In yesterday’s blog, I had mentioned about gift giving with
regards to IoT gadgets. As I was perusing
the news headlines this morning as to what to write on, another idea came to my
head. How about online gaming tools, and
sports betting online?
These seem to be getting very popular these days, and not
just with teenagers in high school. Even
adults like to play games while they WFH.
Or better yet, if they are ambitious enough, they could even place bets
online for their favorite teams (mine will always be Purdue).
But as enjoying as these games are, remember they are also
connected to the Internet, and that means they too are prone to Cyberattacks,
even when you least expect it. So, how
does one mitigate the risks of becoming a victim while you think you are Speed
Racer? Here are some things to keep in
mind:
1)
Limit access to accounts:
Maybe even more so than banking or
credit card platforms, online gaming/betting accounts are even riper for
account takeover. The tactics will vary
from hacker to hacker, but the best advice you can give to your clients is to
be simply aware of any unusual activity that could be occurring with their own
accounts. For example, if they get
notifications of attempted logins, or for some reason or another the gaming
platform is slowing down for any reason, these are signs that a breach is
imminent or that there is somebody inside already. Some of the best tactics that you can employ
in this regard are the use of MFA, and of course, security awareness training. But in the end, the end user has to take responsibility
by being proactive for any telltale signs that could be emerge.
2)
Keep the design in mind:
This is where the concepts of User
Experience (or UX) will come into play, and this is a key area where online
game developers need to pay great attention to.
For example, many of the gamers of today are really young kids, with really
no sense in their head about how to watch their digital footprints. This where parents have to keep an even
closer on, but many of them simply just do not have the time to enforce this on
a routine basis. Therefore, you need to create
gaming platforms that are compatible to the different age groups that you are
marketing to. For example, for the very
young crowd you might just create a platform that does include any payment
options, and has much more parental controls on it. And as you create different versions of the gaming
platforms for older crowds, you can release more options.
3)
Mobile apps:
One way that the vendor of online
games tries to entice users into purchasing more add ons for their gaming
platform is through the use of mobile apps.
While Apple is very conscience of what gets uploaded to their App store,
Google is not. Therefore, it is very
easy for a Cyberattacker to create a rogue malicious app, and encourage you to
buy it at a low cost for your gaming system.
But more than likely, this kind of app could very well contain malicious
payloads that can be inserted. Worst
yet, if you have a Smart Home, if the Cyberattacker is able to take control of
your gaming platform, then the chances are even higher they could move
laterally across your Smart Home. If you
are ever a get a notice about a mobile update, first read any online reviews
about it. If there are none, then the next
best course of action would be to call the gaming vendor directly and see what
is going on.
4)
Moderate chats:
Many gaming platforms, like video conferencing
ones, offer chatting tools so one gamer can communicate with another one, especially
if they have formed a team with another one.
One can even invite guests and add new accounts to them if they want to
join in. But be careful here. The same security rules that apply to a Zoom
meeting apply here as well. In other
words, be very careful of who you game with, chat with, and create guest accounts
with only those people that you know.
Anybody else trying to come in, just kick them out block them permanently. And if you can report them to the vendor,
then you probably should.
My Thoughts On This:
Personally, I am not a gamer, nor will I ever become
one. I simply do not get into that kind
of technology. In terms of the security
perspectives, many online gaming vendors are now starting to make use of the Blockchain
to fortify their offerings. Another
point to keep in mind also: Always keep your
gaming platform updated with the latest software patches and firmware updates.
As we approach to the holiday vacation time, enjoy your gaming
systems, but just be aware of your surroundings and any unusual activity so that
you do not become the victim of a Cyberattacker.
No comments:
Post a Comment