Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming August 2015 6 T he gaming industry is a source of entertainment for millions, and the effective equivalent of financial institutions with hundreds of millions of dollars in circulation on a regular basis. From the incandescent neon signage of the Las Vegas Strip to the beachside attractions of the Atlantic City boardwalk to the exclusive destinations in Macau Cyber Security To protect the gaming enterprise from hackers, operators need to better detect and resolve “leaky” apps By Andrew Hoog | NowSecure Fixing a Cyber Hole Andrew Hoog is the CEO of NowSecure, which provides mobile security solutions, debunks common security assumptions and creates smarter technology to ensure private information remains private and not exposed to unnecessary risks. He can be reached at www.nowsecure.com . and Singapore, casinos act like makeshift banks; swiping credit cards, converting cash into chips (and vice versa), holding vast reservoirs of foreign currency, and accepting mobile payments for lodging and dining, as well as shopping and other activities. Safeguarding this information— preventing hackers and cyber criminals from stealing this data—starts by spotting existing vulnerabilities involving smartphones and tablets. In an increasingly BYOD (bring-your- own-device) environment, in which guests, staff and executives use mobile devices on a seemingly nonstop basis, we must identify—and isolate—a new risk: “leaky” apps; unsecured applications that thieves can exploit to gain access to a treasure trove of personal or professional information. This material is the one jackpot no casino has plans to offer, as it is the one payout that can be financially ruinous to resorts and patrons alike. This challenge is all the more significant because a leaky app does not advertise itself as such; it does not have the visible glitches, sudden crashes and inexplicable bugs that characterize the type of massive hacking incident described above. On the contrary, most of these apps work as advertised: They respond to a user’s touch, never revealing any alarms or providing advance warning about