Internet Gambling Sites Keep An Eye On DEF CON

 
Hackers are often portrayed as criminals or vandals but at DEF CON they demonstrate they are also trying to keep our online gambling data safe.

With the explosion of online blackjack sites, and indeed gambling sites in general, across the interweb the emphasis on electronic security has never been higher. Players want to know that their personal details, passwords, and particularly money, are all safe, and not about to be frittered away to gangs of international hackers because of lax site security. Likewise they’d prefer their next hand isn’t disrupted by a denial of service attack on the site either. Which is why many of the online gambling community is paying attention to DEF CON the hacking convention in Las Vegas.

For each of the last 22 years the hacking community has flocked into Vegas for this mega event at which the unofficial motto is “Drink all the booze, hack all the things” to swap ideas and challenge each other’s skills. “Don’t connect to any wi-fi networks. Avoid any nearby cash points. And if you absolutely have to make a phone call, assume that people are listening in.” advises someone who should know, saying far more about the event than some of the other more tight-lipped guests would care to admit to the media who are very much frowned upon.

White Hats, Black Hats And Hackers

Also frowned upon is the presence of the authorities who are said to stalk the convention halls along with some more spookier people from the intelligence community. This perception of hackers as criminals alone is beginning to tarnish a little especially as they constantly point out issues that manufacturers and providers seem reticent to publicize. Jeff Moss, founder of DEF CON, makes this clear saying “The technology is less secure whether we know it or not, We didn’t go and redesign the product, the product was already insecure – all we’re doing is pointing it out.”

The hackers spent much of this year looking at ways to penetrate 10 of the most widely used wi-fi routers in the world, just like the one you own, discovering 13 serious issues with them in doing so, and they hope drawing attentions to these vulnerabilities will force companies to do something about them. So the next time you’re trying out your online blackjack strategy and something goes awry, don’t be too quick to blame the shadowy “hackers” because they’re doing quite a fair bit to keep your data and gambling safe, if only by keeping you worried enough to care.