Modern casinos are waking up to the need to strengthen Client-side security as a means of protecting the user from hackers and scammers. However, if the Client-Side code runs on the user’s browser, it might get vulnerable to fraudsters.
In this review, we show why important code calculations like win generations should never occur on the user’s end, plus existing structures in the developers’ console that can help online casinos boost their client-side security today.
Why Securing the Client-Side Is Critical
For financially-related platforms like the European casinos presented at review sites like pl.polskiesloty.com/europejskie-kasyna-online/, where payment processing, personal data exchange, or login processes occur, client-side security is non-negotiable.
Client-side security covers everything running inside your user’s browser, from third-party JavaScript to iFrames, forms, and pixels. Also, this form of security covers any code that gets executed after the page loads.
Sadly, despite being responsible for some of the most fatal attacks, this part of the stack is almost always left unaudited. For instance, a Polyfill supply chain attack once targeted 400,000+ websites by injecting malicious code into a previously trusted open-source library.
Developers who don’t continuously audit the client end of things are potentially endangering their users. Should something go wrong, the dev team bears responsibility for the breach, rather than the vendor who served the script.
Sensitive Casino Calculations Must Not Occur in the User’s Browser
Sensitive codes and calculations like win generations must not occur in the user’s browser. Here’s why.
- Code is Visible and Alterable: When JavaScript runs in a browser, it’s fully accessible to the user. Also, technically inclined users can view, pause, or modify the ckdes using browser developer tools to impact gaming outcomes.
- Manipulation of Variables: Also, users and scrupulous persons can alter variable values directly in the device’s memory. For instance, if the browser computes how much currency gets awarded, a user can manipulate that figure before it gets sent to the server.
- No Server Control: If the server only functions as a storage unit for data received from the browser, it’s potentially vulnerable to hacks. For instance, a hacker can manipulate the server to send messages like “I just won 100 gaming sessions” to win illegitimate rewards.
- Bypassing Logic: If the client is in charge of deciding whether a player won a session, someone could manipulate the browser to send repeated “win” signals to the server. The technique is also called a replay attack.
Online Casino Architecture Protecting Users Against Console “Hacks”
Modern online casino architecture has grown to protect users against client-side hacking. Some of the local tools at online casinos that help with protecting users against console hacks include:
- Server-Side Validation: Even when the client transfers data, it must go through validation at the server. For example, if a user sends a packet claiming they earned 1,000,000,000 coins, the casino server confirms if that action was possible based on the time spent and game mechanics.
- Encrypted Communication: Here, online casinos exchange data between the client and server. For instance, HTTPS/WebSockets make it difficult for “middlemen” to intercept and modify packets.
- Authoritative Server Model: The server is the final arbiter of game logic. The browser only sends player inputs (e.g., “pressed fire”), and the server determines the result (e.g., “did the shot hit?”). The server never trusts the client to calculate the outcome.
- Randomized/Secure RNG: The outcome of online casino slots depends on the activities of random number generators (RNG) running on the backend. The client never received the outcome of an ant gaming session until the server ratifies and sends it. That way, seed manipulation is eliminated.
- Code Obfuscation: Although not without its downsides, minifying JavaScript makes it tougher for malicious users to read and understand the client-side code, making it more difficult for hackers to break into the code.
Conclusion
By shifting security logic from the user’s end to a secure, backend server, online casino architecture can protect itself and users from fraudulent activities. The architecture ensures that even when a user manipulates their own view of the game via the console, the actual game state remains in place, thanks to a supervisory and superintending oversight of a backend server.
