What Security Professionals Can Learn From The 5-Year Old Xbox Hacker

Sometimes news of poor security hits and it sends the whole web-o-sphere into panic. Heartbleed was an example of one such story. Other times, one can't help but to get a laugh out of weak security. A story that hit last week worth a laugh involved an Xbox account being hacked not by a teenager with a lot of time on his hands, not by a world class hacker or cyber criminals, but by a five year old kid who wanted to play some games he didn't have access to.

Shortly after Christmas last year, the child's parents caught him playing games on the Xbox that he shouldn't have been able to play, having somehow hacked his father's account to buy any game he pleased.

When asked how he broke into the account, the method used turned out to be... well, kind of ridiculous. He had tried guessing a password to his father's account. When that didn't work, he was taken to a password verification screen where... he hit the space-bar a bunch of times and logged in.

Interestingly, Microsoft actually offers a $10,000 bounty to hackers who can crack their system. Given that this seems to have been more of a fluke than a targeted hack, the family didn't get to reap the rewards, but it's kind of funny that educated, technical-minded hackers looking for backdoors and weak points have nothing on a little kid who really wants to play Minecraft.

Microsoft has fixed the hack, so don't bother trying to score some free games. In the future, a few tips that security professionals might want to keep in mind:

• Don't Just Rely on Professionals

A professional coder is thinking from a professional perspective. They're not looking for dumb hacks that any five year old kid could employ, they're looking for, well, a challenge. When you put a $10,000 bounty on finding security flaws, hackers are looking for a ten thousand dollar hack.

• Keep a Five Year Old on the Payroll

Child labor laws probably won't allow this, but rewarding children and casual gamers who can hack the system with free games or whatever prizes are appropriate to your website or gaming service wouldn't be a bad idea. You never know who's going to discover your weak points, so extending bounties to anyone who can find them can help to bring these weaknesses to light in the future.

• Double Verification Can be Annoying, but Necessary

We might not like typing our credit card number in for every single purchase, but adding an extra security wall after login, at least where money is involved, can help to prevent unauthorized payments, so that even if someone can hack your Xbox Live or Steam account, they won't necessarily be able to make purchases in your name.

"Sometimes security science may seem like it's more, well, art than science," said Jason Hope, tech expert (https://medium.com/@jasonhope) "but with a rigorous approach to developing and testing systems for passwords, verification and online signatures, it's not impossible to build a rock-solid security setup." The five year old hacker doesn't get to keep all the games he bought, but if he keeps at it, he may one day land a job as a professional White Hat hacker. Companies like Sony and Facebook are known to hire professional hackers on a part time and full time basis in order to explore their security systems' flaws and offer tips to improve their verification processes.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem as if the hack has been discovered prior to now, as nobody seems to be coming forward with stories of having their accounts hijacked with the spacebar hack. Most of all, the whole affair has just been a little embarrassing for Microsoft, who generally has a better track record than this when it comes to online security.

In the aftermath of this, it's easy to imagine hundreds of gamers trying similar hacks on the PlayStation Network, Steam and Xbox Live in hopes of scoring a bounty, or at least a few games.

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Top Technology Gifts For Her

Are you looking to surprise your girlfriend by giving her an unexpected gift? Would you like to buy something special for your wife? Whether you are planning on buying a video game console or a brand-new mobile phone, this post will help you select the best technology present for your loved ones.

Enjoy the New Nexus 5
If you are interested in purchasing one of the most powerful and innovative mobile phones on the market, the Nexus 5 is a great gift for every occasion. This smartphone has been designed by Google, making it one of the lightest and more refined devices ever manufactured, and while the Nexus 5 offers a wide variety of features, it is a much more affordable mobile phone than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or the Apple iPhone 5S. The Nexus 5 features a 5-inch display capable of offering a great image quality, but also an 8-megapixel rear camera that will allow your significant other to capture some of her most special moments. Last, but not least, thanks to Android 4.4, Nexus 5’s new operating system, she will also be able to download some of the most popular applications on her smartphone, such as Twitter or Instagram.

Discover the New Xbox One
There is always an occasion for buying a new gift, and what better present than one of the latest and most exciting devices on the market? While just some years ago consoles were only able to play video games, the brand-new Xbox One is capable of much more, including the ability to stream music or movies from the Internet. Thanks to its innovative user interface and its new operating system, you and your girlfriend will be able to use the Xbox One as a multimedia device, giving you the opportunity of using popular applications such as Skype or Internet Explorer from the comfort of your couch. Whether she would like to follow her favourite TV series or download the latest films, this video game console is compatible with some the most widely used streaming services, including Hulu or Netflix, something that will allow both of you to benefit from your hyperfast fibre optic internet connection. 

Give Her the New Amazon Kindle
If you are looking for a convenient and light reading device, the Amazon Kindle is one of the best options available on the market. This gadget is able to provide hours and hours of reading with just a single charge thanks to its improved battery life. On top of that, she won’t have to worry about reading in bright sunlight thanks to the Kindle’s high-quality electronic ink screen, a unique technology that avoids glare while using your device. Additionally, Amazon offers a wide selection of books in its online store for her to download on the Amazon Kindle, allowing her to easily purchase books from her favourite authors. Moreover, it is also possible to download books in the public domain from the Amazon store, a very interesting option if she wants to enjoy classic books without having to spend any money.

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Sarah is a writer and blogger with a special interest in technology. She has little patience for things which are slow and so is constantly on the search for the latest technological developments. 

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