Last Login Time Discrepancies / Account Secure Problem?

I am concerned that my Ingress / Google account has been compromised. The reason that I think this is that Ingress Prime frequently reports an incorrect amount of time since my last login. For example, I logged in today and the game indicated my last log on was 3 hours ago when in fact it was 27 hours ago!

This problem has been ongoing for some time and despite my efforts to secure my account via frequent password updates, generating new recovery codes, revoking device/app permissions, changing my SIM card, changing my number, reinstalling my phone (it has not been rooted), changing my account recovery options & changing my means of authentication with my Google account, the issue continues.

When I change my account credentials I typically notice that there is a brief time where the problem seems to subside for a day or two but then returns.

Some additional background information about my situation :

1. I have had devices in the past that were hacked, including prior phones and those phones had my primary Ingress account installed. The best of my knowledge my current phone and installation have not been compromised ~physically~ (by which I mean to say I can guarantee no one but myself has been able to physically touch the phone without my knowledge). I know very little about how a phone might be compromised remotely, however.

2. I presently have multiple Ingress accounts installed and while I only use one of them for gameplay, I do sometimes use the other accounts. I don't know if this creates unexpected interactions in Ingress Prime player tracking data.

3. My current device is a Samsung Galaxy s9+, Android v9.


What I am wondering is...

1. ...what are the conditions that determine when Ingress Prime will or won't announce the last login time? For instance, what is the minimum amount of time since the last login the game requires in order to trigger an announcement? By the same token, what is the maximum amount of time necessary for the game to decide to say nothing when the player logs in again?

2. ...if others have noticed similar discrepancies where the reported last login time is vastly different from the actual known last login time?

3. ...whether or not Ingress Prime is accurately reporting my last login time or if the discrepancy is due to a suspected bug? I say "suspected" because, in reading through the list of known bugs, I've not been able to find anything that matches. Additionally, in talking with Niantic technical support, their representatives are stating they're unaware of a bug that could explain this issue. They're only advice was to ensure I am frequently updating my password, to use a strong password and to employ 2FA.

4. ... is an actual player-initiated login event necessary to count as the last login time OR can the app, running in the background, also generate timestamps that qualify as last login? Niantic support did touch wrong this briefly in my support ticket but their response was ambiguous; the representative basically gave me a circular answer stating that the last login time = the last login time.

I also asked Niantic if there was any other information they were able to offer me in order to help me to decide if this is a real security threat and something I need to worry or if there was any other possible explanation, to which there was no response. I kind of expected this since it goes above and beyond the purpose & abilities of a Tier 1 tech support system but I was disappointed to see that there was no option for escalating to a higher support tier.

I had intended, all depending on what Niantic was able to tell me about the situation, to then take that information and approach Google support in an effort to determine what steps I could then take in order to secure my account, assuming that the problem is real.

At this point I'm looking for any helpful thoughts or insights beyond the obvious (ie. the actions I mentioned above that's Niantic support suggested I take). please let me know if there's any further information I might be able to offer in order to move ahead on this problem.

Comments

  • XQlusioNXQlusioN ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2020

    2. I presently have multiple Ingress accounts installed and while I only use one of them for gameplay, I do sometimes use the other accounts. I don't know if this creates unexpected interactions in Ingress Prime player tracking data.


    Good on you for admitting to multiaccounting on the official Ingress forums

  • OpCodeZeroOpCodeZero ✭✭
    edited February 2020

    Yes, I realize it's against the rules. When Ingress was first released I hadn't read the user agreement and did not realize it was against the rules to have multiple accounts. Once I was informed by other players that this was a problem, I began limiting my play to fewer accounts, although I did still actively play multiple accounts until the end of the redacted scanner's lifetime.

    Since Ingress Prime was released I've actually begun deleting my alternates... but it's a time-consuming process involving a lot of decision making about what I want to keep and what I'm willing to part with... most of which are sentimental things such as the player names I originally selected and mission medals (which I no longer have access to and therefore cannot reacquire in my main account).

    I understand that other players are extremely aggravated and deeply frustrated by this kind of thing, which is something I both appreciate and respect... they are the reasons why I am moving away from how I used to play.

    I appreciate being commended for my honesty and transparency on this issue but, regardless, please let the remainder of this thread focus on the problem I have described in my initial post.

    Any additional thoughts, folks?

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