G2A’S CHARM OFFENSIVE ISSUE 899 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4TH 2016
HOW THE FIRM PLANS TO WIN OVER THE INDUSTRY P12
LAUNCH BOTNET? PSN
XBOX LIVE
NEXT-GEN HACKER THREAT New Mirai botnet could make PSN and Xbox Live “sitting ducks” at Christmas
by Seth Barton SECURITY experts say that gaming networks, such as Xbox Live and PSN, will be high on the list of potential targets for the new generation of botnet attacks. That could spell disaster for the industry during one of its key gaming seasons, again. Igal Zeifman, security evangelist at Imperva said: “From an attacker’s point of view it makes perfect sense to strike during this time of year, which is when gaming services are busiest and an assault is both most notable and most likely to succeed.” The much-publicised Mirai malware is the big new weapon available to hackers.
It exploits the default passwords in Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices (such as webcams and digital video recorders) to create a huge network of devices, which can then be used to spam online services with requests and effectively make them unusable for regular users. Similar Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have taken down Xbox Live and PSN before, most famously by Lizard Squad in 2014. Such attacks have also hit individual games, including Destiny. Another such attack would upset huge numbers of gamers, resulting in a PR nightmare for platform holders, publishers and retailers, not to mention the potential loss in digital revenue over the period.
Gaming companies depend on service availability ... reduced availability equals reduced revenue. Sean Newman, director, Corero Network Security
“Gaming companies depend on service availability, so any interruption results in a loss of customer loyalty and brand reputation,” said Sean Newman at Corero Network Security, adding: “Reduced availability equals reduced revenue.” Those attacks are even more likely this year, however, as the Mirai malware has been publicly released, making it a far more prevalent threat. That increases the number of potential attackers and also increases the likelihood that the malware itself could have been tweaked to recruit yet more vulnerable IoT devices. CONTINUED OVER PAGE
PLUS WHY LAWBREAKERS DITCHED FREE-TO-PLAY 01 MCV899 Cover_V3.indd 1
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