Zyngo, a popular in-world game in Second Life was hacked, causing the creator of the machines to initiate emergency measures.
The Zyngo machines were victim of a string of circumstances:
“A SL exploit was found and removed, but not before quite a number of my games were cloned. This was hard on me, and hard on all existing owners who didn’t need to see another flood of Zyngos hit the market.
Exploits were made against Z$ games. Fortunately, our new system defenses held and we were able to get the money back to the rightful owners. Still, this sucked my time.
And, finally, a group of japanese hackers created a custom SL client that was able to overwhelm all the security checks I made in Zyngo. Thanks to several people (who preferred that I didn’t name them), I had some videos and explanations of the exploit and I found a defense that won’t allow the exploit anymore.”
What’s partly concerning about the exploits against a popular in world game is the use of the client to perform the hack.
Zyngo addicts everywhere are making alternate plans for the weekend.
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Zyngo needs to be shut down. I was reading elsewhere somebody’s rants and raves about how they have been employing a scripter in SL to alter the scripts in thier machines, and force people to lose more. They went on to say that thier freeplay machines are untouched to get people thinking zyngo pays out alot and thier higher cost machines are all scripted up. they even explained how to do it.
There are people in SL telling lies about “algorythms and Hot/cold zones” (yes thats right)
to rake people in by the crowd full to play his machines, even though none of these facts are true.
Even the creator of zyngo knows this is bullshit.
The following is a public statement made by zyngo creator, Aargle Zymurgy, on Friday November 7 2008 regarding zyngo scores.
One Zyngo owner is making claims that Zyngo scores are dynamic. That is, they adjust gameplay according to the score set. This claim is a lie, and is being used to fraudulantly advertise his club. Gameplay, and any figures related to generation of numbers, devils, angels, jokers, etc. are out of ALL owners controls. Setting a score won’t make any difference.
Unquote.
The ultimate truth, zyngo is the biggest bunch of exploit shit that exists out there.
The only people making money with zyngo are the ones that have endless supplies of machines, and sell them to noobs for very close to full price.
zyngo is the greatest rip off in the history of sl.
you have been told.
Man, trust me, you dont know what you are talking about.
Who the hell has heard of customers ripping a business off… I’ve played plenty of znygo games and still do, and about the zyngo scripting issue so that wins are much harder, is a fact. Once again the public is ripped off, no one else.
If there is a challenge, you will always find someone willing to rise to the challenge. If money is involved, real world money, the the challenge will always be met, regardless of what may happen legally. There is a real world money/linden exchange rate so we can view Lindens as they should be, a type of currency. Strictly speaking, Zyngo or any other game that you potentially could loose money and are enticed to do so by the chance of winning money, is gambling. This is why in the US and elsewhere their are regulatory entities established to ensure that the gambling is not being exploited either by the people who created the game, the people who employ the game (casinos) or the people playing the game. No such entity exists to regulate Zyngo because for whatever reason, SL and the countries which regulate gambling do not see it as such.
It should be regulated a lot better, SL has played the part of irresponsible host in not choosing to do so themselves, strictly speaking again SL should not even allow Zyngo. For all intensive purposes it is blatant gambling.
That being said, it gives hackers or people who write scripts, even more incentive to hack the system, because the benefits far outweigh any risks at all. What is going to happen to someone who steals Lindens, they what, get banned? That’s a joke, they just use software that hides their computers information, ip address, mac address, unique identifiers, etc and make a new account, rinse and repeat. Or they just simply automate the account creation process and run several “bots” all at the same time.
So lets review, you have a simple scripted gambling game that uses virtual money that has real world value. You run these scripts in a virtual world ripe with corruption and cheating, that also has no serious consequences for stealing Lindens, then act affronted when someone has been clever enough to figure out a way to abuse your scripts, which really abuse people who suffer from gambling problems?
That is like the Devil complaining that there are too many evil people in hell.
I say if you are going to get into the dirty business of gambling, you should also face the fact you will suffer a constant barrage of people attempting to steal from you, because that is really what you are doing to them. Do unto others, etc etc.
I say Zyngo is gambling, there is little skill involved when you can regulate how often the machine pays off. I say that people who run Znygo machines are really just trying, with little investment, to rip everyone else off. I also say that I would, if I was so inclined, champion the cause of anyone attacking people who employ the use of Zyngo or any other gambling device on SL.
For those of you who gamble, honestly, I have this to say to you. Gambling is a tax, on people who are too stupid to understand the value of their money.
I do have to admit I play Zyngo, but only free Zyngo. I find a certain amount of satisfaction playing for 10-20L free Zyngo games and making several 100 L everyday. I have yet to play any Zyngo that I actually had a chance of loosing money on.