Blizzard: Diablo 3 account compromises historically in line with WoW expansions

The Blizzard forums are bursting with stories of Diablo 3 players' gold and items magically disappearing from their accounts, and while we bemoan the losses they're not entirely surprising.
"Historically, the release of a new game -- such as a World of Warcraft expansion -- will result in an increase in reports of individual account compromises, and that's exactly what we're seeing now with Diablo 3," Blizzards told Joystiq this evening. "We know how frustrating it can be to become the victim of account theft, and as always, we're dedicated to doing everything we can to help our players keep their Battle.net accounts safe -- and we appreciate everyone who's doing their part to help protect their accounts as well."
In 2011, Battle.net saw thousands of accounts hacked per day with little means of stopping the intrusions, sources close to Blizzard tell Joystiq. Battle.net accounts are generally hacked through keyloggers for Blizzard titles with in-game economies, such as World of Warcraft. This is one reason Blizzard offers a security checklist that includes using a phising filter, installing anti-virus software and of course using an authenticator.
Physical authenticators run an extra $6.50, but they're sold "at cost," meaning Blizzard execs aren't planning any island vacations from key fob earnings. The mobile and Zune authenticator apps are free, but they don't allow you to hang them on your keyring for all the cool kids at school to see.
Reported account hacking instances fall and rise with the in-game economy, the proximity to a new launch or expansion and whether there's a holiday in China, the country where most keylogging hacks are based, sources say.
Diablo 3 denotes a new issue in Blizzard's hacking history, as even single-player games have to be linked to a Battle.net accounts, and are vulnerable to keylogging intrusions, at times even with the proper safeguards.
For now, we offer the same advice that public-school health teachers have been giving youngsters for years: Use protection. And eat your vegetables.