Explore key principles of securing APIs and game services in this quiz, covering authentication, data protection, common threats, and safe integration techniques. Sharpen your skills in identifying and mitigating API vulnerabilities to ensure robust game backend security.
When designing an API endpoint for a multiplayer game's leaderboard, which method best ensures only valid users can access player rankings, such as displaying scores for authenticated players?
Explanation: Token-based authentication using time-limited access tokens helps ensure users are verified and their sessions are kept secure, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Using only a username is insecure because credentials can be easily guessed or intercepted. A static shared secret in the client is vulnerable to reverse engineering and leakage. Relying solely on IP filtering lacks flexibility and can be circumvented, as IP addresses can change or be spoofed. The token approach offers stronger, more dynamic control over access.
What is the most effective way to protect sensitive game session data, such as in-game purchases, from being intercepted during transmission between the client and the API?
Explanation: Encrypting data with HTTPS or TLS ensures that information remains private and secure, preventing attackers from intercepting or reading it during transit. Simply noting data is sensitive in comments adds no security and is ignored by networks. Obfuscation offers little protection as patterns are easy to reverse. Reducing data by omitting fields doesn't secure what is transmitted—only proper encryption does. Strong encryption is the standard way to protect sensitive data in motion.
Which approach best helps prevent replay attacks on a game service API where users submit in-game achievement events?
Explanation: Using a unique nonce or timestamp in each request ensures that each API call is distinct and valid only once, making it much harder for an attacker to resubmit or replay previous messages. Doubling rewards doesn't address security and may encourage abuse. Allowing identical requests increases vulnerability to replay attacks. Ignoring authentication puts all parts of the service at risk, as attackers could exploit these endpoints. Preventing replay requires tracking uniqueness in API calls.
If a game service API accepts user-generated content, what is the recommended way to defend against injection attacks, such as someone trying to send malicious scripts in chat messages?
Explanation: Sanitizing and validating input prevents malicious data from entering the system, blocking possible injection attacks like cross-site scripting or command injection. Trusting logged-in users without checks is risky, as authenticated users can still submit harmful input. Storing data as is allows potential attacks through unsanitized content. Blocking all special characters, including spaces, makes for a poor user experience and is not an effective solution. Proper sanitization is safer and more user-friendly.
When integrating a third-party leaderboard or social sharing service into a multiplayer game, which practice best reduces the risk of unauthorized data exposure?
Explanation: Limiting third-party permissions to only what is necessary follows the principle of least privilege, minimizing possible damage if the integration is compromised. Sharing administrator credentials grants excessive access and is highly insecure. Direct database access bypasses all API controls and exposes sensitive data. Disabling logging reduces visibility into integration activities, making it harder to detect misuse; logging should generally be kept and monitored. Minimal permissions protect both user data and system stability.