I legitimately believe I was falsely banned for "hacks" due to a broken keyboard that spams keys

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A few days ago, I updated my PC, left the PC fora few hrs, and came back to it being perma banned.

Briefly, I want to state 3 things before I elaborate.

  1. To be clear, I am aware that I can’t get a resolution through the forums, rather I am desperately seeking some sort of answer because I know I have never hacked/cheated/automated in this game.
  2. As far as 3rd party software use goes, I was given confirmation through CS email and a ticket that Yolomouse is allowed because it doesn’t automate anything I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do manually. It is a cursor overlay since I have terrible vision.
  3. I have dedicated way too much of my life, time and effort to this game. I know I have never used anything that would be considered cheating/hacking, this whole ordeal has me in insane amounts of stress as I know I didn’t do what I am accused of.

To start I want to list out a few things I think may have falsely triggered the ban.

I use Yolomouse which is 3rd party software as a cursor overlay which I have confirmed twice by Bliz CS is ok to use.

I do have AHK scripts open, which I use to skip/play/pause music and select the newly playing song in Foobar2000, which I am 100% certain I have never used in WoW because they have a tag that says “only if foobar is active”, and regardless they don’t do any automation things.

I do use openrgb or lenovo mouse software, but not for macros, just for changing the color of the lights on my pc stuff.

Now, for the stuff I believe actually triggered the false ban:

Suspiciously this ban was delivered a month or so after I started using this program called pixie (a small tool that is an on screen color picker tool and also doubles as a cursor coordinate tool) in combination with the Windows magnifier tool to pixel peep weakauras to have them pixel perfect.

Another AHK script I use will swap highlighted text when pasted over with the highlighted text. To explain, when you paste over highlighted text, that text is replaced and lost, instead this script will paste over the text AND put the replaced text back into the clipboard. I use this to hotswap color codes and custom code when weakaura editing.

Lastly, and most likely, my cheap (~$25) wireless usb dongle keyboard constantly bugs out and will repeat keys. Ex. if I’m typppppppppppppppppppppping it willlllllllllllllillllllllll do that intermittently and the keyboard will be unresponsive until it just works again. Sometimes during gameplay which has had me stand in poop before.

Again, I realize I can’t get a ban overturned in a forum, but I am desperately trying to find out what may have caused this because losing an account with 50+ 70s and 10s of millions of gold has left me in a bit of a mental rut, especially since I know I have never automated/hacked in this game. Going from 0 to a perma ban has just left me feeling helpless, and I don’t even know what to do at this point since I have never done what I’m being accused of.

Edit: To add, I have played multiple accounts at the same time, particularly while leveling alts in remix, so how was only ONE of the three accounts perma banned?

Edit again: I’m NOT trying to prove anything to ANYONE I am desperately looking for what may have triggered this since I would never risk anything this valuable to me ever.

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You were not “given confirmation” that any piece of software is ok, because they do not and have never done that. And yeah, I don’t buy the “buggy keyboard repeats keys” thing even for a second. I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of this.

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You’d want to put in an appeal that the email had.

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I was in email, and to quote

However, Yolomouse is generally considered a system-level program that changes the appearance of your cursor outside the game, rather than modifying the game itself. Based on this, it should not result in a ban.

Also, I do legit have a cheapass keyboard that spams keys sometimes. I just wait for it to stop. I hope you realize how this feels to someone to be wrongfully accused like this.

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Should not doesn’t mean will not.

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I actually also have a somewhat broken laptop keyboard keys “E” and “down arrow” that sometimes breaks due mass usage - I saw this happen too with my previous laptop keyboard and unable to get replacement/repair. Some other keys are also not functioning anymore.

I have an USB keyboard as a result of that, but sometimes it automatically presses it because it breaks down on only these 2 keys so I have to press any other key on the laptop keyboard to make it stop.

I don’t think it is far fetched for the OP’s claim on broken keyboardness. But I don’t think it should be enough for it to be considered “perma ban” worthy. Quite sure something else is up :eyes:

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I don’t see how it would get anyone in trouble unless they were using outside macros to automate a rotation. All a broken keyboard would do is show that they button is always pressed, it won’t allow you to “accidently” do more than one press one action. It simply would read the key as depressed constantly (which, same key, same).

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Yep, if a cheap or broken keyboard acts like that, the OS itself will do things like eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. But in-game? It would react as if it’s constantly held down. There is no way a keyboard could possibly “break” or “be cheap” in such a way as it would repeat keystrokes. This sounds like a story that was prepared in advance.

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If you have Autohotkey running and loaded in memory, for any reason, that can result in a Warden flag. Even if you are not using for WoW.

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There is a way as it’s a bluetooth dongle keyboard, that probably loses connection constantly. As for a premade story, idk what to say other than I have a lot of specific things that I listed out that I believe would falsely trigger this ban.

Regardless, if u look at my alts/this char you see that I strictly play this game for competitive m+, I have no interest or anything to do with that side of the game.

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  1. Nothing you can say or try to “prove” to me matters. I don’t work for Blizzard, so it doesn’t matter if I believe you or not. I don’t.
  2. If a keyboard behaves as you describe, it acts like a key is held down. This will cause repeated keystrokes in, say the OS. But WOW will react as if a key is held down (though chat would see repeats). Totally different thing.
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Where is this that mentions AHK? Beacuse in the ToS linked in the email from the ticket reply here “Using third-party programs to automate any facet of the game, exploiting bugs, or engaging in any activity that grants an unfair advantage is considered cheating.” it says only if you use it to cheat, which I have never done. Like that other email reply I quoted, it says that since it’s not actually used to automate it shouldnt result in a ban.

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AHK is an automation tool commonly used by bots. If Warden detects it on your system it will flag wether you are using it for wow or not.
They make a point not to specifically condone or accept any programs because people will see what they can work around to make things happen. They will use terms like ‘that should not get you flagged’ but thats not a confirmation to use it and it can change at any time.

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Warden, the tool they use, only detects the program on your system. It doesn’t see what exactly you’re using it for, it’s that the program is on your system and running. Sometimes not even running, from previous folks who’ve been hit with having AHK on their system. Any kind of program that can potentially be used to cheat/automate anything, it can flag, no matter how you may be using it. It can be for work, it can be for another game, it can be to change your music - it’s a huge red flag.

The only thing though is for you to appeal. I can’t say whether it’ll be overturned or not as a fellow player, but I think you should go in with low expectations. There is always a sliver of a chance that it can be changed from a ban to a suspension or overturned, so it doesn’t hurt to try and appeal and appeal again until you’ve been warned that no more will be accepted.

Good luck to you.

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This is actually just speculation…we don’t know their detection methods, and the investigations they use on top of that. I would definitely not risk having something like AHK on my system though.

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That is fair. We’ve just gotten so many cases over the years where it seems to be the culprit - but I will add the facet that my statement above is my own conjecture. Of all the software that is available out there, AHK, ISBoxer and others like them - I’d not have any of it anywhere near my system based on the history of what I have seen posted here on CS over my tenure.

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Yeah, I would think their investigations would show if you actually used it in WOW or not…BUT at the same time, we don’t know what else this software does. If it messes with memory, and happens to mess with memory WOW uses, that’s a huge no-no even if you aren’t actively using it. I think it’s just a lot more complex than “this software exists on this PC”. But yeah, we’ll never know. It would never be revealed lest the bad guys get their detection methods.

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My laptop’s keyboard would vigorously object to that. (I’m using a USB keyboard to type this out, cause several of my laptop’s keys are broken or repeating themselves multiple times with just one keystroke. :frowning: )

That said, I think there’d have to be more than just a keyboard spamming W repeatedly before Blizzard would issue a ban for that. (Like connecting a controller that is known to have turbo functionality to your game console as an example.)

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The old Razer mouse I used back in the day while playing City of Heroes would protest as well, lol. The buttons had a habit of sticking and one day I was moving my character around while we prepared to take on a raid boss. My character proceeded to run straight into the boss to my horror, all because my buttons stuck in the down position. I was lucky the group knew me or I’m pretty sure I’d have been kicked, hah.

It happens. Not often, I’m sure, but it really does happen.

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I think what Vralok meant was that there isn’t a way a keyboard could break that would cause issues in WoW, by itself. If your 1 key breaks and it’s tied to Slash, it’s not just going to spam Slash nonstop and not create a scenario where the game thinks you’re breaking tos. It’s going to cast slash once and just wait. It won’t do anything else. Even if it would continue to cast slash, there is still the cooldown aspect of the spell and a broken keyboard isn’t going to overwrite that.

So yeah a keyboard can break and make you cast a spell, even repeatedly, but not in a way that could get you banned. It would still be operating under normal wow ability usage.

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