Gameloft's Order & Chaos = compromised game accounts

Hi all,

I'm not getting anywhere with contacting support, so I'm hoping I can find assistance here.

The "Order & Chaos" game for iOS has been in the iTunes store for several months. The game allows for in-app purchases which make the game more playable and allow the user to get better gear.

The game has had *many* security issues involving compromised user accounts. When a person's game account is hacked, which apparently is relatively easy to do, the hacker takes the in-game gold and sells the character's items. Often the account is sold to other people.

Gameloft put in a "fix" a few months ago, but all that did was slow the hackers down slightly. What's worse is that they didn't bother plugging one of the holes which allows previously compromised accounts to be easily compromised again and again and again.

People have begged the company to fix the security issues. The company claims they resolved the issues with that "fix" but this is clearly not the case. The only things they keep telling people whose accounts have been stolen are (a) they're sorry and (b) a customer care representitive will be contacting the player shortly. In some cases a month goes by and people are still waiting for their accounts to be reinstated. It somewhat doesn't matter, however, since their accounts can be easily compromised again and again as the company refuses to fix the security holes.

I love the game as well as other games the company has produced, and I want to see them develop more games. But I am confused as to why they are allowed to continue offering Order & Chaos in the store and allowing in-app purchases.

I know at least some people at Apple know about the security issues as some players have requested refunds of their in-app purchases due to having their accounts stolen. I always thought Apple had a stellar reputation when it comes to app security, and this was one of the reasons why I bought an iPad instead of an Android tablet. So the fact that the game company continues offering the game and in-app purchases baffles me.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get Apple to force Gamelot to fix their security issues? Or does Apple not mind this type of app insecurity? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

FWIW, I did contact support and they redireced me to the developer program. The developer program redirected me back to support, who then told me they don't handle this type of issue. Argh!