Cyber Warfare Could Pose Serious Threat To Online Casinos
Most online casinos take steps to protect and safeguard their websites from hackers and malware as a breach in security could result in severe financial damages for both the casino and also the players. Online casinos are always looking to upgrade their technology to ensure that their systems are robust and secure.
However, a recent spat between North Korea, Sony Entertainment and the United States has resulted in a spike of sophisticated cyber warfare that could very well target online casinos. Sony Entertainment produced a movie called “The Interview” that revolves around two U.S journalists who are deployed by the CIA to assassinate North Korea’s premier leader Kim Jong-un. North Korean officials expressed their displeasure and wanted Sony Entertainment to cancel the release.
Sony did not give in to North Korea’s demands and as a result in November the company’s cyber network was hacked and a lot of confidential information was stolen. U.S cinemas were also threatened with terrorist attacks if they decided to showcase the film. Sony decided to take the treat serious and cancelled the movie’s premiere show and also withdrew all TV advertising.
This move did not go down well with the U.S government and President Obama expressed his disappointment as he did not want anyone to give into terrorist threats. America blamed North Korea for Sony’s hacked network and said that it would retaliate with a ‘proportional response’. North Korean denied any involvement with the attack but were forced to deal with one on the 22nd of December, when North Korea’s internet shutdown completely. Many believe that this was the U.S’s ‘proportional response’ in sending North Korean a strong message.
The sophistication of hacking and cyber warfare used in these two internet breaches poses a serious concern for online casinos because casinos are not prepared for this level of cyber warfare. Cyber warfare on casinos could result in theft of online chips, counterfeiting, cheating, money laundering and abuse of financial transactions. Hackers who manage to break into online casinos will also have access to thousands of user’s personal information and financial data.
Most online casinos have firewalls and software technology in place to deal with worms, botnets, viruses, trojans and malware. However, hackers have demonstrated innovative skills that could easily manipulate and bypass these firewalls, thereby exposing online gamblers and their financial data. After the intense cyber warfare, online casinos will be looking to implement the latest online protection available in order to safeguard their business and customers.
