Online gambling is a multibillion-dollar industry and many sites invest heavily in security measures to safeguard themselves against hackers who continue to target betting websites.
On Thursday, the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office unveiled a six-count criminal complaint against an 18-year-old Wisconsin man for hacking a sports betting website and selling user accounts, purportedly including names, addresses, phone numbers and transaction data containing hashed Social Security Numbers that was stolen.
Security measures
Hackers target betting sites for various reasons. Betting sites provide an ideal venue for sharing personal data and boast large bankrolls that could easily be stolen by unscrupulous people. Therefore, it is vitally important that we are aware of security measures which could help deter such attacks from happening.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your online betting account is by regularly changing your password – it can dramatically lower the risk of hacking! In addition, password management tools provide additional protection by keeping track of multiple logins.
Use of secure payment methods will ensure that your funds remain safe. Also, using a separate email address for betting accounts will prevent hackers from accessing personal information about yourself.
Payment processors
Online betting sites invest significant resources in safeguarding their customers’ information and finances, using advanced encryption technologies and firewalls to prevent hackers from accessing betting systems or stealing customer information. Unfortunately, none of these measures is guaranteed; for your own protection use a separate phone or computer for gambling activities as public WiFi networks are highly susceptible to hacker attack and should be avoided wherever possible.
Security companies Talent-Jump and Trend Micro have reported that hackers have been trying to obtain personal data from fantasy sports and gaming websites by employing DRBControl malware, according to which hackers infiltrate these sites with ease.
DraftKings, an online sports betting company, recently disclosed that its system had been compromised and compromised customer information including names, addresses, email IDs, dates of birth, account balances, profile photos and previous transaction info were stolen by hackers. As a precautionary measure DraftKings advised customers to change passwords and account info.
Making withdrawals
Before withdrawing funds online, it is crucial that your banking information is accurate in order to avoid delays from processing them by the site. Double check all aspects including account number, institution number and transit number before proceeding with withdrawals.
Even with two-step authentication in place, hackers are still breaking into sports betting accounts and siphoning off money. DraftKings recently reported having several customer accounts compromised during one of its busiest days for sports betting; several customers reported being locked out of their accounts or having money stolen by scammers from these compromised accounts.
White-hat hackers, or ethical hackers, who locate vulnerabilities in websites and report them directly to webmasters or site owners so they can be fixed are often rewarded for their good work. Hackers target such sites because they contain personal data belonging to users such as email addresses, phone numbers and bank account details that hackers could potentially gain access to by breaking in.
