Cybersecurity Month: How Portugal is safeguarding the gaming industry

Cybersecurity Month: How Portugal is safeguarding the gaming industry

Welcome to the third edition of Games From Portugal, a monthly publication that brings you the latest updates and news stories from Portugal's video game development sector and creative industries. This newsletter is brought to you by eGames Lab , a unique e-games development and creative industries cluster in Portugal.

As October marks European Cybersecurity Month, we speak with internet security expert Frederik Johannson from eGames Lab consortium member Jupiter Wisdom. He shares his thoughts on cybersecurity in the gaming industry and how studios can strengthen their defenses.

Elsewhere, we hear from Yacooba about its groundbreaking Web3 and blockchain platform, fourt.io, set to launch in 2025. This platform is designed to streamline the integration of these emerging technologies into video games and other online services.

You’ll find both these stories, including a quick look at what we go up to during our time at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, detailed below.

European Cybersecurity Month: Jupiter Wisdom Talks Defending the Video Game Industry

Image Credit: Freepik

October marks European Cybersecurity Month , a campaign that empowers individuals and businesses to protect their data from cybercrime by educating them on better online safety practices. But cybersecurity isn’t just for one month; it’s something that almost every business must constantly be vigilant about.?

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the global annual cost of cybercrime is predicted to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025 , with Gov.uk’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey finding that nearly half of all businesses in the UK alone report having experienced some form of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months.?

One industry especially vulnerable to cybersecurity threats is the video game sector, where companies not only have to deal with risks like ransomware, unsecured APIs, authentication flaws, and encryption vulnerabilities (both end-to-end and peer-to-peer) but also more persistent issues like cheats, mods, data breaches, and disruptive DDoS attacks—all of which can leave companies vulnerable to operational and reputational damage.

Fredrik Johansson, chief technology officer at the cyber intelligence and strategy firm Jupiter Wisdom , is well-acquainted with these challenges. As part of the eGames Lab consortium, Jupiter Wisdom provides advanced cybersecurity solutions that help gaming companies close critical security gaps.

Reactive defense strategies

We’ve recently seen multiple high-profile incidents affect renowned video game studios, including Insomniac Games (Marvel’s Spider-Man) and Rockstar (Grand Theft Auto), which resulted in terabytes of confidential data and pre-release footage entering the public sphere.?

Incidents like these may have you thinking it’s time to upgrade your defenses, but according to Johannson, the rise of new platforms and technological advancements have made it challenging to take preventative measures as there aren’t established attack patterns to look out for. Many companies have little choice but to deploy a more “reactive” defense strategy, which has obvious drawbacks.

To adapt, the industry should embrace existing technologies like password-free authentication, geolocation, behavioral and biometric methods, non-stored card information, and numberless payment systems. There's also a push for simpler, less vulnerable code, decentralized data architecture, and enhanced security for emerging platforms like VR/AR.

“If data can’t be fully protected, companies should shift their focus to limiting what attackers can access,” Johannson says. “Instead of just protecting the key, the goal should be limiting the "doors" that the key can open and restricting the value of what can be accessed. This approach accepts that some breaches are inevitable but reduces the potential damage they can cause.”

Tips to boost your cybersecurity

However, all that isn’t to say that there aren’t actions video game companies can take in the here and now to bolster their security. Johannson recommends doing the following:

  • Performing constant holistic risk assessments, coupled with vulnerability scans and pen tests of the entire digital infrastructure, to produce prioritized, actionable plans that can address critical security gaps.?
  • Incorporating the concept of “minimization,” which limits the amount of exposed code or features that would-be hackers could exploit, as well as looking at conducting a line-by-line audit of existing code to address vulnerabilities.?
  • Companies should also thoroughly test their disaster recovery capabilities to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Jupiter Wisdom is also looking to address the lack of defense preparation with its Cyber Threat Intelligence platform, which is set to launch for other eGames Lab consortium members later this month. The platform will provide live information about data breaches, exposed credentials, accounts for sale, and domain attacks on the surface and dark web. It will also feature a helpdesk, under-attack consulting, organizational risk assessment and other valuable tools.

“It's easy to say more needs to be done, but the real issue lies in the management and allocation of dedicated cybersecurity resources,” Johannson says. “Companies should invest in security as seriously as they do in PR and marketing, always adapting and innovating.”

Yacooba Talks Supporting the Next-Generation of Video Games Using fourt.io

Image Credit: Yacooba Labs

Have you ever found yourself eagerly waiting to snag tickets for your favorite band, only to be left frustrated as they sell out while you're stuck on a waiting room screen, then see them resold at double their original price elsewhere? What if we told you someone had already found a solution to stop scalping right from the source, and that they’re using blockchain technology to do it??

Yacooba Labs ’ inaugural project, aptly named Yacooba.com , is an online event marketplace where every ticket is stored on a blockchain. While this may sound unfamiliar to those new to the concept, it essentially means that each digital ticket has a verifiable record of its existence, easily traceable back to the original purchaser at the point of entry.

However, according to Yacooba Lab’s chief technology officer, Carlos Faria, this is just the beginning of the company’s ambitions to solve real-world problems using the Ethereum blockchain. Its next big target is the video game industry, where the company’s partnership with eGames Lab comes into play.?

Yacooba’s Latest Challenge

The video game industry has been significantly impacted by the rapid advancements in blockchain technology, which has transformed how titles can be developed, played, and monetized. Many traditional video games, like Diablo and World of Warcraft, have featured in-game marketplaces, but blockchain takes this a step further through "game finance."? For example, many games built on blockchain allow players to earn, buy, sell, and trade in-game items with real-world value.

However, putting that concept into practice is a complex task. One of the main challenges Yacooba uncovered in discussions with game developers is the requirement for a crypto wallet. Any game or project built on the blockchain requires the user to have a crypto account or wallet to make purchases, which presents various obstacles.

The easiest way around this is for users to create a wallet on another platform, such as MetaMask or Ledger, and bring it with them. Of course, that relies on your users knowing how to set this up and being willing to go through that process.

The alternative solution is for the game itself to provide a mechanism to create a wallet. While that simplifies the transaction process for the user, it means the developers have to find a way to keep the private cryptographic keys (which allow access to the wallet) safe and secure.?

There’s also the matter of what Faria calls gas fees: “Blockchain is an open ecosystem, meaning anyone can transact and deploy programs. However, each transaction must be paid for to keep the network running. For example, if a user wants to sell an in-game item on a marketplace built on the Ethereum blockchain, the gamer needs a native token—specifically, Ether—to pay the transaction fees.”

Introducing fourt.io

It’s here that Yacooba’s latest project steps into the spotlight. fourt.io is a platform designed to allow game studios (or any other company building a project on the blockchain) to easily onboard billions of users into their ecosystem by removing the need to create a wallet. Instead, the platform provides an address that will act as the wallet whenever a player wants to perform a transaction.?

To the user, logging into a game or project integrated with fourt.io is no different than accessing an everyday website like Facebook or Amazon. However, behind the scenes, fourt.io creates a highly secure “key” for the user stored within their device (meaning the studio doesn’t have to worry about working out how to protect this highly confident data), granting them seamless access to the transaction process.

fourt.io also allows users to perform “gasless transactions," meaning players don’t have to worry about covering the transaction fee. Of course, that doesn’t mean to say that transactions no longer need to be paid for—instead, the responsibility lies with the game developer. While looking after additional costs might sound negative, it provides much extra flexibility and opportunity.?

“A game could, for example, have tokens that players can earn by simply playing. These tokens could then be used to perform operations or transactions within the game’s marketplace,” Faria says. “fourt.io is paving the way for all kinds of business models that cover transaction or gas fees in different scenarios, enabling users to make purchases without needing to hold Ether in their account."

Linking fourt.io with Unity

When will fourt.io be ready to launch? Faria says that his team is working towards a 2025 launch, focusing on building the core infrastructure and services. Although no games have integrated with fourt.io yet, the team is developing software development kits (SDKs) for communication with Unity. The specifics of this integration will depend on the developers, but Faria has some ideas about what we might expect.

“We're likely to see the tokenization of more in-game items, especially in AAA games, which allows players to prove ownership of things like characters, skins, or weapons and sell them on the open market,” Faria says. "One intriguing aspect of tokens is their programmability through smart contracts, which allows them to be sold under specific conditions. For example, tokens can be restricted to particular marketplaces, designated individuals, or even necessitate the transfer of another token alongside them. This flexibility empowers developers to tailor the transfer terms, opening up a world of creative possibilities.”

eGames Lab at Tokyo Game Show

The eGames Lab consortium at Tokyo Game Show

eGames Lab had the honor of participating in Tokyo Games Show 2024, one of the world’s most prestigious video game events. Known for its unique display of visuals and sound, the show truly reflects the vibrant and spectacular spirit of Japanese gaming culture. With immersive booths and breathtaking audiovisual production, the event transported visitors into the captivating world of video games, where entertainment and cutting-edge technology are at their finest.

At the event, eGames Lab presented innovative products developed by Portuguese talent, which stood out for their quality and creativity in areas such as augmented reality and inclusive gaming. This participation not only strengthened the historic friendship between Portugal and Japan but also opened doors to future strategic partnerships with the Asian market, reaffirming the consortium’s commitment to elevating the video game industry on a global scale.

Updates from The eGames Lab Consortium?

  • Cláudio Pestana, Project Manager at eGames Lab, shared his thoughts with Portugal Business News on the opportunities for gaming startups in the region.
  • Startup Madeira, part of the eGames Lab consortium, is hosting the 2nd edition of GameJam+ Madeira this October. During this intense 48-hour game development marathon, local teams will compete to create a unique game concept and a playable prototype, which will then be presented to a global jury for evaluation.

Business & Gaming Stories Affecting Portugal?

  • Esports Insider Events brought back the ESI Film Festival on 24 September to welcome attendees to the ESI Lisbon conference. The Film Festival offered a €6,000 cash prize pool thanks to its returning partner ESG Gaming, a non-profit committed to creating a positive social impact through gaming and emerging tech.

  • DOOM creator John Romero will headline the international game development conference DevGAMM, which will take place in Portugal in November. Romero will give a keynote titled "DOOM: The Game That Changed Games," which will share the story behind DOOM, including rare footage and behind-the-scenes stories. There will also be a meet-and-greet with the developer, where he'll sign copies of his new autobiography, DOOM Guy.

  • A new Complete Entertainment Exchange (CeX) repair centre has opened in Vila Nova de Gaia. CeX is an international brand with 31 stores across Portugal. The new repair centre is entirely dedicated to repairing and refurbishing the products sold in its Portuguese stores.?

  • Publisher PM Studios has announced that Zarc Attack’s award-winning FPS Exophobia is now physically available for the PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as the Nintendo Switch. The Boomer Shooter and Metroidvania hybrid is the first commercial project by Zarc Attack, a studio run by Portuguese solo developer and artist José Castanheira.



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