Gamers get ready to fight; hackers have targeted your consoles!

If Australian computer security experts are to be believed (I don’t find anything NOT to), gamers will be a major target for hackers this year with console users and players of online PC games such as World of Warcraft at risk of attack.

The warning follows Microsoft’s admission that phone-support staff had been tricked into giving account details of some Xbox Live customers to unauthorised callers.

Some online users have complained of hijacked accounts and being charged for purchases, which they have not made.

Considering how important the online features in new game consoles these days, it was just a matter of time before hackers took notice. Hackers will soon begin to exploit any security vulnerabilities on gaming machines too, as they are doing to our PCs now.

“I haven’t seen any malicious code that is specifically designed to run on a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 but I would expect (it) is not very far away at all.” [Source: The Age]

[Another] security expert Stefana Muller, director of product management at security software maker CA , also thinks that consoles are now a target, expecting and expects attacks on gaming payment systems and more benign “proof-of-concept” hacks. Making game consoles a serious destination for hackers.

Welcome to the future: Console hacking, console phreaking, console phishing. Don’t wonder if you see similar headlines in the coming future. Gamers get ready to fight the real game. I wonder whose systems are secure now, is it Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony. We all know Microsoft is not really known for its products security….

[tags]security, hack, console, phreak, phish[/tags]