Is On-line Console Gaming Safe?

Yesterday Xbox Live users became the target of a sophisticated phishing scam that resulted in fraudulent transactions taking place on their accounts

. This is the second attack this year on console customers, the 1st targeted members of the Ps three community.

Worryingly the accounts were targeted on Xbox Live, Microsofts proprietary network that's supposed to be unhackable. The phishing attack utilised Xbox Live users bank card details to buy Microsoft Points, the systems currency which allows customers to buy video games, additional levels and add ons for games. EA Sports video games were the most targeted particularly the Ultimate Team Packs for FIFA 12 along with the American Football video game, Madden.

The Ultimate Team Packs have been targeted simply because they're an easy way of turning virtual money into real cash. In FIFA 12 members exchange Ultimate Players in a similar fashion to football stickers but real cash is frequently paid for the trade. This kind of transaction is impossible to monitor making it complicated to trace the scammers in question. Both Microsoft & EA sports are going to be launching investigations in to the attack to make certain this will not take place again.

Stories in the papers have proposed the attack was a basic phishing scam where members were fooled in to giving away their data but some stories appear to suggest a much more sophisticated attack took place. Despite the rumours Microsoft deny the Xbox Live system was breached & believe the stolen details were obtained on-line.

With the second attack on a important console network in less than six months how will this effect the online console gaming market? The security issues must be a major issue for members of Xbox Live and the PlayStation network.

Console Gaming On-Line Safely

There are a couple of things that you can do to help keep your data safe:

1.)Keep your bank details private Microsoft Points can be purchased in stores and then claimed on Xbox Live using a code. As soon as you have provided Microsoft with your card details it can be very difficult to get them removed but a call to customer services should do the job.

2.)Only purchase from authentic web sites You will find thousands of phishing Xbox web-sites out there, make sure youre purchasing from a legitimate web site. If youre unsure then call customer services or pay a visit to Xbox.com.

3.)Check your statements often If you supply Xbox Live with your details then for the time being examine your statements on a regular basis to make certain that no fraudulent purchases have taken place.

On-Line safety is very important particularly as the web becomes more social and much more integrated with our lives. Security &

by: Horatio Smythe

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