McAfee’s Avert antivirus labs found that almost half of all password-stealing Trojan software detected in the last year target multiplayer online games like “World of Warcraft,” “Everquest” and “Lineage.” Just a game? No big business and big money. An article in Forbes pointed to this McAfee report while adding several comments like: “Cybercriminals have targeted gamers for years. But the growth of those in-game economies, combined with new protections on bank accounts like fraud detection and authentication systems, means games have become the path of least resistance, says Gary McGraw, a security consultant with Dulles, Va.-based Cigital, and author of Exploiting Online Games. “ How are we to help solve these problems? McAfee also offers many solutions at their Avert Labs White Paper website. One PDF is entitled, ” Securing Virtual Worlds Against Real Attacks– The challenges of online game development.” As the Forbes Magazine article points out, cyber criminals still would love your banking and other personal details. And yet, it is clear that they will go after anything that can be turned into cash. Game passwords seem to be an easier target. Alas, the old days of playing the board game Monopoly with the family seem to gone. But the motive to get all the money (in Monopoly) is alive and well – but it’s not a game. Related content opinion 3 security career lessons from 'Back to the Future' You don't need to be able to predict the future to have a successful security career, but you had darned well better be able to learn from the past. By Dan Lohrmann Jan 12, 2021 6 mins Careers Security interview Secrets of industry-hopping CSOs Who says you can't change industries? Veteran security leaders Mark Weatherford and Cheri McGuire teach you how it’s done. By Dan Lohrmann Mar 02, 2020 12 mins Careers Security opinion Why security pros are addicted to FUD and what you can do about it Despite professing anti-FUD rhetoric, cyber experts fan the flames, breathlessly sharing the details of the latest data breaches. It's a risky addiction that can lead to security apathy in enterprises. Here's how to harness it. By Dan Lohrmann Sep 06, 2018 7 mins Security opinion Bridging the smart cities security divide There are plenty of organizations that seem to be working on answers to secure smart cities, but in many ways it's like the early days of cloud computing with everyone building their own solutions. By Dan Lohrmann Feb 01, 2018 6 mins Internet of Things Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe