The importance of cyber security in the online casino industry

Modern online casinos, gambling platforms of various formats use the latest digital technology, both to secure the money of their customers – players, and to protect their platforms, databases and accounts. 

This is not an easy task nowadays, as cyber-fraudsters and hackers of all stripes are highly professional. To counter these challenges, popular gaming platforms, casinos are adopting sophisticated cybersecurity techniques.

A basic strategy or line of defense against cyber-threats in online gaming platforms, is based on countering the following types of dangers:

1. Coordinated fraud attacks on servers and sites gambling – platforms, usually in the form of DDoS attacks;
2. Penetration or hacking into the servers of platforms, in order to steal casino funds, transfer them to their fictitious accounts,
3. Stealing customers’ personal data, their card numbers, bank or cryptocurrency accounts, passwords. Using this personal data, fraudsters gain direct access to casino customers’ money and its subsequent withdrawal (theft).

To counter such risks online casinos use the following techniques.

How to protect against the threat of hacking gaming platform.

The aim of intruders when hacking online casino electronic platform has two components.

1. The first is the theft of funds in customer accounts, personal accounts of clients of the gaming service.
2. The second is gaining access to account and personal data.

How it is done:

• Special “mirror” sites or fake sites are used. They are very similar in form to the real online casino platform. The difference is that an unsuspecting customer enters his logins and passwords. This is exactly the data the scammers need.
• The second point is the use of special phishing software – viruses. Fraudsters, for example, trace the IP addresses of clients who visit casinos the most frequently. Then a phishing spyware is installed on the user’s computer. The scammers use it to calculate the client’s passwords and logins. This is done, in particular, through sending out e-mails with special links, and even through SMS messages.

How does online casino counters such dangers. There are several options. The most effective ones are:

1. Using secure servers with reinforced anti-virus and anti-phishing protection
2. The use of 2-factor user authentication model, when in addition to entering a password, the entrance to the casino platform is confirmed through a second independent line of communication – via e-mail or SMS – code.

Online gaming compromise protection

Apart from the crude criminal hacking of customer accounts and the online casino itself, fraudsters use more sophisticated ways of theft. In particular, a format such as spoofing the rules of the game is used. That is, they gain access to the software functionality of the game, changing in their favor its rules, terms and conditions. Using this technique, the scammers make it so that the game is always in their favour. On the one hand, as if there is no criminal theft of funds, on the other hand, the hackers get their money from the improper operation of the game.

Apart from direct financial losses, such actions of cybercriminals directly undermine the most important thing for any casino: its reputation. It can be worth much more than the stolen money.

To calculate and counter such threats, online casinos only use licensed software. Their IT departments and teams are staffed exclusively by professional programmers and system administrators.