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The iGaming industry keeps on gathering steam, and the number of people who gamble keeps growing. Its 2020 market value of over $50 billion only proves that. As a result, the industry has been whetting the appetite of hackers and fraudsters, considering that casinos store sensitive personal and financial user data.
Read on to discover some of the most notable casino hacking incidents, how they were executed, and the ways to prevent them.
Notable Casino Cyberattacks
Gambling companies are dedicated to helping people unwind by providing them with thrilling real-money casino action. Operators work hard to ensure enticing content and user experience. What they work on harder, however, are high-quality security systems.
They are designed to prevent cyberattacks and any other type of fraud. But, hackers are not standing still. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have made things even worse, stimulating fraudsters to attack online casinos more than ever.
Country Club and Wrest Point
The Australian casino brand Federal Group made headlines on April 3rd, 2021, announcing that it had to close Country Club and Wrest Point as a result of a ransomware attack. Hackers stole company files and encrypted them, then asked the operator to pay a ransom to restore access to them. The whole cyberattack that affected the company’s slot machines and booking system closed two of Tasmania’s four casinos for ten days.
Cache Creek Resort
Last year, three US-based tribal casinos – Cache Creek Resort, Clearwater Casino & Lodge, and It’se Ye-Ye Casino – closed their doors due to a cyberattack. Reportedly, hackers planned to encrypt the systems and then ask for ransom. However, casino representatives ensured that no personal data was compromised during the attack.
Illegal Online Casinos
A recent announcement says that Chinese state-sponsored fraudsters are aiming at illegal casinos. Two Israeli cyber-security firms – Security Joes and Profero – confirmed the news. Five online gambling companies were victims of a ransomware cyberattack. Allegedly, hackers requested $100 million in Bitcoin. Yet, companies never paid a penny and restored data with backup files.
Online Casino Security Systems
Online casinos carry out multi-million transactions every day. Thus, safety and cybersecurity are very important for them. To safeguard players’ sensitive data, operators use SSL encryption. They also use two-factor authentication and advanced firewalls, as well as data encryption and regular cloud backups. Brands also collaborate with reliable payment providers to add an extra layer of safety.
How Do Cybercriminals Manage to Attack Online Casinos?
Hackers have more than one technique of attacking gambling sites online. The most used one is SQL injection that involves database manipulation to obtain data that is otherwise intended to be hidden, such as players’ personal information, bank details, and passwords.
DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service attacks are also very common. Hackers drive fake traffic to the casino website to render it unavailable to its intended users, temporarily or permanently. This is often followed by retrieving secured information using bots. DDoS hacker attacks result in huge losses for online casino operators. Besides experiencing serious revenue losses, casinos can also lose consumer trust.
In Summation
The iGaming industry has always been at risk of cyberattacks. Operators are willing to protect players’ sensitive details, even if it costs them an arm and a leg. The risk is always there. Your chosen casino may be a victim of cybercrime. Yet, the chances for that to happen are not any higher than getting robbed on the street.
