Asian gaming companies victim of cyber attacks
Asian gaming companies victim of cyber attacks
Online casinos in Southeast Asia have fallen victim to sustained cyber attacks. This is what security company Avast reports. Casinos in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have been particularly targeted by cybercriminals.
The cybersecurity company discovered this long-term Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) and named the attack Operation Dragon Castling. Who carried out the attack on the online casinos Avast, unfortunately, could not find out. Because of this, most of the players moved to online casinos in India 2022. However, Avast does dare to conclude that the attacks are carried out by a Chinese APT. If these attacks are successful, these APTs can gain access to the entire gaming network of the casino in question.
In an email the security company sent to Casino.org, it confirmed that the gaming sector has been targeted by these APTs. These cyber-attacks came to light through an email to an anonymous gaming company. This urged them to "check the software for a bug. This same company has also confirmed that several companies in the game industry are victims of these cyber-attacks. Which companies these are is unknown.
What can an online casino do to counter cyber attacks?
A cyber attack can also have negative consequences for you as a player. With these attacks, malicious parties can retrieve all kinds of data from players' accounts. Think for example of passwords, phone numbers, and even credit card and other payment information. That's why online casinos do a lot to prevent cyber attacks.
To guarantee that players' data is secure, many online casinos use SSL certificates. They install these behind the scenes on their website. This makes it difficult for malicious parties such as hackers to plunder data. This is because an SSL certificate ensures that all personal data is encrypted and stored with special encryptions. The interception or theft of this data is therefore virtually impossible.
Also, more and more online casinos have an official license. This indicates that the casino in question is supervised and operates legitimately. These licenses also guarantee fair chances for players. In the Netherlands, we have the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). In Malta, you have the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).
Furthermore, many online casinos offer the choice to log in with two-step or multi-factor authentication. This means that you as a player must confirm that you are really the one logging in. You do this by using a confirmation message via mail, text message, or special authenticator app.
How can players protect themselves against cyberattacks on online platforms?
Of course, this does not only apply to accounts at online casinos. You can take this advice with you for all your online accounts. First of all, always check whether the online casino (or the webshop where you want to buy something) has the necessary licenses. You can usually find this at the bottom of the homepage. Don't trust it? Then Google is a good option. Google for reviews of the site in question, or look for news reports about the company. If the company has been in the news negatively, that's not a good sign.
In addition, check whether the website has an SSL certificate. You can see this in the address bar of your browser. On most websites nowadays, you will see a padlock on the left of the url. If you click on it, you can see which certificates the website has and if the URL is secure.
If possible, set up MFA or 2FA. This may take a few moments extra but will ensure that your data and your account are more secure. Also, make sure your account password is not too simple.
To protect your online session from everyone and everything, consider using a VPN service. You can compare a VPN connection with the working of an SSL certificate on a website. Without going into too much detail on what a VPN exactly is and how the internet works: a VPN ensures that hackers cannot see where you are connecting from. Your IP address is not visible.
Not every online casino accepts the use of a VPN. You can find out more about it on this website, https://indiancustomer.in/review/ab4/. Check the terms and conditions before you start playing.