How Can We Effectively Deter, Though Not Prevent, High Score Cheating in Flash-Based Games?

Securing PHP-Based Highscore Tables in Flash Games

Internet games with non-verifiable high scores often fall victim to hacking. Despite attempts to enhance security, players find ways to manipulate scores.

Why Prevention is Impossible

Flash bytecodes are easily reversed, allowing attackers to alter variables and the program itself. Programmable debuggers provide fine control over runtime memory, making score manipulation effortless. Intercepting HTTP traffic using proxies and replaying it with higher scores is also a common tactic.

Weak Countermeasures

Methods such as token encryption, session cookies, and high-score encryption are ineffective. Attackers can replay these tokens or extract encryption keys from decompiled Flash code.

Effective Deterrence Strategies

While preventing high score fraud is impossible, deterring it is possible with these measures:

• Require logins to track game sessions and play history.
• Reject high scores from brief or irregular game sessions.
• Monitor logins with suspicious play patterns and quarantine their scores.
• Implement heartbeat scores to detect rapid score growth.
• Snapshot game state to reconcile against recorded scores.
• Disable accounts with suspicious activity.

Remember that these measures deter high score fraud but do not eliminate it. The goal is to make the attack more costly than playing the game legitimately. Continuously monitor the situation and adjust these measures as necessary to maintain a fair and secure highscore table.

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