Postings on Internet video games sites indicate that the security settings on Nokia Corp.’s N-Gage mobile-phone/video-game device may have been breached, allowing hackers to play N-Gage games on other devices using the same operating system and possibly selling the games over the Internet.
The postings, highlighted by a Dow Jones story, could raise significant concerns over Nokia’s N-Gage gaming effort. A Nokia spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
According to the postings, hackers were able to install an N-Gage game on a Siemens SX-1 device, which uses the same Symbian operating system. N-Gage games work on MMC cards, which are about the size of a postage stamp and can be removed from the N-Gage device.
The issue again raises the industry’s critical concerns over copyright protection and digital rights management. Industry leaders have been working through a variety of outlets, including the Open Mobile Alliance standards organization, to develop specifications for secure content distribution.
Indeed, the issue came to light earlier this year with Orange and its Microsoft-based SPV device. Hackers were able to break the device’s security settings, allowing users to install applications that were not approved by Orange.
