Hackers Are Peeking at Online Poker Hands

Malware takes screenshots of players' hands
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 19, 2015 5:00 PM CDT
Hackers Are Peeking at Online Poker Hands
Malware is spying on the hands of hundreds of online poker players, according to Internet security experts.   (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

We all know what to do when you catch someone peeping at your poker hand: flip the table, yell "cheat," and then everyone draws their six-shooter. But what if the poker table is virtual and the cheater is a piece of malware? The Register reports malware called Odlanor has infected hundreds of players on the online poker sites Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars since it was first discovered in March. If Odlanor notices you are playing on either of those sites, it takes a screenshot of your virtual hand and your player ID and sends it to a hacker, who then joins your game with an unfair advantage without you being any the wiser. New versions of Odlanor will also steal passwords from your browser while they're at it.

A representative from PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker tells Poker News the sites have found "no evidence" that any players infected with Odlanor—most of whom are in Russia and Ukraine—have actually lost money because of the malware. The Register reports Odlanor can infect your computer from "trojanized" poker-related programs or disguised as an installer for general-purpose programs. Examples include Daemon Tools, uTorrent, Tournament Shark, and Poker Calculator Pro. "In line with our constant goal for utmost security, we recommend that players protect themselves against this sort of attack by practicing good computer security," the representative for the two sites tells Poker News. "Players should keep their operating system updated, use reliable anti-virus software, and only install software from reputable sources.” (More online poker stories.)

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