CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai
Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the world's most trusted
solution for protecting and delivering digital experiences, today
released research showing that cyberattack traffic targeting the
video game industry grew more than any other industry during the
COVID-19 pandemic. According to Akamai's new State of the Internet
/ Security report, Gaming in a Pandemic, the video game industry
suffered more than 240 million web application attacks in 2020, a
340% increase over 2019.
Mobile games incorporating in-app purchases are also subject to
a consistent barrage of attacks, according to the Akamai report.
Criminals are seeking any opportunity to exploit players who spend
real money on virtual, in-game items like skins, character
enhancements and additional levels. The report highlights a recent
example in which bad actors used a phishing kit to steal player
email addresses, passwords, login details, and geolocation
information that they subsequently sold on criminal markets.
"Criminals are relentless, and we have the data to show it,"
said Steve Ragan, Akamai security
researcher and author of the State of the Internet / Security
report. "We're observing a remarkable persistence in video game
industry defenses being tested on a daily - and often hourly -
basis by criminals probing for vulnerabilities through which to
breach servers and expose information. We're also seeing numerous
group chats forming on popular social networks that are dedicated
to sharing attack techniques and best practices."
SQL injection (SQLi), which targets player login credentials and
personal information, was the top web application attack vector in
2020, representing 59% of all attacks Akamai observed against the
gaming industry. That was followed by local file inclusion (LFI)
attacks at 24%, which target sensitive details within applications
and services that can further compromise game servers and accounts.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) and remote file inclusion (RFI) attacks
accounted for 8% and 7% of observed attacks, respectively.
The video game industry suffered nearly 11 billion credential
stuffing attacks in 2020, marking a 224% increase over the previous
year. The attacks were steady and large, taking place at a rate of
millions per day, with two days seeing spikes of more than 100
million. Second only to phishing in popularity of account takeover
attacks, credential stuffing attacks were so common in 2020 that
bulk lists of stolen usernames and passwords were available for as
little as $5 on illicit websites.
"Recycling and using simple passwords make credential stuffing
such a constant problem and effective tool for criminals," Ragan
said. "A successful attack against one account can compromise any
other account where the same username and password combination is
being used. Using tools like password managers and opting into
multi-factor authentication wherever possible can help eliminate
recycling and make it far more difficult for bad actors to execute
successful attacks."
Read the Akamai 2021 State of the Internet / Security report:
Gaming in a Pandemic, on our State of the Internet page.
For additional information, the security community can access,
engage with, and learn from Akamai's threat researchers and the
insight that the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform affords into the
evolving threat landscape by visiting Akamai's Threat Research
Hub.
About Akamai
Akamai secures and delivers digital
experiences for the world's largest companies. Akamai's intelligent
edge platform surrounds everything, from the enterprise to the
cloud, so customers and their businesses can be fast, smart, and
secure. Top brands globally rely on Akamai to help them realize
competitive advantage through agile solutions that extend the power
of their multi-cloud architectures. Akamai keeps decisions, apps
and experiences closer to users than anyone — and attacks and
threats far away. Akamai's portfolio of edge security, web and
mobile performance, enterprise access and video delivery solutions
is supported by unmatched customer service, analytics and 24/7/365
monitoring. To learn why the world's top brands trust Akamai, visit
www.akamai.com, blogs.akamai.com, or @Akamai on Twitter. You
can find our global contact information at
www.akamai.com/locations.
Contact:
Chris Nicholson
Akamai Media Relations
+1 617-444-2987
cnichols@akamai.com
Tom Barth
Akamai Investor Relations
+1 617-274-7130
tbarth@akamai.com
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.