MS Points System Hacked

[CeeKay]

looks like a group of hackers came up with an algorithm to generate MS Points codes using old used codes on the 7th and put it out for everyone to share.  needless to say MS dropped on them like a 500 lb gorilla but not before over $1 million dollars in points were gained.  I wonder if they'll be able to figure out what points used were counterfeit, I imagine if they do there will be some bans going on.

[Teggy]

Unless they've got an odd system, I'm sure MS has a log of every code they've ever generated in-house, so it should just be a matter of time before they figure out which ones were bogus.

[mytocles]

One of my Friends sent me a message the other day that simply said: "1600 G."  When I asked him what it was about he said that he'd been told him that MS was giving away 1600 points if you sent that to all Friends.  I told him I thought it wasn't likely to be legit, because the last time MS gave anything away, it was 80 points.  Sounds like maybe this might have been a rumor that sprouted from the system being hacked.

Some days I'm glad I'm not a technophile, lol - I don't know how to even send a message to All Friends, so I was saved from the possibility of thinking "oh, what the hell - can't hurt, might help."

 

PS:  Before I hit Post, I checked that message, and "the other day" equals Feb. 27 in my world, apparently.  Due to what I read in the link,

Each refresh of the site brought up a new 160 point code; one person claimed that he scrounged up $150 worth of points in about 20 minutes, but naturally others began having trouble accessing the site as traffic rapidly grew beyond capacity.

now I'm wondering if that was a pre-test of some sort to see how much they could tie up the system.  In general, I give no credence whatsoever to conspiracy theories... unless they involve MS.   

[jersoc]

That's actually quite impressive they did that.

[papasmurff]

I see criminal charges in their futures... if MS can figure out who it was...

[Caine]

I see criminal charges in their futures... if MS can figure out who it was...

they will have no problem figuring out who used them.

"We are aware of the situation and have taken steps to invalidate the codes obtained illegitimately," .....Our Policy and Enforcement team is evaluating whether or not certain individuals have violated the Terms of Use for Xbox LIVE and will take the appropriate enforcement on an individual basis."

all i could say to those who tried this is HA.  what, you think ms wouldn't figure out the hack and use it to track down the fake numbers? 

[Isgrimnur]

Depending on how widespread the codes went out, you'll still have people claiming that their "legitimate" points were taken away.  Even after a decade in customer service, it never fails to amaze me as to how far people will go to try and get or keep something that they didn't earn. 

[Bob]

That's actually quite impressive they did that.

Read somewhere that it wasn't so impressive.  MS left a program exposed to the web that generated point codes.  They were using MS's own algorithm for making codes.

Seems easy enough to find the folks who used these points.  Anybody who entered in 10 or more codes in a day during the "outbreak" was surely using the generated codes.

[metallicorphan]

One of my Friends sent me a message the other day that simply said: "1600 G."  When I asked him what it was about he said that he'd been told him that MS was giving away 1600 points if you sent that to all Friends.  I told him I thought it wasn't likely to be legit, because the last time MS gave anything away, it was 80 points.  Sounds like maybe this might have been a rumor that sprouted from the system being hacked.

Myto,i don't wanna sound as though i am nagging but please be careful with those kind of messages,i replied to one and i got my account hacked(they can only hack it when you reply to the actual message)..next thing i know i was apparently sending people on my friends list(you and Bull included if i remember rightly)...links to Call of Duty Beta,which was actually a fake Xbox.com site that took your account details if you signed in...i had to change my details so they couldn't access my account to send messages from it,and i reported the site to Microsoft and told them the situation

I am not saying this will happen to you or even if your friend is guilty for this,but if you get another message like that from someone on your friends list,don't reply to the actual message,rather compose an entirely new message to the user from your friends list,as though you are sending a message to him for the first time