Online Poker need protect themselves from cybercriminal

Online Poker need protect themselves from cybercriminal

ADVERTISEMENT If you’ve spent any time in online poker rooms, you’ve likely heard about a couple of high-profile attacks targeting players. “With cybercrime on the rise, it is only a matter of time before hackers attempt to use malicious software to target poker players,” said Brian Corlisse of PokerSites.com, a leading guide to online poker sites. “Some poker pros have considerable balances in their poker accounts, sometimes with hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that makes it an attractive industry to target.” “Stopping someone from hijacking your computer boils down to software and common sense,” said Charles Kolodgy, research vice president for secure products at IDC.

 Reputable poker sites have invested in tight security measures, rivaling the sophisticated encryption used by financial institutions for online banking. But the onus lies on players to ensure their computers are protected from malicious types out to defraud you, said Kolodgy. After all, more people might be more willing to ante up as legal and regulated online poker spreads. It started in three states last year – New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware – and others are considering it. PokerAtlas.com, a site that boasts the largest source of poker room and game information in North America, predicts as many as a dozen states could allow residents to play on legal online poker sites by the end of 2015.

 To help ward off cybercriminals, here are tips for protecting yourself while playing online poker, as well as other online activities. Security suites, software updates Don’t settle for a basic antivirus program you found for free or already bundled with your operating system. Instead, pick up a more robust anti-malware (“malicious software”) security suite that offers protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, keyloggers (which can remotely see what you’re typing), spam and identity theft. (Page 2 of 3) “Especially for online poker players, a security suite – which includes a firewall – will help prevent someone from getting onto your machine,” said Kolodgy. Good security suites might cost $50 per year, often for up to three PCs. Paid services are usually updated more often, so you’re always protected from the latest threats, and are updated automatically rather than you having to remember to download the latest malware definitions. On a related note, it’s also important to download the latest free software updates for your operating system, as well as third-party programs, such as Java and Adobe. Use strong passwords Creating a good password for online poker isn’t difficult, but it does take more time to come up with one than using common ones like “password,” “poker,” “123456” or your kids’ or pets’ names – all of which are not recommended for obvious reasons.

A strong password is at least 7 or 8 characters long, has a combination of letters, numbers and symbols and mixes upper and lower cases. It’s also a good idea to avoid real words or phrases. “And don’t think replacing a ‘1’ for an ‘i’ will protect you either, as good password cracking programs can also guess these,” warns Kolodgy. For example, passwords such as “p1ckle” or “h3llo” aren’t effective. If you don’t want to use the recommended combination of letters, numbers and symbols, at least keep in mind that single word passwords are easier to break than multiple word passwords. Instead of “giraffe,” use something like “bluegiraffe” or “sillybluegiraffeface.” This should be an easy password to remember – and better yet, add a number and symbol to it, too. “Don’t reuse passwords and change them periodically, too,” suggested Kolodgy. It’s also not a bad idea to set up a brand new web mail address – such as a free Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Outlook.com account – and only use that one associated with your poker account and nothing else. Two-step authentication Major tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple offer a two-step authentication process – and some poker sites now do, too. This serves as an extra security measure to protect your online accounts from being compromised. It confirms you – and only you – are granted access to your account. (Page 3 of 3) As the name “two-step authentication” suggests, in addition to a standard username and password you’ll also need a code that’s sent usually via text message to your mobile phone, or revealed in an app. Before you gain access to the site or app, you’ll be prompted to enter that short, randomly-generated verification code.

 Some poker sites will send you a small gadget with a screen on it, such as the RSA SecurID products. This security token/key works the same way as a text message – displaying a randomly-generated, one-time-use code to type in along with your password. Don't play as the admin To be extra safe, Kolodgy said you only should play online poker on a PC you don’t have administration (admin) rights to. “That way, it makes it difficult for someone to secretly install a program on your PC while that session is on.” Kolodgy said it’s fairly straightforward to set up a new account outside of admin on your machine, call it Poker, perhaps, and log into this before playing poker. “It’s not unlike enterprise companies who don’t give admin rights to employees, so they can’t purposely or inadvertently load software the company doesn’t want, and it helps prevent malicious code from running.”

 On a related note, Kolodgy said some companies are developing “virtual machine” solutions, such as PokerShield.com. Still in development, PokerShield is a custom-designed Linux operating system that can be booted directly from a USB or CD (or installed on your hard drive) and the system lets you segregate your OS into two distinct platforms: one for online poker and the other for all other computer activity. Resist public Wi-Fi hotspots Whether it’s at your local coffee shop, in an airport or a hotel lobby, millions of mobile computer users take advantage of the free public Wi-Fi networks, or “hotspots.” But don’t use it for activities like online poker, banking or shopping. Some Wi-Fi networks can appear to be legitimate – like a wireless network called “Hilton” or “McDonald’s” – when in fact it is a fake.

Nearby criminals can create rogue networks that often contain the name of the store, hotel or airport, but actually will direct your information to their own computer. Before logging on, double-check it’s legit by confirming the network name at the establishment. Always assume your Wi-Fi connections are being eavesdropped on. That is, if you’re surfing the Web on your computer, smartphone or tablet at a coffee shop, do simple things like read the news.

Don’t enter sensitive data – such as your poker site password. If you like, you can also download and use free VPN (virtual private network) software, such as Hotspot Shield, to surf anonymously. Another option is to bring your own network and resist the free Wi-Fi altogether. Specifically, all wireless carriers sell Internet sticks that snap into your laptop’s USB port and let you access the Internet via cellular connectivity (some, like the MiFi products, don’t require a USB at all). Or you might turn your smartphone into a personal hotspot to get online, but be aware of data costs.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20140512/NJBIZ16/305120017/Online-poker-protection