Photo by Dusan Kipic
There has been a sharp increase in the amount of people who are getting scammed online due to a lack of understanding about the dangers. When it comes to online gaming, a lot can happen if the right cybersecurity methods aren’t in place.
What does a casino need to know when it comes to cybersecurity, and how does it impact people playing at that casino online?
The most common cybersecurity threats
There are many cybersecurity issues that are faced by online retailers and online gaming portals alike, but here are some of the most common:
DDoS attacks are something that casino websites come up against. During a DDoS attack, there is a huge amount of traffic forced onto the site, and it overwhelms the servers. It disrupts the website to the point that real players can’t access it at all. During the time it is down, the companies suffer financial losses because it isn’t accessible.
Another common issue happens at the transaction point. What this means is that criminals intercept the transaction (adding funds or withdrawing). The details of the payment card can be stolen, along with all of the credentials, or the funds can be diverted into another account.
Data breaches are becoming more common, and any company that has a data breach ends up in a lot of trouble. There are usually fines, and in some cases, these fines are so large, smaller companies just can’t recover.
Data breaches happen when hackers manage to get into the systems that hold player details, and these could be personal things like addresses, names, and other identifiers. These credentials can then be used for identity fraud – doubling down on the damage that can be done.
How can casinos make sure that players are safe?
There are plenty of options that casinos can use to make sure that their players are kept safe; here are some that can make the biggest difference.
Concealed Banking
When you play at a casino, you can add funds and withdraw them from your account – and this can be lucrative for hackers. The casino should be ensuring that they have taken extra measures to make sure your account is secure. Typically, banks will also have extra measures in place.
Many e-wallets, like PayPal, offer extra security, like a text message with a code or an email so that you can approve the transactions. Many banks will have some verification, too.
Multi-factor Authentication
Unfortunately, many people skip this step because it makes the login process or the payment process longer. With multi-factor authentication on any account, you need to log into, you prevent anyone from accessing it apart from you.
Adding an authentication method like a test, a call, or an authenticator app prevents just the username and password from being able to get into the account.
2FA is so important because many people use the same password across all of their accounts, and if a hacker manages to take the password for one thing, they can often access all of your other accounts, too.
Education
While it is the duty of the casino to understand the methods that hackers might use, the general public can often have less awareness. Although the casino doesn’t have to educate players, it would be beneficial to all for it to happen.
Players can usually find information about how to keep their account safe somewhere in the blog posts. Since cybercriminals have more access to tools and software that make it easier and faster for them, even the smallest mistake from the casino or the player can give a criminal access to information.
Giving users some education and information can be one of the main preventions from cyber criminals.
Licensing
All legitimate casinos need to have a license, and if you can’t see a license number or details – this is a sign you shouldn’t play on that site. In order for a casino to get a license granted, they need to show the regulating bodies that they have all of the education on account security and that they have safe gambling guidelines in place, too.
Not only that, but the games that are hosted also need to adhere to the guidelines. When casinos don’t have this, or they don’t maintain it, their licensing can get revoked.
Playing at an online casino should always be a fun experience, but there is always going to be some level of risk involved. Cybercriminals are on the rise, and it is the job of the casino and the players to make sure that they are doing everything they can to protect the personal details of the users.
Education, in combination with the right technology, protects everyone.
