Multimedia malware in Second Life robs avatars

There’s a role for almost every area of Computer Science in game development, including security. A article Exploiting QuickTime flaws in ‘Second Life’, describes a vulnerability in Second Life that allows an object with a multimedia link to inject malicious code into the victim.

“Researchers Charlie Miller of Independent Security Evaluators, and Dino Dai Zovi, turned their attention to Second Life during a Saturday morning presentation at ShmooCon, an East Coast computer hacking conference. The researchers didn’t exploit a flaw within Linden Labs’ Second Life, but within QuickTime. They showed how an attacker could make money stealing from innocent Second Life victims.” (link)

Their SmooCon talk was titled “Virtual Worlds - Real Exploits” and had the abstract

“Virtual worlds serve as a new way to deliver exploits to the masses. Besides traditional attacks, they also allow attackers to control the “avatars” of players, including being able to steal the player’s virtual money and possessions. When there is a link between the virtual money and real money, this can be an easy way for an attacker to profit. This talk will address these issues and illustrate the technical details of a Second Life exploit.” (link)

Apparently the general approach used in the exploit has been around for a while, as Vint Falken blogs in The Second Life Quicktime exploit soon redone?. Here’s how Miller and Zovi demonstrated the current version of the exploit.

“For their demonstration, they created “the most evil pink box you will ever see.” They could have linked their malicious code to attributes of an avatar’s hair, clothes, or anything else. They also could have buried the pink box underground or otherwise hidden it, but both researchers admitted they weren’t very good players within Second Life. … In the demo, the researchers were able to show that their avatar became infected when it came too near the pink box. The code they used raided the avatar’s Linden dollars and emptied the bank account.” (link)

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IBM using Second Life to build online communities

As seen on slashdot:

IBM has an unconventional take on virtual worlds for business use. Rather than strictly adhering to the laws of physics, IBM is letting its employees hold virtual meetings up in the air and under water. Employees are also being given wacky chores, such as kicking a giant boulder 1,400 kilometers. The virtual world, known as the Metaverse, has been in development for two years. Michael Ackerbauer of IBM says, ‘I’d say more people are still finding it a novelty than a business tool. But … if you build enough tools that they can use, they will come.’” IBM seems to be following a trend of involvement in virtual worlds, which we have previously discussed.

UMBC alumnus Pranam Kolarispent several summers as an intern at IBM and brought back reports that IBM was using Second Life in interesting ways.

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Q&A with Second Life creator

Last week the Feakonomics blog invited readers to submit questions for Second Life creator Philip Rosedale to answer. There is an obvious economics connection, since Second Life has a robust and growing economy, but the motivation was broader.

“You could argue that Philip Rosedale has done more than anyone else to help millions of people live their dreams. As the founder and CEO of Linden Lab, the San Francisco-based company that created Second Life (which we’ve blogged about now and again), he has taken virtual reality to a whole new place.”

The questions asked about many things. I thought that this answer was interesting, and applies to interactive games and entertainment of all kinds.

Q: How do you feel about accusations that by providing a literal “second life,” you’re contributing to a trend of physical isolation that’s damaging the social abilities of an increasing number of teens and adults?

A: Whether sitting in front of a computer is bad for you is a function of whether what you are doing there is more or less challenging than real life. If you are mindlessly shooting monsters, the environment has the risk of making you oversimplify the real world. If, on the other hand, you are confronted with a complex human environment with people from all over the world who are demanding of you in your interactions with them, you could actually be better off in front of the computer. Second Life can teach people new skills and connect them with new cultures in a way that the real-world environments of many places cannot.

You can read the full Q&A session on the post Philip Rosedale Answers Your Second Life Questions.

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CSI in Second Life

It might seem like we’re obsessed with Second Life, but the reason that we’ve had some many posts about it lately is that there are new and interesting things going on with it. It’s a good example that the technologies underlying games are broadly applicable and their use will continue to evolve.

I’m not a CSI viewer, but I know it’s a very popular main stream program, so an episode that takes place partly in Second Space might be significant. Many are expecting a rapid convergence of computers and television that will come to full fruition as digital television becomes mandatory around the world.

Second Life is bracing itself for an influx of new members this coming week with the long awaited episode of CSI:NY does Second Life to be shown in the United States on Wednesday. The episode will see Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) entering Second Life to pursue a killer who has killed a Second Life user in a case of virtual stalking gone too far. CSI:NY fans will be encouraged to join Second Life and investigate the case by following a link on the CBS website. CSI:NY will have three options for CSI-related inworld activities. The first option will allow viewers to walk around virtual New York buildings and visit a CSI lab and play forensic games. (link)

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Introduction to Second Life, 1:00pm 10/16, ECS 023 @umbc

Join Gale Zasada (aka Gamay Nouvelle) at 1:00pm Tuesday, October 16, 2007 in ECS 023 for an introduction to Second Life, including a virtual tour of Info Island and the rest of the islands that make up the library and education archipelago. In her “First Life,” Gale Zasada is currently an instructor for the Library Associate Training Institute in Maryland, where she teaches search engine skills and Web 2.0 technologies.

Seats are limited, so register to ensure a place.

This workshop is jointly sponsored by the Library, Faculty Development Center and Office of Information technology.

Posted in Events, Second life, social media | 1 Comment »

Brain-Computer interface for Second Life

Researchers at the Tomita and Ushida Laboratory of Keio University in Japan have developed a brain-computer interface that allows a person to control a Second Life avatar just by thinking.

“The system consists of a headpiece equipped with electrodes that monitor activity in three areas of the motor cortex (the region of the brain involved in controlling the movement of the arms and legs). An EEG machine reads and graphs the data and relays it to the BCI, where a brain wave analysis algorithm interprets the user’s imagined movements. A keyboard emulator then converts this data into a signal and relays it to Second Life, causing the on-screen avatar to move. In this way, the user can exercise real-time control over the avatar in the 3D virtual world without moving a muscle.” (link)

The range of functions supported is still limited, but are planning to support more complex movements and geatures.

The motivation is not to make your couch potato’s life even easier, but to develop the technology to “help people with serious physical impairments communicate and do business in Second Life.”

Here’s a video demonstrating mind control of a Second Life avatar.

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