Taiwan's Gamania has launched a security service aimed at preventing online game fraud and theft of virtual assets such as weapons and other gear that enhance play.
The service, called PlaySafe, couples an IC card with public key infrastructure (PKI) security to prevent hackers from stealing another player's gaming identity.
At stake are the virtual assets accumulated by players during countless hours of online play. Such assets include bonuses, weapons, maps, coins and keys which help game characters navigate their virtual environments.
Gamania said it dealt with between 1,000 and 2,000 cases each month in which hackers had broken into and stolen the online identity of a player, and with it the assets those players had accumulated.
The company has an estimated one million active users and puts its fraud rate at 0.2 per cent.
'We've had depressed players worrying about when they're going to be the next victim,' Gamania spokeswoman Jane Hsu said.
Trojan horses and key logging software installed on PCs at internet cafes are the main methods hackers use to steal passwords. With the PlaySafe service, users can buy an IC card that will store basic account information and must be inserted into a card reader before access is granted. Coupled with PKI security, the card will prevent hackers from accessing accounts, even if they steal the login and password.