MMORPG Worm A Threat to Virtual Swag
The trading of virtual objects for real-world cash is a well-established practice in the world of Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), and this virtual market by some estimates may be worth nearly a billion dollars (US). There are now reports of a new worm that targets players in one such MMORPG and is designed to allow crooks to steal those players' virtual assets.
The new keystroke logger worm, which has been given the name "W32/PrsKey-A" by Sophos (the security company that reported it), targets players in the game Priston Tale. The game is popular worldwide but especially in South Korea.
The new worm is another manifestation of the growing issue of virtual or "in-game" crime. Police in South Korea, where MMORPGs are incredibly popular, identified 22,000 reports of cybercime involving online gaming in the first six months of 2003 alone, a number that is almost certain to have skyrocketed since. A special section of the South Korean police force is devoted to in-game crime.
MMORPGs are steadily gaining in popularity in the United States, and Sony recently launched an official auction site for its Everquest game, officially sanctioning the trading of virtual objects for real currency.
Although much if not all of this is old news to online gamers, it has thus far been given little attention by legal commentators, and certainly not by legislators or enforcement officials in this country. Yet the aggregate market value of virtual objects ensures that criminal acts that target the security of online gaming transactions or online identities will need to be addressed either under existing laws or laws drafted to deal specifically with these offenses.
Posted by Lance Koonce
Well, at least *some* legal attention is being given. See, e.g., the State of Play conferences, for instance, which will have their third run this year.
http://www.nyls.edu/pages/2396.asp