9

I don't have a smartphone (I have a symbian with access to the Internet), or iPod/iPad. Are there any other ways for me to get an authenticator from Blizzard without paying $6 for the physical authenticator?

Improve this question
3
  • 2
    Although I understand your predicament, but since security seems to be a major concern for you, is shelling out $6 for a keyfob really going to set your back that much? You are paying a lot more than that for your monthly sub anyway?
    – deutschZuid
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 22:37
  • 1
    @JamesJiao I'm pretty sure you've got postage on top of that, and if you are like me in AU, that adds up to quite a bit unfortunately. I do agree with the sentiment however.
    – Matthew Scharley
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 23:40
  • 1
    There's no monthly subscription for Diablo 3... Yet.
    – Niro
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 23:51

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
13

Blizzard used to offer a J2ME-based authenticator for older phones, but they have since discontinued it. They now offer authenticators for iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.

Other than a phone, your options would therefore be a tablet, iPod (touch), or the physical authenticator.

For those without such a device, the other answers propose alternative means. Android emulation may be a good way to go, seeing as you would still be using the official authenticator.

Improve this answer
3
  • Shucks. I dont have a tablet, and I was hoping to not spend any money for a physical authenticator.
    – user1277607
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 19:30
  • @user1277607: Why is this marked as the answer? It is incorrect; check out Mr. November's answer...
    – BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
    Commented Jun 18, 2012 at 16:20
  • Mr. November does give an interesting answer — and certainly a relevant one, I'd say — but the question is for an "authenticator from Blizzard".
    – Jamie Schembri
    Commented Jun 18, 2012 at 18:16
15

You can use WinAuth, which is a popular third party authenticator for Blizzard games. It's not quite as secure as the official means since if someone gains access to your computer they can use the authenticator, but it's far better than nothing(you could probably put it on a flash drive so it isn't always on your computer).

Improve this answer
9
  • Interesting! Wouldn't have considered there would be a third party option.
    – Jamie Schembri
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 19:40
  • 2
    I wouldn't recommend doing this. One of the main advantages of having the authenticator is that it's on a separate device so that even if an attacker gains access to your machine they wouldn't be able to access your account. Using a third party authenticator negates this.
    – David Underwood
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 21:01
  • 5
    @DavidUnderwood It's far better than no authenticator at all, and you can still have it on another device if you so desire. Even without taking that into consideration, someone hijacking your entire computer is far more rare than your typical keylogger or phishing scheme.
    – Mr. November
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 21:04
  • 1
    WinAuth could still be run on a separate computer, and even within a virtual machine, providing just as good protection as a Mobile Authenticator. Actually, better than on a rooted-Android, as at least WinAuth encrypts the keys. In any case, still better than not having one.
    – cdm9002
    Commented Jun 17, 2012 at 22:12
  • 1
    @David: One of the Diablo 3 hackers stated on a forum that they were hacking accounts using username/password combos they had stolen from other sites - that is, most of the people who had their accounts stolen used the same username/password in other places as well. Having any sort of second-factor authentication, even a weaker one like this, would prevent those sorts of attacks.
    – BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
    Commented Jun 18, 2012 at 0:55
7

You can also use Googles development tools to emulate an Android phone on your desktop and then run Blizzards authenticator app.

An excellent write up of the process with links to the various needed downloads can be found in this blog post at Elitist Jerks

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    This seems a better option than a third-party utility for the security paranoid. Also worth considering is an iOS emulator for Mac users.
    – Jamie Schembri
    Commented Jun 19, 2012 at 15:07
  • The problem with an iOS emulator is that it's only availiable to registered members of Apple's developer program. Which, at $99/year, isn't expensive if you actually want to use it to develop software. If you have no interest in that, it's kind of overkill.
    – LessPop_MoreFizz
    Commented Aug 31, 2012 at 11:47
  • Are you sure about that? Because I'm not subscribed to the developer program and I have a working emulator. In any case, I'm now pretty sure it's not possible to install apps on it.
    – Jamie Schembri
    Commented Aug 31, 2012 at 11:57
  • The Android SDK (and thus emulator) is a free download for everyone. And, your link is dead.
    – Raimondas the Insane
    Commented May 10, 2014 at 15:12

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.