Website hacking claim denied by Game

M

mangaman74

Akatsuki
http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/88754 ... king-story

UK retailer GAME has denied reports that its website has been hacked, after reports suggested over 200 emails and passwords may have been accessed.

According to website Softpedia both GAME's website and that of Tasmanian firm Catalyst Gaming were targeted and although 200 account details isn't much compared to the millions put at risk during the Sony hacking scandal, that's not much comfort if one of them is yours.

Softpedia claims that GAME's website had 'a shell injection vulnerability that allowed the hackers to access its databases and expose their customers'.

We're not entirely sure what that means but it sounds similar to the problems Microsoft has been experiencing, where no actual hacking has occurred but instead thieves are taking advantage of common security exploits.

Softpedia actually has a link to the list of stolen details from Catalyst Gaming, while GAME's website was at least saved that indignity. Although apparently email addresses and passwords were taken.

GAME has yet to comment on the incident, but anyone that's stored their details on their site should probably think about changing their password.

Update - we've had the following response from GAME:

'At GAME we guard our customers' details very carefully. We have thoroughly investigated the hacking claims made today by the website Pastebin, and can confirm that they are entirely false. The published email addresses are not registered users of GAME.co.uk, and there has been no breach of our database security.

We would like to assure all our customers that their details are well protected, and advise anyone who has any questions to contact our customer services team via the website, our Facebook page or Twitter account.'
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I'll be checking my account and changing my password tonight just to be safe.
 
I think it's time people just accepted the fact that their e-mail addresses are in the public domain, and there's very little anyone can do to prevent people getting hold of it. Your name and address is already easily obtainable, your telephone number not far behind. Just ask debt collectors. Anyone can fairly easily be defrauded or have their identity stolen, my attitude is to worry about that if and when it happens. I don't even bother shielding my PIN number. Someone would have to have the card to do anything with it, and that goes back in my inside jacket pocket after use. So unless checkout assistants and people queuing behind me at the cashpoint follow and mug me at knife / gun point then I've nothing to worry about. And if they do I'll hand it over, call the police, get a block on my card, get back any money that was taken from my bank and claim on my insurance for anything else. What's the worst people think is going to happen?
 
ayase said:
I think it's time people just accepted the fact that their e-mail addresses are in the public domain, and there's very little anyone can do to prevent people getting hold of it. Your name and address is already easily obtainable, your telephone number not far behind. Just ask debt collectors. Anyone can fairly easily be defrauded or have their identity stolen, my attitude is to worry about that if and when it happens. I don't even bother shielding my PIN number. Someone would have to have the card to do anything with it, and that goes back in my inside jacket pocket after use. So unless checkout assistants and people queuing behind me at the cashpoint follow and mug me at knife / gun point then I've nothing to worry about. And if they do I'll hand it over, call the police, get a block on my card, get back any money that was taken from my bank and claim on my insurance for anything else. What's the worst people think is going to happen?
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Mmm, we're quite lucky with how readily such issues are dealt with really. I've had a card cmpromised a couple of times and the most annoying part was having to update all the accounts I use for play etc :p
 
ayase said:
I don't even bother shielding my PIN number. Someone would have to have the card to do anything with it, and that goes back in my inside jacket pocket after use. So unless checkout assistants and people queuing behind me at the cashpoint follow and mug me at knife / gun point then I've nothing to worry about.
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I've had my debit card cloned, the days where someone had to have your actual card to abuse it are in the past Ayase, There are camera's and even scanner attachments that scammers place onto the card reader in the ATM.

Meaning that the moment that your card passes through the scanner and into the machine or even putting the card into the ATM without a scanner but failing to check for a hidden camera above the card reader will result in some scumbag getting a copy of your card details. Usually i'm quite good at checking for a camera but it only took 1 time for me to not check in northampton and my card details where stolen.

Thankfully i check my banking online frequently and was able to notice that £60 had been taken out in 3 seperate mobile top ups within 24 hours, the bank was notified and a new card was issued along with my money back from the bank. So for peace of mind i check everytime i use a ATM (which is rare now-a-days)
 
My husband had his card cloned in an ATM too. Fortunately as he had shielded his PIN, nothing at all was taken, but his real card was stopped ungraciously when the thief tried to guess the PIN and I had to pay for his shopping unexpectedly.

I've had my card 'cloned' online twice though, which is just as destructive and much easier to do (and you don't need a PIN for it). Fortunately my bank sorted it out quite quickly. The last time it happened, the first transaction was for a mobile top-up too; it seems to be a common way for them to check a card works before going for something more adventurous - in my case a massively expensive haul of photographic equipment bought a couple of hours later.

R
 
I have had 2 credit cards cloned a few years ago. I don't have proof but I think it may have been the former local Forbidden Planet store (both cards were used in the store around the time it closed - it was going to close, had a stay of execution then closed a few months later).

One of the cards had a paypal transaction plus a payment made in a store in Liverpool which is funny as I have never been to Liverpool and I don't have a paypal account (although I have brought a couple of items online at sites where you pay their paypal account without needing one of your own).
 
The cash machines I use on a regular basis have weird shaped green plastic things on the card slots now to prevent anyone attaching anything flat that could scan the card (and one has something else that sounds like it's grinding your card up). Perhaps they haven't got round to you guys yet.

I've been defrauded before (on that occasion I was suspicious anyway, as it was in a shop which disappeared soon after and the guy took my card and did something with it out of my field of vision) but... meh. I got a new card, I got my money back. Wasn't really a big deal to me.
 
Thats another way that they can clone your card. i remember watching an episode of the real hussle and the guy posed as a waiter in a cafe, he took the persons card to pay the bill, bent down to tie his shoelace and strapped to his leg was a card reader that copied the card details on both sides and the chip's information. It all happened in about a minute and the customer hadn't even noticed, which is why i don't let staff go walk abouts with my card, i wait with card in hand until they bring the legit wireless card reader to me.

I don't think i have bought anything from game online however i have through gamestation (being that both game and gamestation are the same company that's still alittle worrying)
 
I'm pretty sure someone has attempted to clone my card to buy flights from Chicago to LA. Good thing they got my name wrong because it didn't work.
 
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