__/ [ Oliver Wong ] on Wednesday 16 August 2006 15:39 \__
>
> "Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:3429978.U142KWyici@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> __/ [ Oliver Wong ] on Tuesday 15 August 2006 17:49 \__
>>
>>> "Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>>> news:1601497.4ZY8NhYHWI@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> Microsoft warns game developers of security risk
>>>>
>>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>> | Using malware or software designed to infiltrate a computer system,
>>>> | hackers steal account information for users of MMO games and then sell
>>>> | off virtual gold, weapons and other items for real money.
>>>> `----
>>>>
>>>>
>>
http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060814:MTFH51554_2006-08-14_23-45-08_N14313943&type=comktNews&rpc=44
>>>
>>> What the article is actually saying is that a Microsoft security
>>> development engineer publicly told MMO developers to "be careful". Player
>>> accounts on MMOs are becoming valuable due to the items and gold they've
>>> earned over the years, and organized crime may start to target them just
>>> as
>>> they current target credit card numbers and bank account information.
>>>
>>> There is no actual announcement of a new vulnerability or malware or
>>> anything like that. It's just a security expert notifying us of one more
>>> thing to watch out for, independently of what OS we're using.
>>
>> I can't recall which article (among a few) I ended up citing, but have you
>> read the stories of those who fell victim to theft, which was the product
>> of
>> malware that affects World of Warcraft? A penetrable system cares not
>> whether you play games or access your bank. Windows has back door. Thus,
>> it
>> is not secure. Not for gaming. Not for banking. But most ironic is the
>> fact
>> that something as innocent and seemingly childish as online games is
>> subjected to outside intervention.
>
> I think I've only read two stories about theft in MMOs (one was
> EverQuest, and was via social engineering rather than a vulnerability in
> the OS, the other I don't recall the details of what game or what
> methodology was used). I'm not saying anything for or against the security
> of the Windows series of operating systems. I was just clarifying the
> contents of the article.
>
> For example, online banking sites typically use some sort of
> encryption,
> such as SSL, to protect valuable information such as your account number
> and password. Some MMOs might not bother to encrypt any of their
> information, sending their user's login name and password in clear text,
> under the assumption that nobody cares enough to try to gain access to an
> MMO account.
I don't think we talk about packet interception and sniffing here. It's a
case of malware. But please correct me if I am wrong. *smile*
> The security expert is saying that this is not the case, and for some
> players, the value of the online artifacts (extremely rare items, high
> level characters, etc.) exceed the values of their owners bank accounts.
> The security expert is stressing that it's not merely script kiddies who
> will be going after the MMO accounts, but organized crime, because stealing
> MMO accounts is more profitable than stealing credit card or banking
> information.
Intersting point. My Digg account turns out to have become quite valuable. I
never ever expected this to be the case and some Digg users (at least two)
put their account up for bidding in eBay. The following was posted last
night.
http://www.calacanis.com/2006/08/16/ten-more-navigators-makes-20-or-proving-benkler-wrong-one-day/
I am among those 5.
> Again, this doesn't have much to do with Windows the operating system
> itself, except that most MMO games run only on Windows.
Which is a platform that is too penetrable. It was not designed with the Web
in mind. It was not designed for /multiplayer/ gaming, let alone to be a
multi-user platform.
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Turn up the jukebox and tell me a lie"
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Cpu(s): 18.6% user, 2.6% system, 0.8% nice, 78.0% idle
http://iuron.com - semantic engine to gather information
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