Cloud Copyright, Capital and The Courts

In 2006, Cablevision was developing a service which allowed customers to record, pause and replay their television content on/from servers located at Cablevision’s data center rather than on the customer’s Digital Video Recorder itself – in the cloud rather than on a local hard drive.  A consortium of U.S. television and copyright holders challenged Cablevision in court arguing that Cablevision’s Remote Storage Digital Video Recorder (RS-DVR) infringed on copyrighted content laws in that, they were making copies of protected works and infringing on exclusive right of reproduction; briefly buffering/storing that content also infringes on exclusive reproduction rights; and by transmitting the data back to the customer, they were infringing on exclusive rights to public performance.  In 2007, a district court found in favor of the copyright owner but in 2008, the decision was reversed by the Second Court of Appeals.  The court clarified that Cablevision was not directly infringing copyright by offering a remote DVR service outside the customer’s home.  Viewers could now record and save authorized TV content on a device within Cablevision’s infrastructure.

This ruling, according to Josh Lerner, Harvard Business School’s Professor of Investment Banking, had a huge impact on U.S. venture capital moving to cloud computing.  A risk was removed.  In Europe, where the ruling had no authority, the venture investments in the cloud were much less.  This is an important economic topic and ruling due to the relationship between venture, innovation and job growth.  The ruling might also be relevant in Australia where Optus is facing the same legal challenge today.  They started a service in July called Optus TV Now that does essentially the same thing as Cablevision’s.  Allowing customers to record and watch the 15 free-to-air stations that are available.  Customers can watch the content directly or over their smartphone or computer via the internet.  In their July announcement they even included, ‘it is a breach of copyright to make a copy of a broadcast other than to record it for your private and domestic use. Optus accepts no responsibility for copyright infringement.’  Well, the owners of the copyright material being stored and retrieved are saying breach, especially the AFL and NRL, the football and rugby leagues.  Optus is saying it’s no different than people recording on a personal DVR at home.  It’ll be interesting to follow this.

Back to the ‘funding the cloud’ story.  Lerner’s study, 'The Impact of Copyright Policy Changes on Venture Capital Investment in Cloud Computing Companies,' he examines the impact and effect of the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision.  The authors found that the decision led to additional incremental investment in U.S. cloud computing companies compared to Europe.  Figure 1 of their paper:


The same growth did not occur in Europe and in some cases, these types of services have been blocked from even getting to market.  Imagine how much different services from Amazon, Apple and Google would be if the court did not reverse the 2007 ruling.  

ps

Related:

• Clouds, copyright and venture capital: a multibillion dollar nexus?
• Optus offers free-to-air TV recording for those on the go
• Technology Neutral Copyright has a Positive Impact on Investment, Job Creation and Innovation in ITC
• The Cloudy Enterprise: Hours More Important Than Dollars
• The Business Intelligence--Cloud Paradox

Technorati Tags: F5, costs, integration, cloud computing, Pete Silva, security, business, venture capital, technology, application delivery, cloud, emea, infrastructure 2.0, web, internet

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

Our Digital Life Deciphered

comScore always has some very interesting statistics when measuring the digital world and these recent reports are no different.  The 2010 U.S. Digital Year in Review has great info both in understanding media trends and knowing what the end user is actually doing out there.  The 2010 Mobile Year in Review is also interesting in looking at mobile device and OS trends and the differences worldwide, both in models and what users are utilizing them for.  There are tons of graphs and analysis covering areas like U.S. Retail E-Commerce Spending, Percent of Time Spent for Top 5 U.S. Web Properties,  U.S. Unique Visitor Trend for Leading Social Networking Sites, Percent Share of Searches Among U.S. Core Search Engines, Growth in Total U.S. Online Video Market, Top Mobile Activities in the U.S. and many more.

These were a few that I found interesting - taken directly from the reports.

* 9 out of every 10 U.S. Internet users now visit a social networking site each month.

* Facebook now accounts for 12.3% of time spent online in the US - up 7.2% just a year ago. 

* After Portals, Social Networking now ranks as the next most engaging activity at 14.4 percent of time spent online (up 3.8 percentage points), while Entertainment ranks third at 12.6 percent (up 0.8 percentage points). As communication continues to shift to other channels, including social media and mobile, usage of web-based email declined 1.5 percentage points to 11.0 percent of time spent.

* An average of 179 million Americans watch video each month and the average American spent more than 14 hours watching online video in December, a 12-percent increase from last year, and streamed a record 201 videos, an 8-percent increase.

* In September 2010, smartphone ownership crossed the 25 percent threshold, marking a significant milestone in smartphone adoption in the U.S. By December 2010, smartphone penetration had reached 27 percent of the mobile market.

* Samsung unseated last year’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) leader, Motorola, to rank as top OEM provider with 24.8 percent of devices owned by mobile subscribers in December 2010, up 3.6 percentage points from the previous year.

ps

Related:

• The 2010 Mobile Year in Review
• The 2010 U.S. Digital Year in Review
• Why Video Advertising Needs to Dump Impressions and Move to 'Cost Per View'
• Android overtakes BlackBerry in US marketshare
• Seven million smartphone owners in Japan
• Facebook Cracks ComScore US Ad Survey Top 10 for First Time
• Yahoo, Tax Sites Attract Most January Visitors
• F5 YouTube Channel

Technorati Tags: blog, social media, comscore, music, statistics, blog traffic, web traffic, digital media, mobile device, analytics, video

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

A Digital Poltergeist On Your Television

I love starting blogs with, ‘Remember when…’ and this is no different.  Remember when, we used to receive our television programming over the air via an antenna?  Many still do but the days of seeing a huge pointy metal object perched on top of a house are dwindling.  (That would actually be a cool photo essay – homes that still have working antennas.)  They’ve been replaced with satellite dishes and coax.  Even then, your programming was still coming over a dedicated cable from a system other than the internet.  Not so anymore.  The explosion of Internet ready Televisions, DVD players, Game consoles and other set top boxes to enjoy the entertainment the web has to offer has made many of us giddy with choices.  The range of web content, once exclusive to your browser, is now available to any room in the house and without a traditional computer.  Many Internet ready home entertainment devices come pre-equipped to watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Vudu, Amazon VoD, CinemaNow, Pandora and many others.  You can also surf the web like you would through a traditional computer bringing a whole new world of entertainment to your television.  But, as many of you know, anything connected to the internet can be at risk.

If your computers and mobile phones weren’t enough, now your Television is at risk of viruses.  These will be new forms of viruses never before seen or associated with our beloved idiot box, as my mom used to call it.  These internet ready entertainment havens have processors, memory, many run on Linux and are connected to the internet, how could they not be targets?  For many of the online services, we also need to enter our personal information, credit card info and other identifying data which could be stored right on your TV.  The very same information criminals like to get their hands on.  According to Ocean Blue Software, a company that develops television application software, TV’s do not have enough power to run a full anti-virus program on them.  OBS is actually developing a cloud-based AV service which will scan content before it is delivered to the set.  While I have a firewall at the edge of my home network, my TV does not have any security software, like Anti-virus or personal firewall on it.  If you can fully navigate the web from your TV, like type in any address, then you might be more at risk since you’ll be able to download just about anything.  If you use email and click a malicious link, then guess what, you very well could be infecting your TV/DVD/Set-top with a new form of malware.

We’ve seen this again and again over the years.  The rush of newness, intrigue, our desire to have things when we want them and the need to be connected has often forgot or ignored the security implications.  Deal with it later or not thinking it is a threat since no-one (yet) has compromised anything.  First computers, then our phones and most recently, we saw it with Cloud Computing – jump into the savings but forget about the security.  That was one of the topics of year for Cloud in 2010, I think.  We need to build-in security at the onset; we need to consider the risks anytime we connect any device to the internet; we need to remember that if our sensitive information is available somewhere – then someone will be looking for it.  There are many consumer appliances that are IP already like toasters, refrigerators, thermostats, DVRs, garage door openers, coffee machines, and other home gadgets.  Sounds cool doesn’t it?  Log on to my coffee maker to make sure it is set to grind and brew 15 minutes before I arrive.  Maybe that’ll be the next threat vector – my toast got burnt due to a virus. 

BREAKING NEWS from the FUTURE: We just got a report that a hacker has shut down all the refrigerators on the West Coast and now people are running out to buy ice and scrambling to find their non-internet connected coolers.  Luckily, many still have their antique, plug into the wall fridges in the garage and are able to salvage some perishables.  We’ll update you as this story evolves….

ps

Related:

• Ocean Blue Says Connected TVs Are Vulnerable To Viruses
• Digital TV's At Risk Of Virus Infection Warns OBS
• Ocean Blue Neptune Software to Fight Digital TV Virus Risks
• McAfee: Google TV could be subject to malware, viruses in 2011
• IPv6 and the End of the World
• Hackers turn their attention to mobile technology
• Connected TVs come of Age. Now what do we do with them?
• Are connected TVs, STBs at risk for computer viruses?
• Cell Phone Acting as a Portal for DNS and Internet Security Threats
• Fake CCTV Sites Deliver Malware
• New generation of TV services begin to close gap on cable

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

Technorati Tags: F5, integration, cloud computing, Pete Silva, security, business, education, technology, television, threats, appliances, context-aware, set top devices, web, internet, cybercrime, security, entertainment, identity theft, scam, email, data breach

Radio Killed the Privacy Star

With apologies to The Buggles and the 12 other bands that have covered this song:

RFID out there is always watching you,
Staying awake intent at tuning in on you.
When I was young I never thought it would come true.

Oh-a-oh

They put a chip on things and never let you be.
Your data gathered up with new technology,
Yes, there’s Security but problems we can see.

Oh-a-oh

They track your movement.
Oh-a-oh

What did you show them?

Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.

Sensors can even smell your farts.
Oh-a-a-a-oh

And now we meet with our Bluetooth headset’s glow,
See toll booth baskets and it seems so long ago,
And you remember when networks were so slow.

Oh-a-oh

This ain't the first one.
Oh-a-oh

Won't be the last one.

Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.

In my mind and in my car, we can't escape we've gone too far.
Oh-a-aho-oh,
Oh-a-aho, oh.

Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.
In my mind and in my car, we can't escape we've gone too far.
Sensors can even smell your farts, put the blame on Tesla.

You were a privacy star.
You were a privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.
Radio killed the privacy star.
(fade)

ps

Resources

• Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star Live 2004
• National biometric pub list use 'explodes'
• NFL Beefs Up Super Bowl Security Tech
• Arrest Made in Bellagio Robbery
• With privacy issues waning, RFID begins ramp up
• Privacy Act doesn't cover pokie biometrics
• Hello, Big Brother: Digital sensors are watching us
• This time, Big Brother really is watching – but do you care?
• For foreign assets, Big Brother really is watching
• BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING EAST-END COMMUTERS
• Workers will now be tagged with a biometric database. Don’t say we did not warn you
• D.C. expanding public surveillance camera network
• We’re being watched
• Big Brother is watching
• Ski resorts storm the slopes with new apps
• Courts drawing line against warrantless phone data searches?

Connect with Peter:	Connect with F5:

Technorati Tags: F5, privacy, integration, rfid, Pete Silva, security, business, education, technology, surveillance, camera, context-aware, radio, web, video, blog, satire

CloudFucius Is: Ready for Some Football

With the opening game of the NFL season in the books and a Sunday (and Monday) of Week 1 matchups filling our living rooms, home team stadiums, fantasy leagues and mobile devices, I was curious just how the NFL and sporting events in general are using cloud services.  Technology used within the professional sporting realm has always fascinated me from statistics giant Stats Inc to the 1st down graphics from the likes of Sportvision, Princeton Video Image and SportsMEDIA to Skycam, the cable suspended camera giving you a bird’s eye view of the action and of course, the NFL banning Twitter during games.  Media companies are jumping all over cloud computing for the elasticity of services (jump in traffic), digital content, storage and to optimize communication and collaboration of workflows of content production, post-production and delivery.

Last week, IBM announced that it was bringing cloud computing to the US Open.  This allows the US Tennis Association (USTA) to scale up capacity during the event.  They can also take real-time and historic sports data, merge them on a common platform and deliver it to their various consumers: media, officials, fans and the players themselves no matter what the platform – web, mobile, broadcast, social media and so forth.  They can also analyze data from the courtside radar guns, the umpire systems, the court statistician and TV feeds.

The annual NFL Scouting Combine is when college players ‘audition’ for spots on NFL rosters.  They are tested for physical performance like the 40 yard dash along with their mental and problem solving skills to determine if they will make it in the NFL.  All the information (data) is collected and then evaluated by owners, coaches, scouts, medical staff and team executives.  The amount of data is huge and in years past, it was done with paper and pencil and then entered into computer systems or burned to CD’s and then mailed.  there were entry errors, delays and the systems were potential targets for breaches.   Now, the capturing, collecting and distribution of player data is done in the cloud making it much more efficient.  The data is merged with a master database using a secure connection and then a secure website is provided to the NFL teams to login and view content, download collateral and subscribe to feeds.  Pretty cool.

When the NFL wanted to extend it’s brand to an international audience, they created NFL360, an interactive media site with videos, game history, player profiles and many other goodies available for fans around the world.  Here they deployed a system with Digitaria using technology based on cloud computing.  The site also has games and other activities for the NFL fan.

NY Jets owner Woody Johnson is testing some cool technology in the skybox this year.  He’ll have a touch-screen device to keep track of all the game day operations from his device and get a view of the entire stadium's data flow.  From concessions to merchandise to ticket info to the traffic jam in the Meadowlands parking lot, he’ll have access to it all.

I’m excited to see the Dolphins win the AFC East and my fantasy team kick butt this year.  The cloud will be there too, domed stadium or not.

And one from Confucius: He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good..

ps

The CloudFucius Series: Intro, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Related:

• IBM Takes the Cloud to the US Open
• The N.F.L. Has Identified the Enemy and It Is Twitter
• The Cloud Zone: Explore Consulting's NFL Solution
• New NFL Technology Brings Fans Closer to the Action
• Going Deep: The Future of Technology in the National Football League
• The NFL comes to Verizon's Android phones

Technorati Tags: F5, infrastructure 2.0, integration, cloud connect, Pete Silva, security, business, education, technology, application delivery, intercloud, cloud, context-aware, infrastructure 2.0, automation, web, internet, blog

twitter: @psilvas

How Terms Have Changed over Time

Meanings and terms often change or get adjusted over time, especially with Information Technology.  While never walking 5 miles to school in two-feet of snow, I did live during an era of TV’s without remotes and vinyl record players.  I tend to include many ‘remember when…’ type stories in my blogs so just chalk (or chuck) this one in the nostalgia pile.  A few are a stretch and most still hold their old definition but come along for the ride anyway.  :-)

When I was a kid:

• An Appliance was a fridge, oven, toaster, etc.
• You Breached a contract not a network and used a Buffer for shiny car polish.
• A Cloud was in the sky, Cache was money, and C is for Cookie – which is good enough for me.
• A Disk was made by Frisbee.
• An Engineer drove a train.
• A Firewall was an actual physical barrier in a building or vehicle.
• Googol meant the highest number before infinity. 
• Bears went into Hibernation
• Inter and Intra described personal relationships.
• Java was coffee.
• Keys opened the house, started the car and got lost.
• Your Local Host was your guide when traveling to foreign places.
• When someone got too close you told them, ‘Get out of My Space.’
• The Networks were ABC, NBC and CBS.
• An OASIS was your own personal paradise, tropical for many.
• You could stand on a Platform, I turned my head for my Profile and Port was a sweet wine.
• QWERTY is still the same.
• RAM was a male sheep & the NFL team from Los Angeles.
• Spam and eggs, Hawaiian style.
• There’s a game called Tag, and you are IT.
• Utility had nothing to do with computing but could be a belt.
• Viral meant a doctor visit.
• Rode a WAV on the North Shore.
• 802.1X flipped is an extension in Idaho or maybe Vermont.
• A Yahoo was a local yokel.
• Finally, Zip up your pants!!

Come on everyone, play along!  I’m sure you got your own entries to add.

ps

Technorati Tags: Pete Silva, F5, security, application security, network security, business, education, technology

In 5 Minutes Video - How I Create an ‘In 5 Minutes or Less’ Video

Thought it would be fun to produce one of these even though I got a new timer now.  I show how I create an In 5 Minutes Video, In 5 Minutes or Less. Behind the scenes in 5 Minutes.   :-)

ps

Technorati Tags: Pete Silva,F5,security,application security,network security, education, technology, social networking, webinar, video

F5 Networks Partner Spotlight - Splunk

Peter Silva interviews Will Hayes of Splunk during the 2010 RSA Conference. Part of F5 Networks Partner Spotlight Week at RSA.

ps

Technorati Tags: Pete Silva,F5,security,application security,network security, business, banks, education, economy, technology, blogging, blogs, social networking, webinar, video, partners

F5 Web Media On-Demand

We’ve had some exciting announcements of late, like the BIG-IP Edge Gateway and the BIG-IP LTM VE, and lots of great content has been developed to highlight the benefits of these solutions.   It’s been a while since I’ve updated you about our Social Media sites and the various ways we deliver F5 content.   More than a year ago, we started to follow and contribute text, audio and video to the multitude of public Social Media outlets.  DevCentral has always been our social, community driven site, well before some of these newer social networks but we also recognized the need to engage with the various communities on the internet.  What started out as experiment, especially the Audio Whitepapers, multi-media has now become a mainstay of the various forms of F5 content offered, allowing you to get the latest from F5, anytime and anywhere.

Recent Videos

• F5 Tech Demo - BIG-IP Edge Gateway Client Side Traffic Shaping
• BIG-IP LTM VE: Get started with a walkthrough from PD
• Tech Demo - LDAPS Configuration on BIG-IP Edge Gateway
• In 5 Minutes or Less: Consolidate Access with BIG-IP Edge Gateway
• First look: BIG-IP Edge Gateway demo with Nojan Moshiri
• Secure DNS with BIG-IP v10.1 DNSSEC
• BIG-IP GTM v10.1 DNSSEC In Five Easy Steps
• BIG-IP v10.1 Application Security Manager PCI Reporting

 

Recent Audio White Papers

• Audio White Paper - A Green Architectural Strategy That Puts IT in the Black
• Audio White Paper - Geolocation and Application Delivery
• Audio White Paper – Unified Access and Optimization with F5 BIG-IP Edge Gateway
• Audio White Paper - BIG-IP Version 10.1 An Integrated Application Delivery Architecture
• Audio White Paper - Manageable Application Security
• Audio Tech Brief - DNSSEC : The Antidote to DNS Cache Poisoning and Other DNS Attacks
• Audio White Paper - The ROI Of Application Delivery Controllers In Traditional Virtualized Environments
• Audio White Paper - Disaster Recovery - Not Just Planning For The Worst
• Audio White Paper - Managing BIG-IP Devices With HP and Microsoft Network Management Solutions

 

F5 Networks Social Media & Content Sites

• F5 Networks White Papers
• DevCentral TV
• F5 Networks YouTube Channel
• F5 Networks Facebook Group
• F5 Networks Twitter
• F5 Networks Web-Based Training

 

Thanks for reading, listening and watching.  If there is anything you’d like to see, let us know!!

ps

Technorati Tags: F5, BIG-IP, v10.1, Edge Gateway, Pete Silva, security, application security, network security, blogging, blogs, social networking

The State of My Blog Address

Readers, distinguished bloggers, various feeds - A year ago this week, I crossed over into double-digit blog entries (a whopping 10 stories at the time but a relative blog newcomer) and was wondering what magical rant would make this Blog Go to Eleven.  Fidgeting with the keyboard and watching the blinking curser as nothing came to mind, I decided to dedicate January 30th as ‘Blog About Your Blog Day.’   The day that all bloggers would share stories, tips and other musings about their own blog.  Since I don’t see it as a #trendingtopic on Twitter, it might not have stuck.  Annual rituals often need a few years to take, so here’s the State of My Blog address in honor of my own made up writing holiday.

Last week, my good buddy Michael Sheehan of GoGrid (@HighTechDad on Twitter) wrote about the detailed process he goes through when creating a blog post.  I gotta give him credit for both having a process and actually documenting it since I typically just see a topic/story, fire up Live Writer and tap away.  Often stories come to mind while I’m walking the dog the evening before I post.  I think it has to do with clearing my mind of all the day’s clutter and suddenly it’s like, ‘There it is!!.’  I’ll get home, quickly jot some notes or create a title, sleep on it and write it the next day.  This was one of them.  I typically try to post at least once a week and it’s usually around mid-week.  This blog talks about how Thursday is the best day to post and this one backs it up with some statistical charts.  I’ve read a couple that indicate that Monday’s are not great since everyone is getting back into the work routine, at least for business blogs.  And speaking of Personal vs. Business blogs – Michael’s entry describes his method for personal blogs.  I really don’t have a ‘personal’ blog since most, if not all, my entries are work related and published on F5’s DevCentral.  I do feed WordPress, Ulitzer, Blogger, Posterous and others for greater coverage but our DevCentral community is my main audience.   Even with a business blog, I do tend to incorporate personal stories since what I do as a career does mix with who I am as a person.  I still remember years ago when I worked at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater an Art Director saying, ‘I am not my art!’  Always thought that was funny but interesting.
 
Even though this is a F5 branded blog, I do try to keep it focused on technology, trends, ideas and other industry topics instead of a ShamWow ad for BIG-IP.  Most of our readers are familiar with BIG-IP (and learning about the new BIG-IP Edge Gateway announced this week) and I just like to compliment what they already know, offer some new ideas or bring attention to market/technology trends and how F5 solves some of these.  Nothing too technical, security focused, a bit of humor, some personal insight and our daily lives – that’s the State of My Blog 2010.  How about yours?

And here are a few other stories I considered writing about this week:

• Top 10 Information Security Threats for 2010
• 80% of government Web sites miss DNS security deadline
• Data breach costs continue increase in 2009, Ponemon study finds
• Taken to the Cleaners

Until next time…
ps


Technorati Tags: Pete Silva,F5,security,application security,network security,blogging,blogs

X marks the Games

Sony Playstation Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary, Happy 20th birthday, Game Boy, Happy 10th anniversary, Sega Dreamcast! and November Marks the Launch Anniversary of Many a Gaming Platform.  Gaming has come a long way since the Atari 2600 and the Fairchild Channel F when we would screw those little U connectors to the UHF/VHF thingy.  Then we got ColecoVision’s arcade quality games like Donkey Kong and the early Nintendo’s and Sega’s to today’s Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox (there’s your 24th letter) and Nintendo Wii.  These days, not only can you hook you console up to your TV monitor, you can connect to the internet and play games online, even without a console.  While gaming threats & breaches don’t always make the splashy headlines like stolen credit cards and hacked financial applications, there is still plenty of things to worry about while you’re having fun.  Whether you’re a player or provider, the risks are out there and many (both technical & social) are no different than the exploits, malware and thieves we typically hear about from general online communities. 

Over the last couple years, a number online gaming sites experienced DDoS attacks that forced outages and tossed some sites offline and even Pirate Bay got hit with a DDoS attack when their users were not happy about the sale to Global Gaming Factory.  Even back in 2004, there were articles that covered the Security Issues of Online Gaming and a few of those mentioned still hold today.

For users, the risks loom since they spend a lot of time and money on these games and there are always crooks out there looking to exploit that.  There is also significant amount of social interaction with other players and many of the social media threats, like being tricked into exposing personal or financial information, are just a prevalent.  And it’s not just hidden criminals.  Full on media companies offering rewards, points or other game enhancements trick users into signing up for bogus offers and monthly subscriptions all while capturing their email address, credit card and other personal info.  This is quick money for game developers (and social sites, advertisers and others) even if it is done in an unscrupulous way.

Malware infection whether it be worms, viruses or bots are also a risk.  Most of us have learned that we should not click on an embedded email link for fear of computer infection.  But do you use the same technique when searching for a new/hidden game file or conversing with another player over IM?  They might have been part of your online ‘team’ for some time and you’ve exchanged tips.  Then they promote some cool new ‘add-on’ and send you an IM saying, ‘download this hidden gem – earn points faster!!’  Would you use the same caution as a phishing email or click away?  If the game required administrative rights for installation, would you grant it?  Would you allow all JavaScript and ActiveX to run, knowing the inherent browser risks?  Also, since you’re playing online, you have to be connected to a server somewhere.  Is that server vulnerable?  Has it been compromised?  If it has, then you too can be vulnerable – it’s really no different than other server exploits.  This applies to game operators also.  How are you protecting your infrastructure from malicious behavior?

This document (pdf) from US-CERT has a nice overview of avoiding online gaming risks, was an inspiration for this blog post and offers several protective measures….which look a lot like the general security good practices we hear on a daily basis:

• Use antivirus and antispyware programs.
• Be cautious about opening files attached to email messages or instant messages.
• Verify the authenticity and security of downloaded files and new software.
• Configure your web browsers securely.
• Use a firewall.
• Identify and back up your personal or financial data.
• Create and use strong passwords.
• Patch and update your application software.

Not to dampen any of your fun this year as many of us rip open new gaming consoles, connect them to the internet and start firing away, just use the same caution, suspicion and protection when you enter that fun zone.  Don’t let your guard down just because you’re having a great time – that holiday glee can morph into your winter of discontent with a single click.
ps

• #24 out of 26 Short Topics about Security
• previous stories: 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13.5, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Related resources:

• Layer 4 vs Layer 7 DoS Attack
• ASM Layer 7 DoS And Brute Force Protection
• An Unhackable Server is Still Vulnerable
• Scamville: The Social Gaming Ecosystem Of Hell