The B.C. Lottery Corporation is advising PlayNow users to update their passwords, following a hacking attempt.
On July 24, PlayNow detected a "suspiciously high volume of traffic" on the website, according to a news release from BCLC Thursday (Aug. 1).
PlayNow, which is operated by BCLC, reviewed the data and determined the high traffic was a result of "credential stuffing." Credential stuffing is where criminals attempt to access player accounts, using email addresses and passwords previously exposed or stolen from other companies as people often use the same user ID and password across multiple websites.
BCLC president Pat Davis said it was a "deeply concerning incident and a cautionary tale" for everyone with multiple online accounts.
“Our investigation remains ongoing, and we have found no evidence that our systems have been compromised, or that player login information was stolen from our systems.”
PlayNow said it immediately notified impacted players that their accounts had been locked due to suspicious activity and took measures to block the traffic. Players are being asked to update their account passwords, but only a "small percentage" of its account base was impacted.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of B.C., the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, BC Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch and RCMP have been notified.
