No matter where you go on the internet you know you are taking some amount of risk. The more dubious the site or the source of the program you download, the risk increases that your computer or online poker accounts will be hacked. Unfortunately for some poker players, their accounts were not protected because they didn’t take even a few small precautions to protect their computers. The result in virtually all cases was a loss of hundreds, thousands or in some cases tens of thousands of dollars.

Over the last few years horror stories of poker accounts being hacked have become all too frequent on poker message boards. Many times the poker hacker doesn’t even try to chip dump or cashout the money, they simply lose it for the fun of it. One player explained how he lost more than $38,000 from his account because someone logged in and simply drained his money off at the tables. A well known internet pro by the name of “Pearljammer” had his girlfriend’s account hacked into and was cleaned out of $30,000. The lesson here is that spending a small amount of time safeguarding your poker account could save you a ton of grief, misery and cash. Do we have your attention by this point? Good!

WEAK PASSWORD THREAT

One of the worst things you can do is use the same password for all of your accounts and/or use a really easy to guess password. I helped out a friend who thought that someone had been using his wireless internet, even though he secured it with a password. I asked him what his password was, and he said “It’s the word password” which is probably the dumbest one I’ve ever heard of. Using something that’s easy to guess and using it across multiple accounts practically guarantees a disaster.

Another recent ploy poker hackers have used is taking control of player’s AIM instant messaging accounts and hitting up their friends for money. Recently a friend of mine who had published a popular YouTube.com clip was duped into giving out some personal info by someone he thought was a fan. The hacker was then able to answer the security questions asked by AIM when you lose your password and took control of the account. He then ran down his list of contacts (mostly poker players) telling everyone he was “desperate” for some quick cash, luckily no one sent him anything.

KEYLOGGER THREATS

Sometimes, you can come up with a strong password but still be hacked through whats called a keylogging program. What these programs do is install themselves on your computer (similar to how a virus works) and remember every keystroke and website you visit. The program then transmits that data back to the person that programmed it, who then has your login and password for whatever sites you frequently access. If that’s a poker site, you’re account is in serious jeopardy. If it’s your email account that gets hacked, it can actually be an even worse possibility. Many times poker account information can be retrieved though a “Lost Password” link that sends your password to your email address. If the hacker gets into your email account, he could conceivably get to every online account you have linked to that email account.

The scenario above is probably the worst case that you can face and it doesn’t happen frequently but it’s something you should be aware of. Other hacks might just make your computer run a lot slower, or in the case of my Uncle have random porn pop up when using the computer at random times. Either way, it sucks when your computer is slow and laggy or does things you fully intend it not to do.

VIRUS THREATS

There are a couple of really dumb things that people do that get them in trouble. In the case of my Uncle and the unsolicited porn that pops up, he often enjoys clicking on links from spam he receives in his inbox. Obviously, this is a HUGE no-no in the world of email. Those links often send you to sites that attack your computer and auto-install software without your permission. Other ways outside of visiting these attacking websites that you can be breached is through the download and installation of programs from unknown sources. If you download music or programs through torrents (or something similar) you are in a high risk situation.

PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER FROM POKER HACKS

Fortunately there is a multi-faceted defense strategy you can take that will practically lock down your computer from attacks. These preventative measures include password protection programs, hardware firewalls, software firewalls and virus scanners as well as PIN codes and RSA tokens for your poker accounts.

PINS

A PIN is a “Personal Identification Number” that is generated by the poker site just for you. Many sites such as Absolute Poker, UB.com, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars offer this PIN service for free. On UB.com and Absolute Poker, this PIN is a five digit code that is set up through the cashier. Once you set it up, you’ll have your regular password then have to enter in a PIN through a mouse-click-only terminal that will pop up. This prevents keylogger programs from knowing what your PIN is since you never enter the numbers in with your keyboard. The PIN on Full Tilt Poker is a three card (as in cards from a deck) system while PokerStars employs a randomly generated six digit system. In the cases of all the sites, the PIN system is completely free at no cost to set up and use.

RSA TOKENS

Perhaps the most secure option that you can employ is what is called an RSA Token. This device is about the size of a small keychain and is only available currently from Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. It is not free and depending on the site will cost you Full Tilt Points or FPPs respectively. One of these devices will cost you approximately $20-$25 depending on your VIP level but the protection can be worth a lot more. What an RSA Token does that makes it so secure is that it allows your password to randomly change every 30 minutes.

The token has a chip inside that is synchronized with the server on your account. Every 30 minutes that password changes, so you first log in, then use your PIN code and then enter the RSA Token password. Because the password changes every 30 minutes on the server (and your token) it’s impossible for someone to get into your account without knowing your password and PIN AND having your assigned token in hand. Typically the turnaround time for ordering an RSA Token is about two weeks if you live in the United States.

PASSWORD PROTECTION

To address the problem with passwords, I would highly recommend a program I use called Roboform. There are other programs like it out there but this one works the best for me and I can say I’ve used it for a full year without any problems. It is a full password encryption system that allows you to save all your passwords to a highly secure database. You cannot access the database without the master password and the software will generate random passwords that are absolutely impossible to guess.

What this does is allow you to have a different random password (which will look something like “JqWvN43T”) for every account that you have (email, bank, website, poker site, whatever). The cost of Roboform is just $29.99 (Visit the www.roboform.com website) and if you have more than one computer you can buy additional licenses for just $9.95 and sync up your databases. This method secures your password and makes it impossible for keyloggers to have any effect on your computer, since the program will enter passwords through a copy and paste method (no keystrokes!).

SOFTWARE and FIREWALL PROTECTION

Other highly recommended programs include Windows Firewall, which is free for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users, as well as the Norton Internet Security suite. Using Norton AntiVirus or AVG Free is an absolute must (or other well known anti-virus program) if you download a lot of files on a regular basis or get emails within Microsoft Outlook. Using a hardware firewall which is built in with all modern routers is also a must. Do not simply plug your computer straight in to your cable or DSL modem as this is another recipe for disaster and “shows” your computer naked on the internet for people to hack straight into.

SIX STEP STRATEGY

So as an online poker player that uses your computer on the internet regularly, here is a step by step checklist of what we recommend you do to protect yourself and your accounts:
1. Buy and install a hardware firewall router if you don’t already have one
2. Buy and install Norton, AVG Free or other AntiVirus program
3. Make sure you use either Windows Firewall or Norton (or its equivalent) Firewall protection
4. Buy and install Roboform and change all of your passwords to the generated ones and get into the habit of using Roboform to log into your accounts
5. Go to your poker sites and immediately sign up to use a free PIN
6. If you have the spare points, buy an RSA token and install it when it arrives in the mail

If you take the steps above, you can rest assured at night that your poker accounts will be safe. You do not want to be one of the many people that have had their accounts hacked and frantically post how you lost all your money because you were careless. Taking the necessary steps isn’t an option in today’s internet universe, it quite simply is a must.