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MMO security irresponsibly bad, experts claim
MMO players have more to fear than simply kobolds and virtual super villains. According to several security engineers interviewed by TechNewsWorld, gamers face greater risks than many of them realize, as lax security measures on the part of publishers expose players to identity theft, malware, and potential hack attacks. And as persistent online worlds continue to grow in size, they only become more lucrative targets for online ne'er-do-wells. They attribute much of the risk to the fact that so much of the actual game software lies on users' home computers, and is not adequately shielded by firewalls and other protective measures.Unfortunately, the solutions posed by the so-called experts betray an obvious lack of experience with MMOs and the people who play them. They cite enterprise networks as an example of having the kind of network security that gamers need to ensure that they're protected from intrusive attacks... So they suggest that people play games from work to alleviate the risk. While I'm enthusiastic about such a prospect personally, I highly doubt that most employers are too keen on the idea of their employees logging in while on the clock and using up company bandwidth to grind for Sporeggar rep. They also suggest purchasing expensive security products, but that's not something I'd imagine most people haven't considered and disregarded already.A more prudent suggestion, though not one explicitly cited in the article, is to instead be extremely mindful of what kind of mods you download for your favorite games, and from where you download them. If you don't give hackers an open door to your system, than there's probably not too big a cause for concern, unless you're unlucky enough to have bought pre-hacked products.
