Online Casinos Don’t Gamble With Security

may 11, 2020

Source: Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Playing your favorite slot or a few hands of poker is a fun way to gamble—risking your data and security online is not. As technology changes, all sites have to stay on top of the latest methods to keep their users safe. Cyber security is crucial when it comes to online casinos. Fortunately, online casino operators are aware of these security threats, and they are investing in security tools and systems to protect not just their interests, but also the interests of its members and casino players. Here’s how the norms are changing, and how online casinos are stepping up to keep your information safe.

The importance of online security

In today’s world, a ton of our information is stored online, including our contact information, bank account numbers, personal details, and even medical data. But theft on the internet doesn’t look like a bank robbery in an old movie anymore. Hackers and cyber criminals can be sneaky and hard to spot, even with sophisticated technology. Plus, they often take advantage of seemingly harmless information to commit identity theft or other types of fraud.

As more of our time is spent online and more of our data is stored in the cloud, hackers have found new ways to access this information. That leaves online companies at risk, requiring them to implement data security strategies and safety measures to protect their customers. However, many forms of online security can be cumbersome to the user—passwords are easy to forget, two-factor authentication can be inconvenient—so companies have to balance user experience with safety concerns as much as possible.

Most data breaches happen when the databases of large companies are attacked, whether they’ve been compromised by an employee or hacked from the outside. This can be a big deal. In December 2019, a single Microsoft breach left 250 million customer records compromised. Companies that store information like banking information have to be particularly careful to avoid dangerous breaches to customers’ financial accounts.

A lot of money exchanges hands at online casinos, so they have to be particularly careful about these security concerns in order to protect their customers. Casino regulations require safe practices, so you should always check that you’re playing at a legitimate, trusted casino to optimize your security. Maintaining cybersecurity in casinos requires operators to stay up to date on the latest issues in online security. Lately, there have been big changes to authentication and verification methods, which are rolling out across the web to fight off attacks.

Changes to Authentication

Authentication or identity verification is really just the online equivalent of showing someone your ID. It’s how websites make sure that you are who you say you are when there’s no physical ID to prove it. Gone are the days when having a simple password on your account was enough, though. Over the years, there have been lots of changes to password complexity requirements (including special characters and length requirements), the addition of security questions, or the use of two-factor identification for added security. Captchas are also common to make sure you’re not a robot.

However, there are problems with these methods, and they’re often not enough to keep an account secure. Passwords themselves are kind of a flawed concept—many people write down their passwords or use the same one for multiple sites, making them less effective. Security questions often ask for information that would be easy to guess or find on someone’s social media accounts.

For a long time, two-factor authentication seemed like a great solution. Whenever a user logged into their account from a new device, they’d receive a text message, email, or phone call with a verification code to ensure that they were really the person logging in. But hackers got wise to that method and found ways to compromise SIM cards to intercept verification codes when they’re sent, allowing them to hack into accounts without too much additional trouble.

Lately, many companies have been moving toward biometric authentication, using technology like fingerprints, face scanners, or retina scanners to ensure a user’s identity. While these are much harder to hack, we’re learning nothing is completely un-hackable. New malicious technology has come around that is able to recreate these biometric “passwords” to gain access to accounts and data.

That’s why security companies are working on harder to break solutions, like video selfies for biometric scanning. These would be much harder to recreate, though there are still some things to consider. A good face scanner has to work well enough to recognize users even with changes to facial hair, eyewear, face coverings, or fluctuations in weight, so this technology has been slow to develop. Even though it’s very complicated, we’re likely to see a rise in this type of technology in coming years.

Other security dangers

Passwords and logins aren’t the only factors in online safety. There are ongoing threats of phishing attacks (which involves tricking users into providing sensitive information through a fake site or email request). There are also various types of malware that users can get on their devices through downloads or suspicious programs, causing extensive data breaches.

When thinking about all the ways that your information could be compromised online, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and worry that your data will be hacked. Luckily, you don’t necessarily have to have perfect online security practices to keep your account safe. It’s a good start to change your passwords frequently and keep them secure, avoid any suspicious websites or emails, and be careful about how much personal data you post online.

Another important step you can take to make sure your data is secure is to be careful about which online companies you interact with. It can be risky make purchases on unknown websites, or take advantage of anything that seems too good to be true. Before providing your information, make sure to do some research about whether or not a site is reputable. This is particularly important for cybersecurity in casinos, because not all online casinos follow regulations and may expose you or your data to security risks.

Source: Photo by Caspar Camille Rubin on Unsplash

The future of cybersecurity

Online security companies are constantly working to stay one step ahead of hackers to make sure our information stays safe online. As consumers demand greater online security, companies are implementing better security measures to protect them. In the coming years, we’re likely to see lots more changes to cybersecurity norms, which should ultimately keep us more safe online.

The days of setting your password to “password” are long gone. We’re getting close to the futuristic technology we once only saw in spy movies with retina scanners and fingerprints. These new security measures make it so you can relax and play your favorite casino games online without worrying about your data being stolen.