Controversy has plagued Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker (both part of the Cereus Network) for some time now. Courtesy of a Pokertableratings.com investigation, a new flaw in the network’s security system has been uncovered.
The 2007 Ultimate Bet scandal saw several ‘super users’, most famously POTRIPPER, scam players out of big sums of money by exploiting cracks in the software to reveal hole cards. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission did its best to keep the scandal under wrap, eventually conceding that former WSOP Main Event winner Russ Hamilton was the man largely responsible.
In a bid to purify its image, UB revamped its software and turned to the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Joe Sebok to boost its marketability. Yet it was dogged by more controversy when Phil Hellmuth was mysteriously awarded a pot in a game of high limit Hold’em, despite having an inferior holding.
The new revelation comes in the form of a pokertableratings.com proof video, which exposes the Absolute Poker Network’s encryption vulnerability. Without getting too technical, the fatal flaw allows, ‘an attacker to hijack victim’s poker accounts and display their hole cards in real time’. Rather than using the industry standard SSL encryption, Cereus employs its own form of encoding. Players utilising wireless networks are particularly vulnerable, with their passwords and hole cards exposed to attackers. You can check out the entire story here, and the proof video below.
Whether this flaw proves to be the final nail in the UB coffin remains to be seen. Main ambassador Phil Hellmuth has displayed remarkable loyalty to Ultimate Bet, putting past indiscretions down to a few rogue employees. But it is hard to see how he can continue to champion the Cereus Network.
Debate continues to rage on twoplustwo, but the general consensus is that players should avoid playing on the Cereus Network until these security issues are fixed. New allegations are likely to trigger a number of cashout requests. Despite Ultimate Bet's dwindling popularity amongst poker aficionados, it continues to maintain a strong high stakes presence, with $200/$400 NLH games running frequently.