IMPORTANT - Changes to Xbox Live security

Some may have noticed that recently your being asked to enter verification codes when buying points and Games on Demand from Xbox.com, This is a new security measure by Microsoft to help stamp out fraud and account phishing and it's not going to stop there, Later on this year further "proofs" will come into effect accross the board (including your console) A recently letter from Alex Garden of Microsoft goes some way to explain...

"Earlier this year, I wrote to you about our ongoing efforts to help protect the account security of our nearly 40 million Xbox LIVE members. I received hundreds of emails and the responses ranged from frustration to support, as well as suggestions for making Xbox LIVE the best service it can be. The feedback was great and I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to reach out. This experience has reinforced our belief that Xbox LIVE is not simply an online service but a community built upon the trust and investment of its members.

That’s why I’m pleased to report we’ve worked hard these last several months to further protect our members’ accounts, and more is still to come.  Here are some things we’ve done since I last wrote:

We’ve increased notifications to members whose accounts may be compromised to add proofs, update their passwords, and, if necessary, contact Xbox support. This helps our team lock down an account quickly, investigate and restore the account to the rightful owner.

We’ve taken legal action to pull down online posts of gamertags, usernames and passwords gathered from malware or phishing schemes to help protect our members.

Our Xbox LIVE Spring update included many behind the scenes improvements that help us build on security enhancements for the near future.

We’re sending unique codes to the security phone numbers and secondary email addresses provided by members to verify authorization for Xbox.com purchases or account change attempts not stemming from a member’s trusted device.

We’re working to reduce market incentives for criminal activity. Engaging in identity theft, trading in stolen accounts and committing credit card fraud are illegal and violate our Terms of Use. Those involved in these activities risk criminal prosecution, account and console bans. That goes for both sellers and buyers of known stolen accounts and content.

Most importantly, many of our security enhancements and recovery processes are dependent on our members having valid, up-to-date security information in place. I encourage everyone to take five minutes today to check your security information and update it if necessary. If you have any lost or stolen security proofs, update them now to prevent any interruptions to your Xbox LIVE service in the future. We only use this information for your security, and never for marketing or advertising.

It’s a good idea to change your password if you haven’t done so recently, and make sure to use a different username and password for Microsoft versus other online services you access. This way if one company does experience a security breach, your leaked credentials won’t be used against you on other sites. Finally, help the people in your life who may be less security savvy by sharing suggestions like not using common words for passwords. Sadly, “password” and “12345” are still top of the most common password lists when we see breaches occur and passwords posted online.

The Internet has transformed the way we purchase goods and services and added layers of convenience to our lives. Yet, disappointingly, online fraud increasingly victimizes millions of unsuspecting consumers each year. The organized groups of criminals involved do not care about the time or expense experienced by individuals they’ve attacked; or the billions in currency global companies and financial institutions absorb each year from their illegal activities. In the end, all of us pay a high price for online fraud.

That is why our resolve at Microsoft to battle fraud and our commitment to account security is stronger than ever. I hope you’ll take a few moments to protect your account today and as always, I welcome you to share your views or concerns with me as we move forward together.

Alex Garden
Email: Alex dot Garden at Microsoft dot com
General Manager, Xbox LIVE"

However it does not really go in to how to update your security details in time for the coming changes, I along with many others have had a Microsoft account that hasn't been updated in years and rather predictably the process has changed.

To update your details you can follow these easy steps:

1. Head over to http://account.live.com/proofs (This needs to be done in Internet Explorer with Windows Essentials installed for one of the steps, You can download HERE )

2. Enter your account details and log in.

3. First of all you MUST change your secondary email address to one you currently use (You'll need this for all the following steps).

4. For your Xbox Live account it is recommended that you add an up to date phone number and trusted PC, For the phone number a confirmation link will be sent to your secondary email address for you to confirm.

5. To add your trusted PC make sure you have Windows Essentials installed (See step 1) click the add trusted PC and confirm from your secondary email.

These details don't have a massive impact right now (You'll no longer need a code to buy from Xbox.com if your using your trusted PC) However in the coming months these details will be used for all purchases and changes including those on your Xbox.

who the hell uses IE anymore - this is clearly a ploy to make folks use it lol.