Online casino and sports betting sites have seen massive growth, especially in the US, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as the numbers grow, so does the risk of possible security breaches at gambling sites.
Cybersecurity is a must, considering billions of transactions are transferred to and from casino accounts. However, cybercriminals are not only after the money players transact, but also after their confidential data. Therefore, operators need to take the necessary steps to ensure players get secure and safe platforms to join.
News Highlights
- As the online gambling industry grows, so does the risk of cyberattacks
- Operators must implement the highest cybersecurity measures
- Playing at legit and safe online casinos is of paramount importance
The Need for Cyber Security As Online Gambling Grows
The online gambling industry across the world, especially in the US, has gone through many changes in the past few decades and is expected to go through many more. For instance, today, players can gamble using cryptocurrencies, while that was impossible in the past.
Also, VR and AR have already been implemented across gambling sites to provide players with next-level gaming experience. Mobile play is no news, and today, close to half of the gamblers prefer taking their favorite games on the go and play via their mobile devices. Also, a few years back, Live Dealer games stole the show on top of it off, and now, they are players’ most preferred types of games.
Cyberattacks on Online Casinos
However, parallel to the exciting innovation and developments, another crucial thing is happening in the background. Gambling sites are facing numerous cyber attacks each year.
As the industry grows, so does the number of hackers who use untraceable tools to get sensitive information. They are using app-based hacking tools to breach data through signal manipulation and are successfully breaking down casinos’ security protocols.
Reports of recent cyber attacks show why cybersecurity should be the operators’ top priority. Professional Chinese hackers publicly confirmed that they have been hacking into gambling websites since 2019. In March 2020, news surfaced that SBTech had suffered a ransomware attack, which led to a complete 72-hour-long shutdown of the consumer-facing site, but luckily no player data breach was recorded.
Types of Attacks on Online Gambling Sites
There are several known types of attacks that hackers can make on online gambling sites. Some involve money stealing, other customer data. Below we’ve listed the most common ones.
SQL Injection
In this case, hackers get access to personal data, gaming secrets, and players’ intellectual properties. They feed infected SQL statements to access the database server and modify, delete, or add data. Account takeover attacks allow hackers to gain illegal access to players’ profile and perform identity or payment fraud, or sell players’ resources on the dark market.
DDoS Attacks
With DDoS attacks, hackers create an unexpected surge of traffic and lead to delays in loading times, causing players to lose interest in the operator and move on to its competition. Scarping involves using bots to steal data from databases, APIs, and website and use it to exploit gambling operations. And, expediting attacks result in loss of subscription revenue and put an operator’s reputation at risk by violating gameplay rules using bots.
The Importance of Playing at Legit and Safe Online Casinos
It cannot be emphasized enough how dangerous these attacks can be for the casino player and the operator. Our recommended real money online casinos provide a safe and secure gambling environment with the latest technology to protect the player’s data and gaming experience.
However, to ensure that you’re playing at a legit and safe online casino, you can follow several simple steps to detect a reputable site from a shady one.
Identity Protection
Check whether the casino you’re about to join implements LoginRadius, for instance. This is a powerful platform, known as Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM), which protects your identity by preventing even the most advanced bots from infecting the casino site.
SSL Encryption
Knowing that an online gambling site implements an SSL encryption also provides you with a guarantee that your confidential information is safe. You can check the casino for SSL encryption certificates by clicking on the lock icon in front of the casino’s URL.
