Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud company that powers and protects life online, today released a new State of the Internet report. The report reveals that web application attacks on the gaming industry have more than doubled over the past year. This is due to the booming popularity and demand for cloud gaming platforms, Gaming Respawned reports.
Gaming sector runs the risk of compromised player accounts in the wake of recent cyberattacks on web applications resulting in sale of the affected accounts and theft of personal information including credit card data.
The microtransaction market is reportedly expected to reach $106.02B by 2026 creating a massive target for attackers. The report also suggests that the gaming industry attracts 37 percent of all DDoS attacks due to its overwhelming growth and popularity. This is closely followed by the second most targeted vertical, the financial sector at 22 percent.
Other key findings of Gaming Respawned include:
- Web application attacks in the gaming sector have grown by 167 percent from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022, impacting millions of video gamer accounts worldwide.
- The United States is the main target of attackers, followed by Switzerland, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and other nations throughout Europe and Asia.
- Gaming companies are moving operations into the cloud, creating new threat surfaces for hackers.
- Microtransactions – prevalent in the gaming industry – represent a huge draw for criminals who can capitalize on the spending power of gamers without drawing attention to themselves.
“As gaming activity has increased and evolved, so has the value of disrupting it through cyber attacks,” said Jonathan Singer, Akamai’s Senior Strategist, Media & Entertainment Industries.
“Cyber criminals typically disrupt live services and co-opt credentials to steal gaming assets. Also, with the industry’s expansion into cloud gaming, new threat surfaces have opened up for attackers by bringing in new players who are prime targets for bad actors. Our latest report, Gaming Respawned, looks at why and how the gaming industry has become such a worldwide target that attracts cyber criminals, cheaters and money launderers.”
For additional information, the security community can access, engage with, and learn from Akamai’s threat researchers by visiting the new Akamai Security Hub and following the team on Twitter at @Akamai_Research.
