Could Browsing the Internet on the Wii, or DS be Affecting your Security?

While most people stick to using their PC to browse the internet, an increasing number of people are browsing the internet with the help of the Wii's internet channel, and the DS internet browser. Research conducted(PDF) by the University of California at Davis revealed that the web browsers used by console video game (e.g. Wii’s internet channel ) may be harming websites.

When it comes to the DS, internet addresses are reduced to only 22 characters, an example included was “www.bankofamerica.com.phishydomain.com”, which when viewed on the DS would be reduced to only www.bankofamerica.com, giving the opportunity for phishing artists to get sensitive information.

On the Wii's internet channel, the URL of web pages visit disappear completely when the page finish loading, giving wrong intended individuals a chance at directing the user to a phishing site with out knowledge.

As of April 22, 2008 Nintendo has not released a press release for this research.