Game makers must boost security measures

There was a time when all one had to worry about from video games were ― for parents ― their affects on children’s homework and eyesight, possible violent content, their cost and ― for game makers ― pirated game cassettes.

Those good old days were officially over yesterday (May 2) as video game giant Sony apologized for a security breach that caused the loss of some 77 million accounts’ personal information from its online service.

In his bow to the public, Sony Corp.’s No 2 and head of PlayStation video game unit Kazuo Hirai said the company’s PlayStation Network would be back online this week and promised to beef up security measures.

In the breach, characterized by Sony as “a criminal cyber-attack” on its California data center, the company said account information, including names, birth dates, email addresses and log-in information, was compromised for the millions of players using its PlayStation Network.

Addressing worries about the leak of players’ credit card numbers, Hirai said: “While there is no evidence that the credit card data has been compromised, we also can’t rule it out.”

For the users of one of the world’s biggest online gaming platforms, the damage to their faith in the company is already huge, as they have been cut off from the network for over a week already, meaning they could not play with other online users, download game updates or new videos.

While Sony might not have to worry about a serious loss in the number of its online players, who are generally loyal to the brand, the Japanese company must make sure their new security upgrades are good enough to defend the system against hacker attacks in the future. Players may give the company a chance this time but a second major breach will not be easily forgiven.

In addition to enhancing security, the company, and by extension the game industry as a whole, should reconsider the culture of the gaming world. For decades, hacking has been a major part of video game culture.

Since the 1980s, pirated games and corresponding reading devices have been made available by hackers, especially in markets outside Japan. Some video game stores that sell game consoles also provide console-hacking services for a charge.

The gaming world did not crack down hard on the issue probably because of the high cost of fighting piracy, and because such hacking practices helped push up console sales in these markets, which might otherwise find the price of playing prohibitively high. As long as people were willing to buy the consoles, their use of pirated game titles was regarded as a lesser problem.

The birth of the online video game, ironically, changed the picture as it gave both the game industry and hackers better weapons against each other. It is much easier for game makers to track pirated and hacked games through the Internet. On the other hand, the gaming companies’ online databases became the motherload for hackers.

Mainly targeting the young and often information technology-savvy demographic groups, the gaming industry will have to view its relations with the hacker community in a different way than other businesses. While it is clear that “criminal cyber-attacks” with the intention of identity theft or financial crimes must not be allowed, a “we versus them” attitude toward the whole computer-savvy community might not be the best strategy for the industry.

Instead it could appeal to players who are looking only for a smooth gaming experience to help protect the rights of online gamers by upgrading its own security measures ― such as using more complex passwords ― or even setting up an online watchdog for criminal hackers.

The PlayStation Network breach also carries a warning to the wider world. As the world and its contemporary living rooms are becoming ever more digital and interconnected, the online security of gaming consoles is no longer the problem of gamers alone. For starters, some gamers may use their parents’ credit card numbers for online purchases. The security of online services should be a priority in the design of future homes. Imagine the feeling if thieves in the future could unlock doors by hacking into, say, the home’s online air conditioner remote!

(Editorial, The China Post)

(Asia News Network)