we go.
Hosting it yourself won't make you a mini-mod. Some people may say it, oh well, but it'll be just as effective as if Roary did it. You're saying it's fine for people to enter even if only to enter the raffle. People will enter for that reason only. They may very well get rid of the system afterwards also, but that's a given. Hosting a giveaway like this could also help you in the market, though that doesn't seem to be what you're looking for.

If someone were to hack my account, nothing would come of it. I usually don't have my donor rank showing, honestly not sure why I do right now. I don't use the features anymore (mainly cause I don't care for them so far) I believe I have two vouches. The market they'd get nothing out of for the work put in.

Sharing your account isn't allowed as is, and if they hack just to troll around or be a jackass, they should work on other things in their lives. This won't happen. The whole system is based on account security, mainly meant for the "bigger" members of the site.

The reason I am not using the system is probably the same with a lot of people. I rather not go through the hassle every day to use it. It's a waste of time for me, so making it mandatory would really just displease a lot of people. That won't happen.

Adding incentive of course will help with some people, and yeah, some people will keep it just for the sake of it. But it's really just a waste of time for a lot of people.

 

Either way, I try to avoid the limelight as much as possible. I was just in a funny mood today, so I decided to actually make a topic. This suggestion thread has put me in the public view more than enough, already.

You never know what a new user may take as a sign of trust, especially since a large part of the Sythe market involves a game in which most of the players are young teens. Having more than 300 posts, for example, or even an avatar/signature.

Any skilled social engineer can take an account with 300+ posts and a decent reputation and scam. Hell, people get scammed by people with no posts who joined yesterday. At least in those cases, however, only the perpetrator of the offense is banned from the site, rather than someone who accidentally downloaded a keylogger.

Unfortunately, I've seen it happen. Some people exist only to see the world burn.

Yeah, that is the general reception. The hope of hosting a raffle would be to help mitigate some of the hassle involved with the feature, so that more people would be willing to put up with it if they knew that being enrolled meant you had the chance to win some cash every so often.

Though you and I may disagree, your input is well appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to post, you helped me to see both the strengths and weaknesses of the idea more clearly.

 

I don't like the thought of making it a requirement, but something to raise awareness/give it even more exposure can't be a bad thing.

 

Theres a minirank for it now. Seriously anyone with a brain is going to jump on this. If you don't want hacked, jump on this ASAP. You shouldnt need incentive to protect yourself.

P.S. - my statement applies to those who have the ability to get on this (98%)