Online Gamers On The Hit List Of Hackers

As per Australian computer security authorities, online players will bear the main brunt of cyber-terrorists this year. Participants of console and online computer games like World of Warcraft are also in danger of being hit.

Several Internet users have protested against captured accounts and being billed for acquisitions not made.

There were accounts in March 2007, intimating of Xbox Live network of Microsoft being attacked. Though this was contradicted, Microsoft accepted that the backup personnel had endangered safety by being conned into issuing clients ' account information.

Analysts term this style of deceptively extorting information, as phishing. It's only the beginning of the sustained endeavor by cyber-terrorists to aim online gamers.

According to Australia's Computer Emergency Response Team's (Auscert) security analyst, MacLeonard Starkey in a declaration issued by The Age on April 5, 2007, the online aspects present in the current games consoles, will lure cyber-terrorists to manipulate any weakness in the security of gaming consoles. "I'm yet to spot any malware explicitly designed to function on a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox though I would anticipate it in the near future."

Moreover, security software manufacturer CA1's director of product management, Stefana Muller too considers consoles to be next quarries, and anticipates hacking of gambling payment systems.

"I believe it will be an open type of target, 'I have to manipulate this gambling console'. It's clear that when an untried thing emerges, if it's trendy, it will be victimized", stated Muller in a report printed in The Age's 5th April 2007 edition.

Starkey proceeded to imply that Internet games like World of Warcraft is also likely to be gradually more aimed thanks to their fame and the importance of in-game objects.

"We're witnessing the influx of massive amounts of malware that will specially aim Internet games designed to snare login details including passwords", Starkey states. "They can gain unauthorized access and steal items gathered by the participants over the span of several years. In fact, there's a vast amount of wealth in that."

Both analysts say gamers should safeguard their PCs and be wary of obscure or dubious sites.

Related article: Online Card Fraud Shows Greater Tendency Than Chip and Pin

» SPAMfighter News - 4/13/2007