PokerStars announced the launch of a new, optional security measure Monday which will allow players to be aware of what’s going on with their accounts even when not logged in. In a post on Two Plus Two, PokerStars’ Head of Public Relations Michael Josem let the poker community know of the availability of SMS Validation, designed to “reduce the vulnerability of player accounts to unauthorised hackers.”
It’s a fairly simple system. First, players must register a mobile phone number with PokerStars and officially activate the feature. And…that’s it. After that, if there is ever a moment when PokerStars detects “potential irregularities” on a player’s account, the ability to make any sort of financial transaction – deposit, withdrawal, transfer, or even buy-in to a tournament – will be suspended. The ability to change login information or other important account details will also be frozen. The player will be sent an SMS text message which will alert him to the issue and provide a secret code. The player can then login to his PokerStars account and enter the secret code in order to unlock his account.
If a player has already registered for a tournament, he will still be able to play in it, even if all other financial transactions are frozen. This exception is in place so that players who are unable to access their cell phones don’t lose buy-ins that have already been paid.
PokerStars will not reveal how it detects “irregularities” or what these “irregularities” are.
This new feature does not guarantee the safety of an account, of course. As PokerStars writes on its site:
The use of SMS Validation can enhance your PokerStars account security and reduce the risk of key loggers, phishing attacks, and make it much harder for unauthorised hackers to access your PokerStars account. However no single feature in itself can completely eliminate the risk involved. SMS Validation helps to reduce the risk of hackers obtaining access to your PokerStars account, and can be an important part of a comprehensive security strategy.
The SMS Validation service is free to all players.
As PokerStars says, SMS Validation is just one piece of the security puzzle. It doesn’t prevent someone from gaining access to your account; it simply lets you know when something odd is going on. Fortunately, if it gets to the point that a text is sent, PokerStars has locked down the account, hopefully nipping any wrongdoing in the bud.
PokerStars offers a couple other security measures to make players’ accounts even safer. The PokerStars PIN is exactly what one would imagine it is: a personal identification number that must be entered, along with the account password, in order to login. The PIN is entered by clicking digits on an on-screen keypad; these numbers are jumbled each login to help thwart keyloggers.
PokerStars also sells an option RSA Security Token for Frequent Player Points. The number of FPPs required varies based on a player’s VIP Club Level, ranging from 4,500 to BronzeStar on up to zero for Supernova Elite. The token comes in the form of a key fob which automatically generates random passwords every few seconds. Those who use the token must enter this password to access their accounts. The benefit to this is that even if a hacker figures out someone’s regular login info, they still must have the token in order to login.