Whenever cyber-attacks receive coverage on the news, they typically focus on geopolitics, rogue states, and terrorism rather than confronting the issue head-on and educating viewers on what they can do to avoid falling victim to cybercrime.
Unfortunately, that is indicative of the modern media landscape in which the headline “China targeting Western Super Powers through Cyber-Attacks” gains more attention than the altogether more helpful and more accurate “Cyber-crime on the rise: How can you stay safe online?”
In this article, we’re jettisoning sensationalism and instead focusing on something much more productive and helpful – informing you how, as an avid online casino player, your provider keeps you and yourself safe from cyber criminals.
Analyzing the Threat
Without wanting to slip into sensationalism, we have to quantify the threat posed by cyber-attacks to online casino real money players to first give you an idea of the task faced by online casino providers.
Courtesy of Forbes, here are some cybersecurity facts that illustrate the severity of the task facing online casinos:
- 2021 was the record-high year for data breaches; 2023 saw a 72% increase in that figure
- Each data breach costs, on average, $4.45 million
- In 2023 alone, there were 2,365 reported cyberattacks, with 343,338,964 victims
- 94% of organizations have reported email security incidents, which is the most common attack point for cybercriminals
Those figures are stark, but with 94% of organizations reporting some form of email security incidents, it does highlight that cyber security is something that should be at the forefront of every reliable business operation.
So, what steps are your favorite online casinos taking to ensure customers don’t fall victim to cyber-crime? Here are a few of the most common:
Cyber-Security Risk Assessments
The only reliable way to improve anything is to identify the weaknesses and then create a plan to improve on them. That’s what reliable online casino companies regularly do by commissioning third-party risk management reports.
Typically, a cyber-security company targets online casinos as a cyber-criminal would, probing for weak points and searching for ways to gain entry to sensitive personal data and financial information.
After this, a comprehensive report of the casino’s weak points is compiled, from which an action plan is made to make these weak points more robust.
Using Network Firewalls and Hiring Specialists
Another way that online casinos use third-party help is by outsourcing their cyber-security to specialists. These security specialists design network firewalls that are regularly updated and monitored and have dedicated agents on hand to monitor activity on websites and shut down anything that looks suspicious.
Cyber Hygiene
When we read about cyber-attacks and online security, it’s easy to slip into the mindset of thinking about everything in terms of the movies. With nefarious agents from overseas being thwarted by high-flying computer nerds sat in front of a screen of green 1’s and 0’s.
The truth about fighting cyber-attacks is a whole lot more mundane, unfortunately.
Whilst firewalls and risk management strategies sound glamorous, the most effective ways to negate the threat of cyber-attacks are:
- Enacting strict password policies (requiring employees to regularly change their passwords and use a series of characters and special symbols etc.)
- Only sharing sensitive data with a small group of vetted employees.
- Implementing two-factor authentication
- Regularly training staff on cyber-security protocols.
None of these things are glamorous, and none of them are going to end up in movies about cybercrime anytime soon, but they are by far the most effective and reliable ways of reducing the risk of cyber-attacks.
Is it Safe to Gamble Online?
Unfortunately, we can’t provide any guarantee here and now that the online casino you play with isn’t going to fall victim to a cyber-attack. There is always a possibility of that happening, but what we can say is that it’s possible but not probable.
Cyber-criminals tend to target organizations with serious weak points, and online casinos, which process huge amounts of money daily and have a lot to lose, don’t fall into the category of “easy targets”, particularly the biggest providers.
If you are worried about cyber-security when gambling online, it would be better to review your online practices. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to stay safe online, have a read of this FBI webpage about cyber-security.
