VentureBeat's GamesBeat 2015 conference took place in October. It was a fantastic event which I was privileged to attend. VentureBeat is regarded as one of the top blogs on the internet by The New York Times. VentureBeat is a leading source for information on technology innovation events, research, and perspective, and their GamesBeat conference, which is now in its seventh year, draws on these qualities and focuses them on tech trends in the gaming industry.
We were ecstatic when Authy was invited by GamesBeat 2015 to participate in the event. It's not often that business and pleasure can be so easily combined. At Authy, we help online businesses secure their data and protect their customers by making it super simple to integrate two-factor authentication into their service offering. We also enjoy playing games and are more likely to play on a platform which has enhanced security.
Gamers Losing Trust?
Thanks to the rise of virtual economies on gaming websites hackers are in high demand for game developers and gamers alike. On the black market, gaming profiles can be purchased for thousands of dollars. Cyber criminals are most interested in multi-player games and the $11 billion annual revenue they generate. The in-game currencies of multi-player titles, such as World of Warcraft gold, can be stolen, traded and quickly cashed for real cash, often in various countries, and without game developers having any idea. This kind of crime is difficult to stop even if a business is able to recover stolen assets or prosecute the culprits. The gamer loses faith in the game. And even after releasing a more secure version or new title, winning back that trust is never simple.
But It Doesn't Need To be This It's Not The Only Way...
As users become frustrated by constant data breaches, they're demanding more accountable stewardship from the companies that hold their data. We all recognize that passwords aren't enough protection anymore-we also recognize that using a second factor to confirm the identity of a user will safeguard your customers and your business from data loss, fraud and malicious attacks. Now and then again Two-factor authentication is a natural choice particularly in online multi-user games where players accumulate and trade value.
Security with Just 10 Lines of Code
It's not that difficult to incorporate two-factor authentication. That's the essence of my presentation at GamesBeat 2015. Integrating Authy two-factor authentication is simple, powerful, and reliable. And, with only 10 lines of code you can use two-factor authentication to:
Verify that players are registered and logged in to secure transactions of high value and game advancements. You can also safeguard any in-game activity.
Yes. Authy for Minecraft.
To illustrate this aspect, I set up two-factor authentication in Minecraft to demonstrate how to use:
Text or SMS to voice when logging in using Authy OneCode – One Time Passcode generation to validate the player using the AuthySoftToken. Push notification via Authy One Touch allows users to swipe their smartphones to access in-game purchases and any other actions that may require additional security.
Hackers are no longer just after end-user data. Hackers are now attacking entire player communities, and some are even trying to take down entire systems. Two-factor authentication will make gaming developers more secure. Developer account data will also be safer. Brands will instill trust and loyalty within its player base.
As developers are aware, integrating between applications can often be a time-consuming development process. We put a lot of effort into making Authy easy for developers. The Authy REST API handles all the details, including key management and secure data structuring. It also comes with two easy end-points as well as pre-built libraries to enhance security to your login flow using the language of your choice: PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, NodeJS and more.
If you're a developer:
Head to https://www.authy.com/developers/ to learn more. You can obtain a free API Key, test it out and then show us how you have integrated Authy #2FA.
No comments yet