Hackers Targeting Xbox Live 136
darthcamaro writes "Windows isn't the only piece of Microsoft technology that hackers are attacking anymore. During a presentation at the SecTor security conference in Toronto, a Facetime security researcher revealed numerous methods by which Xbox users are being hacked today. 'Though the Xbox doesn't have the number one market share, it is the top target for hackers,' Boyd said. 'Xbox Live has 17 million plus subscribers, and that service requires payment.'"
Re:Everything is said. (Score:4, Interesting)
Indeed it says a great deal in that the myth that "Microsoft is the number one target because Microsoft is number one" is now shattered with this reported fact/statistic. But before we start citing this fact/statistic, let's do some fact-checking first and get some other parties checking these statistics. I have no leaning either way for this to be true. I actually have XBox360 and XBox Live so that I can play with my older children, so I would like it to be true that it's not driven by weaknesses and vulnerabilities in Microsoft's Windows driven network.
Another thought that hit me, and it was my first thought, was "compromised XBox360s joining botnets." The evidence for an infected PC is often readily available through various clues not the least of which are severe decreases in performance and software installed that the user doesn't recall installing. But with a very closed system like XBox360, the evidence wouldn't be nearly as obvious unless these machines set themselves up to power on in the background while disabling front panel indicator lights. (Since the indicator lights are mostly controlled by software, that would not be surprising to see.) And since XBox Live relies on home routers having specific ports forwarded to the machine so that game sessions can be hosted, port scanning could relatively easily identify machines running XBox live. Should a vulnerability be found to compromise the machine, you can bet that silent and worm-like infections would quickly follow even getting past NAT connected XBoxes as they connect to the infected game hosts.
Bad enough that yet another class of Windows machine is being targetted, but even worse that the liklihood of it being detected is significantly lower and that remedies to the problem are effectively limited to pulling the power plug from the wall even if it COULD be easily detected.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Everything is said. (Score:2, Interesting)
1) Xbox Live tends to have CC details tied to the account making it a far juicier target
2) Xbox360 may not be the largest marketshare but its online gaming (XBOX Live) certainly is the largest online gaming as it is even bigger than Wow.