5/30/2012
Video Games: The different threats related to online games
As the popularity of online games continues to grow, Internet fraud has become a very real threat. The online video game multi-billion dollars and is the target of attacks launched by various scammers hacking into accounts of individual users
Video games massively multiplayer online (Massively Multiplayer Online Games, MMOGs), whose popularity is undeniable, are particularly affected. MMOGs are video games capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of simultaneous players. Millions of players interact in a virtual world, taking on the role of heroes, collecting objects and virtual money to allow their characters to fight against demons equally virtual.
These millions of users worldwide contribute significantly to the turnover of the gaming industry This lucrative market has become the target of cybercriminals. Therefore, they actually threaten the sustainability of MMOG. Because account theft is not an evil inherent in the design of games, developers exercise limited control. But that does not diminish the importance of the threat and game developers should seriously consider these security risks. Hacking of accounts represents a real threat that may affect customer online games.
Virtual economies are an important source of pecuniary motivation for hackers
MMOGs have introduced a new phenomenon: the virtual economies. Players can earn virtual cash, pieces of armor, weapons, energy and equipment to modify their virtual appearance. Players spend hours together to evolve their characters, skills, and acquire equipment to enhance their virtual fighting capabilities of virtual demons. Some accounts of players can be estimated at several thousand dollars.