eSports
The role of cybersecurity in eSports
As the online gaming and esports industry has become valued at over $100 billion, it also has become a prime target for cyber threats. The majority of PC games are delivered through digital platforms, such as Steam, and users ultimately store their credentials in these platforms (including bank information). Thus, digital platforms like Steam, EA Origin, Blizzard’s Battle.net, and a handful of other digital game clients are ripe for malicious attacks. Steam alone has over 125 million users. Also at risk are game-specific clients, such as Garena’s League of Legends.
With so many gamers not thinking twice about storing payment account information in platforms like Steam, it’s absolutely certain that hackers will continue to target these digital gaming clients. And because e-sport conventions attract massive crowds, all connecting to public WiFi, these events are prime targets for malicious attacks.
To combat this threat, client developers should make security a top priority. Digital platforms need to undergo rigorous pen-testing, from the best IT security consultants available. Gamers also need to make sure their clients are always up to date, and to be extremely wary of what actions they perform while connected to public WiFi networks, such as at esport conventions. Connecting to a VPN would also add a layer of security – you can choose a good VPN from this list.
This isn’t a hypothetical scenario – hackers can and have breached these game platforms, stealing large amounts of customer data. In fact, the developers of Kaspersky Antivirus raised serious concerns over the discovery of malware known as the ‘Steam Stealer’ in 2016.
The ‘Steam Stealer’ reportedly steals the account credentials of 77,000 Steam members each month and, with 1,200 types of malware in activity, Kaspersky’s researchers, Santiago Pontiroli and Bart P, claim these data breaches have “turned the threat landscape for the entertainment ecosystem into a devil’s playground”.
Later in 2017, hackers managed to get into the database of ESEA (E-Sports Entertainment Association League), threatening to release the details of over 1.5 million user accounts, to the ransom of $100,000. ESEA is one of the leading matchmaking services in online gaming, and offers professional tournaments with cash-based prizes for popular games like CounterStrike: Global Offensive, and Team Fortress 2.
ESEA advised players to secure their accounts, while working to patch the vulnerability. The hackers later also breached the ESEA game server infrastructure, changing ever player’s karma rating to a score of “-1337”.
Then in late 2018, a critical bug was uncovered in EA’s Origin client, by an independent security researcher. The bug allows a malicious entity to scrape account data. The independent researcher, online handle Beard, explained the bug:
“The bug occurs when you use the EA Origin client but request to edit your account on EA.com […] The EA Origin client will spit out an auto-login URL, in which the token is basically the equivalent of your active username and password.”
Auto-login URLs are fairly common, and are typically based on a user’s cookie files stored on their device. However, this was not the case with the EA Origin auto-login URL, which allowed using the URL without any prior authentication. An attacker could then guess a user’s security question, hijack the account entirely, and use any kind of stored payment method associated with the account.
The scariest thing about the bug was how these auto-login URLs could easily be harvested from unsecured WiFi networks. If an attacker were to hit an esport convention where a large number of users were connecting to a public WiFi, and then logging into EA Origin accounts, the damage could have been massive.
Fortunately, the independent researcher quickly notified EA of the bug, and a patch was quickly released. It is, however, just one example alongside others we’ve shown, of how tiny security flaws can put millions at risk.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and MOONTON Games, the publisher behind the popular mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, have entered into a strategic partnership to bolster integrity within the esports ecosystem. This collaboration marks a significant step towards ensuring fair play and ethical standards across mobile esports, a rapidly growing sector of the global gaming industry.
Through this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ESIC and MOONTON Games will work together on a range of initiatives aimed at safeguarding the integrity of esports. The partnership encompasses activities such as information sharing, educational campaigns, policy development, risk management and the identification of emerging threats in the esports environment. MOONTON Games will also join ESIC’s Publisher Committee, actively participating in shaping integrity policies and providing industry insight.
“MOONTON Games has long been the leader in the global mobile esports space, and we are excited to welcome them as a partner in our ongoing efforts to protect the integrity of esports. Through this partnership, we aim to promote a fair and secure competitive environment, ensuring that mobile esports can continue to thrive,” said Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC.
Lucas Mao, Managing Director of Global Esports at MOONTON Games, said: “Professionalism and integrity have always been cornerstones of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang competitive esports. By working together with ESIC, we are setting a new standard for fairness in esports and reaffirming our commitment to building a transparent and ethical gaming environment where excellence and integrity go hand in hand.”
Additionally, both ESIC and MOONTON Games will explore joint opportunities to develop policies that address the unique challenges of mobile esports. This includes identifying potential risks in the growing mobile esports ecosystem and working collaboratively to mitigate them through industry-leading practices.
This collaboration reflects the growing importance of mobile gaming in the esports world and reaffirms both organisations’ commitment to fostering transparency, fair competition and ethical behaviour.
eSports
GG.BET: win signed Team Vitality jerseys and get a deposit bonus of up to 200% for BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024
With BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 just around the corner, esports betting brand GG.BET is teaming up with Team Vitality to hold a draw where you can win signed player jerseys with the new design. GG.BET customers will also be able to get their hands on a deposit bonus of up to 200% and a €10 freebet. Use this bonus on the gg.bet website between 25 and 29 September.
BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024 is the last stage of this epic Counter-Strike 2 tournament, which takes place from 25-29 September in Copenhagen, Denmark. 8 teams will battle it out for a $425,000 prize pool and a place in the World Final, the culmination of the 2024 BLAST Premier tournament series.
To mark this final stage, the tournament’s exclusive betting partner GG.BET and tier-1 club Team Vitality are giving away signed jerseys from each player. The draw will be held on GG.BET’s and the players’ pages on X.
To take part in the prize draw, participants must:
- Follow GG.BET on Х.
- Follow the Team Vitality player whose autograph you’d like to see on your signed jersey: ZywOo, apEX, flameZ, Spinx or mezii.
- Each player is tasking participants with predicting what one of their in-game stats will be at the end of the Fall Final. Leave your predictions in the comments below this post.
You can take part in this draw from 24-29 September. Winners will be selected on 30 September from among all participants who comply with the terms of the promotion and leave the most accurate predictions. Each participant has a chance to win a jersey from all 5 players. The more accurate your prediction is, the more likely you are to win.
GG.BET is also offering its customers a special bonus for BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024: a 200% deposit bonus and an additional freebet.
How to use your bonus from GG.BET:
- Register on the GG.BET website or log in to an existing account.
- Activate the relevant offer in the Promotions section.
- Make a deposit of at least $20 to get a bonus of up to 200% and a freebet.
This offer is available from 00:00 (UTC+0) on 25 September 2024 to 23:59 (UTC+0) on 29 September 2024.
Asia
Mortal nominated for ‘Esports Content Creator of the Year’ at global Esports Awards 2024 Part 2
Naman ‘Mortal’ Mathur, co-founder of S8UL and widely recognized as the ‘Face of Indian gaming and esports,’ has been nominated for the prestigious ‘Esports Content Creator of the Year’ award at the Esports Awards 2024 Part 2, which is set to take place on November 14th, 2024, in London.
This marks Mortal’s sixth consecutive nomination at the global Esports Awards, highlighting his immense influence and contributions to the esports community, both in India and globally. The 27 year old will be up against some of the biggest names in the industry including Tarik Celik, Ibai Llanos Garatea, and Marc ‘Caedrel’ Lamont, in his category.
Following the conclusion of The Esports World Cup, the first part of The Esports Awards took place in Riyadh in August, where Mortal bagged the Runners-up title in the Esports Personality of the Year category and S8UL Esports, created history at the event by winning the Content Group of the Year award for the third consecutive time, a feat no other organisation, globally, has achieved at this platform.
Recently, Mortal and S8UL Esports have also been acknowledged with multiple nominations at the MOBIES Awards 2024, recognizing their exceptional content and significant impact on the mobile gaming industry. Mortal has been nominated in the ‘Mobile Content Creator of the Year’ category, while S8UL Esports has received nods for ‘Mobile Organisation of the Year’ and ‘Live Event of the Year’ for their S8UL Gaming Fest 2023.
These nominations reaffirm the remarkable influence of Mortal and S8UL in shaping the future of Indian esports and creator economy on the global stage.
Naman Earns Sixth Nomination at Esports Awards:
- 2020: Esports Mobile Player of the Year- 3rd position; Streamer of the Year- 2nd position
- 2021: Streamer of the Year – 2nd position
- 2022: Esports Personality of the Year – 2nd position
- 2023: Esports Personality of the Year – 2nd position
- 2024: Esports Personality of the Year – 2nd position
- 2024: Nominated for “Esports Content Creator of the Year”
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