Absolute Poker Scandal: An Inside Job

[hasugopher]

The part of this whole thing that really makes me scratch my head is how Marco got this scrambled excel file/master HH list to begin with. I'm basing this off the assumption that this was NOT the standard file sent out when you request the tourney HH's, but that the mistake has coincidentally been made before.

The general consensus is that someone was fed-up and decided to blow the whole thing open. It's perfectly realistic I suppose but it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Possible idea based purely on speculation/imagination:

The higher-ups at absolute knew exactly what happened in the infamous tourney but didn't want the min-wage support people to know anything about it. They took care of the tourney HH request themselves, or let another trusted person take care of it that wasn't used to doing it. They genuinely made a mistake and sent the wrong one-- it was in a scrambled excel file right? This is the only way that it's plausible in my mind that it could possibly be a mistake.

I know, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm just trying to throw an idea out there.

[Jimbo232]

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Can someone comment on the actual likelihood of an account that was created SO early in the Absolute alpha-testing process (so early as to be account ID 363) CONTINUING to possess "superuser" capabilities over the course of nearly 8 or 10 years (what with all the various software upgrades / fixes, etc)?

It's not that I'm not 100% convinced with all the evidence that we've collected to date. It's just that nearly every explanation given to this point starts with the premise that there's an account that was created VERY early on in the game that has hole-card viewing capability. It's possible that it's the original creator of that account who is a rogue programmer, but more likely that the real rogue guy is a more recently-employed programmer who just "discovered" this older superuser testing account (otherwise we'd have to believe that the original rogue programmer just "sat on" the superuser account for nearly 8 years before exploiting it). But can some systems-admin guys comment on the just how realistic an assumption it is that a testing account that was created 8 whole years ago, when the Absolute software looked and functioned very, very differently than it does now would CONTINUE to "work" through all the various upgrades, patches, software overhauls, etc, that have happened since Absolute's inception?

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Teddy - I know nothing of poker software security, but I do have plenty of experience as an SAP security consultant. In SAP and many other software platforms the "User" is a separate component than their "access" within the system. This is referred to as Role-based Access Control

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-Based_Access_Control

Roles or functions are maintained separately than the Users. Users must be assigned a role to be able to do anything within the system.

Purely speculating, if poker software used RBAC security - there would be a "End-User Role" that would be automatically assigned to every user id created through the normal sign-up process. This role would allow you to log-in to the client, open a table, and perform all the functions necessary to play poker. Similarly, there could be other roles that provide more significant access - a developer role (allows access to source code), super-user role (can do anything), configuration role (allows changes to system settings), etc. The # and different types of roles would match the number of different functions needed to be performed within the system. Ideally, any powerful roles would be monitored closely and only exist within the dev and QA systems.

To avoid ranting too much, if the poker software uses RBAC security, the user may not have been "all-powerful" since the beginning of AP. This could be a support user id that was assigned the "Super-User" role at a later date giving the user id access beyond what it normally has.

Again, this is just a speculative scenario - I have no knowledge if poker software uses the RBAC security methodology.

[Chump Change]

HOLY [censored] THEY CAN SEE UR WHOLE CARDS AT ABSOLUT POOKER!?!?!?

[Josem]

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The part of this whole thing that really makes me scratch my head is how Marco got this scrambled excel file/master HH list to begin with. I'm basing this off the assumption that this was NOT the standard file sent out when you request the tourney HH's, but that the mistake has coincidentally been made before.

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This is your error.

It is apparently the standard format absolute uses. Metsandfinsfan has received a similar one a few years ago.

[mother_brain]

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But can some systems-admin guys comment on the just how realistic an assumption it is that a testing account that was created 8 whole years ago, when the Absolute software looked and functioned very, very differently than it does now would CONTINUE to "work" through all the various upgrades, patches, software overhauls, etc, that have happened since Absolute's inception?


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You make a very good point and i'm not a network guy to any extent. But I would think that every upgrade, patch, and overhaul were specifically designed so as not to materially effect previously existing accounts. I dont recall any update from any site causing old accounts to function improperly due to a fundamental change in the system used.

Put another way, back when party was the #1 site, there were many legitamite users on this site who had their accounts for 6 or 7 years. These accounts survived through dozens of updates and never had their playing abilities rendered unfunctional by any of these updates simply because their accounts were old.

As long as no update caused a fundamental change in the way hole cards were transfered users 363's superuser ability would be uneffected.

[fnord_too]

Holy crap! Thanks for those summary, I had stopped reading the other thread and didn't realize just how much more information came out. Has anyone contacted the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and requested a formal investigation of AP? AP operates under their regulations, no?

[metsandfinsfan]

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The part of this whole thing that really makes me scratch my head is how Marco got this scrambled excel file/master HH list to begin with. I'm basing this off the assumption that this was NOT the standard file sent out when you request the tourney HH's, but that the mistake has coincidentally been made before.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is your error.

It is apparently the standard format absolute uses. Metsandfinsfan has received a similar one a few years ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

as per Josem's request i just sent him the one i received about a year ago to show that how ridiculous the format is and how they show many of the hole cards that they shouldnt

[2hi4me2cu]

Having being very new to the forums, i was supposed to be working today but spent the last few hours reading the 60+ page thread where this all began with amazement.

Just wanted to say what everyone has said already which is great work by all involved!

What really makes it hit home is when you watch the actual hands in action on pokerXfactor. (the link is in this thread somewhere)

The myth of poker cheats is now not a myth!

Although i really hope its an isolated incident, it should be made public, people have a right to know.

-C

;>

[fnord_too]

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http://www.neverwinpoker.com/forums/...howtopic=44393

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great post.

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Seriously, everyone who hasn't should read this. Dan Druff has put all the the pieces together into a time line that really lays out the whole thing.

[New2NL]

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Holy crap! Thanks for those summary, I had stopped reading the other thread and didn't realize just how much more information came out. Has anyone contacted the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and requested a formal investigation of AP? AP operates under their regulations, no?

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See my thread where I will show up to thier office and start some [censored], any Montreal 2+2 ers are welcome to join me.