Topic:
As the gaming industry continues to become more reliant on
technology, they have also become significantly more exposed to a variety of
cyber security risks. Two of the biggest threats that casinos and online gaming
sites have been forced to deal with lately are having their customers’ payment
information hacked and the tampering with individual machines. One notable
example of a hacker targeting a particular machine is when Dennis Nikrasch collected
over $6,000,000 using his programming skills to cause a slot machine to
malfunction.[i] Tommy
Glenn Carmichael, “considered by many to be the best slots cheat ever” spent
much of the 1990s coming up with different ways to attack slot machines.[ii] Fortunately for the casinos, as Carmichael
continued to come up with different ways to cheat the slots machines, IGT, the
company who manufactured the machines, was continuously working to improve
their machines to prevent against these sorts of hacks.
Important Terminology:
·
AGA – “The American
Gaming Association (AGA) is the premier national trade group representing the
$240 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in 40
states. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers
and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of
the AGA to be the single most effective champion of the industry, relentlessly
protecting against harmful and often misinformed public policies, and paving a
path for growth, innovation and reinvestment.”[iii]
·
IGT – “IGT is uniquely
positioned to provide the government-sponsored and commercial gaming industry
with proven solutions for gaming, lottery, interactive, and social, through
every channel across the spectrum, including retail, web, and mobile.”[iv]
Relation to Computer Science:
Cyber attacks at casinos relate to computer science because
computer programs designed to exploit flaws in the machines carry out the
majority of these attacks or the casino’s wireless Internet. It is proving to
be a constant battle between hackers and security firms to protect the casinos
and their customers. One positive development that has resulted from several
large casinos being hacked over the several years is that the AGA has been
pushing Congress to pass laws requiring casinos to have certain cyber security
measures in place.[v] In
2015, Congress passed two laws that require certain information to be reported once
a company discovers they’ve been hacked.
Works Cited:
[i] Cheating In Casinos." Odds Shark. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
[ii] Cheating In Casinos." Odds Shark. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
[iii] "AGA." Casinos
Urge Congress to Act on Cybersecurity | AGA. American Gaming Association,
12 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
[iv] "IGT." Who We Are. IGT, n.d. Web. 03
Feb. 2017.
[v] "AGA." Casinos
Urge Congress to Act on Cybersecurity | AGA. American Gaming Association,
12 Aug. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
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