Safer at Work
Online game providers can take steps to shore up security issues, according to McGraw, but many do not. This is a critical problem, because online game sites attract one of the largest user bases for Web 2.0 applications.
Enterprise computer networks, ironically, are much more prepared to fend off intrusions aimed at Web 2.0 apps than are home-based consumer computers, he noted.
"In the enterprise space, networks are protected by intrusion protection systems. This involves much more security than the firewall used by consumers. The firewall is completely useless against game site malware," cautioned Carmichael.
Intrusion protection systems rely on high-volume traffic for their packet inspection techniques. This would cause a lot of interference to game players if run on home computer systems. In the game-playing world, unencumbered performance is essential to beat competitors in virtual challenges.
"So a temporary protection is for game players to play at work," Paul Henry, security expert and vice president of technology evangelism at Secure Computing, told TechNewsWorld, discussing the risks consumers face in pursuing their online game passions.
New Attack Vectors
Lots of people, especially in Southeast Asia, play online games for real money. This has created a vast underground of black hat hackers, Henry said. The payload targets game players' credentials. Of course, other aspects of cheating are involved as well.
Security researchers recently discovered a new attack methodology that uses Java scripts planted on Web sites populated by game players, Henry said. The script is designed to steal gaming credentials. A recent investigation found 66,000 Web sites had this Java attack script.
"These attack scripts and Trojans are under the radar," he added. "They are not detectable by antivirus scanners. Hackers have gotten pretty smart. Every version they pump out has new signatures to defy detection."
The evidence is growing that Web sites themselves are one of the primary attack methods used by hackers. The same servers that hosted malware used in the recent Super Bowl NFL security breach also host the malware used for online gaming attacks, Henry noted.
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