Sometime last week, a program called CopyBotwas released, most likely by a gamer, to allow the duplication of any object inside the virtual world of Second Life. This includes clothing, land, and other items, which gamers actually purchase for their in-world avatars. These items can be bought using a currency called Linden dollars; gamers use real-life currency in order to acquire the virtual currency. Currently, $1 is equivalent to L$250.

With around 1 million Second Lifegamers, it’s no wonder another attack has been launched, this time by a perpetrator who released a spinning gold ring that replicates itself once touched by an avatar. The said attack, known as grey goo, caused the game to experience severe lag and eventually lose connection to the server. Linden Lab, maker of Second Life, even took the game offline briefy to clean the field.

Targeting online games is no longer new. As evidenced by by the numerous variants of TSPY_LINEAGE and TSPY_WOW that similarly attack online games, there is a considerable amount of money involved here.

While Linden Lab is trying to provide the needed resources of their growing number of users, the challenge is not there; it is in keeping their virtual world safe from goons and thieves.

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