Some 77% of Cyber-attacks Target Gaming and Gambling

Cybersecurity firm Nexusguard has issued a new report identifying that 77% of all cyber-attacks in Q3 2020 have focused on the online gaming and gambling experience.

Nexusguard Warns of More Cyber-attacks on Gambling Properties  

According to a new study by Nexusguard focusing on Q3 2020, the online gaming and gambling industries have been the ones most likely to be the victim of cyber-attacks, with 77% of attackers directing their efforts on the industry.

In the Nexusguard Q3 2020 Threat Report, the company noted that a third of all entertainment attacks had online gaming targets. Overall, the number of DDoS has increased by 287% in the third quarter year-over-year.

Because of the spike in activity in entertainment online gaming platforms, attackers see an opportunity to cash in by taking on such venues. In the press release, Nexusguard explained that social isolation paired with bigger online traffic has prompted huge interest in various home entertainments, and often online gaming.

Hackers have seen this as an opportunity to target gamers who have sufficient disposable income on their accounts to make them desirable targets. Nexusguard has reported, though, that with the right tools, such attacks can be nipped in the bud and negate the adverse effects of high-latency and data breaches.

Earlier this year, a cyber-attack hit SBTech, one of the world’s leading providers of sports betting solutions, suspending service to over 50 websites.

A Fair Warning from Nexusguard

Nexusguard CTO Juniman Kasman has cautioned that hackers will continue to target the online gaming industry as it keeps snowballing in the months of the lockdown. He further advised that:

“Game service providers, CSPs and other organizations should take steps to safeguard service, including segregating applications to minimize collateral damage or rehearsing incident response drills to reduce service disruption during attacks.”

-Nexusguard CTO Juniman Kasman

Nexusguard explained that the nature of the attacks varies, with the attackers deploying various stratagems to disrupt service or steal information. Back in July, ZDNet reported that as many as 142 million guests have been affected in a MGM Resorts data breach.

Online gambling is also likely to suffer, as according to Nexusguard, attackers are using botnet scanning, honeypots, and other tools to identify vulnerabilities. A big chunk of gambling is shifting online in 2020 and the 2021 pandemic has expedited this process, raising the question if the industry should do more.