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Internet Chess Club Security Defeated

Scott_F writes "Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have been able to defeat the security mechanisms of the Internet Chess Club and can effectively play a zero-time match, as well as have complete control over the game. The paper is titled How to Cheat at Chess: A Security Analysis of the Internet Chess Club. If you're not familiar with the ICC, it is where many Grandmasters play regularly, with rumors of Bobby Fischer making an occasional appearance. It appears that the ICC has relied on security through obscurity, but we all know how poorly that works. Chess, anyone?" Update: 09/08 21:08 GMT by J : In totally unrelated chess news, I found today's commentary on Zermelo's Theorem interesting, both for the math of the game and the look at a mistaken echo chamber.

6 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Greetings Dr. Falken by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shall we play a game?

  2. Summary of story by ricotest · · Score: 5, Funny

    Chess club relies on security through obscurity; got cracked. Therefore security through obscurity sucks and its polar opposite, open source security, rules. Therefore open source rules. Therefore Linux rules. Therefore Microsoft sucks. Apple, we don't yet have an established opinion on.

  3. Ob. Red Dwarf reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    HOLLY: Prawn takes Horsie.
    QUEEG: Bishop-Pawn takes Pawn.
    HOLLY: Bish takes Prawn.
    QUEEG: Bishop to Knight Five. Double Check and Mate, sucker!
    HOLLY: Oh yeah, I didn't see that...
    LISTER: Holly, man, what have you done!?
    RIMMER: He's lost.
    QUEEG: And the loser gets erased.
    HOLLY: Noughts and Crosses?

  4. Can't believe it by Nick+of+NSTime · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait, an online chess club doesn't have a good defence? Their server has an opening? The whole web site is one big gambit?

  5. Security Rule # 1 by UrgleHoth · · Score: 5, Funny

    The first rule of Chess Club is - you do not talk about Chess Club.

    --

    Dogma - "let's just say we'd like to avoid any empirical entanglements."
  6. Re:Bobby Fischer in the ICC ? by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 5, Funny

    he don't play chess anymore, only 'FisherRandom', special chess with altered rules he invented. Basically, you shuffle backrank pieces identically for both players

    And why doesn't he shuffle the front pieces, too? That would make it even more interesting.

    (I know only just enough about chess to make this post.)