Online gaming, and gaming as a whole, is a thriving industry. The industry generated over $184 billion in revenue in 2023 alone, with no signs of stopping or slowing down.LuckyStar Aviator Such large numbers exist because passionate gamers and talented developers all strive to create a memorable gaming experience. But success attracts strife, where illegal and malicious actions from people who wish to steal a piece of the pay and your belongings threaten gamers worldwide. The great news is that several easy steps are all that’s needed to raise your cyber security levels!
1. Visit reputable sites
We all apply logic in our everyday lives when we interact with the real world. For example, would you go alone, by night, in a shady part of town and give someone your social security number and house keys? Of course not, and the same principle applies to your online presence. Malicious sites can contain keyloggers or spyware, which can steal your email and password credentials, allowing third parties to breach your account and take anything on it, or even more.
But it’s easy to spot such sites, and it’s even easier to always visit reputable and established sites like the ones on our Missouri online gambling list. Reading user reviews, trusting your better judgment, browsing through curated lists, and trusting your browser notifications, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge will warn you if you are visiting an unsafe place.
2. Use VPN
At some point, your virtual identity will contain your real-world data. Especially if you are present on multiple gaming platforms and use several accounts to play games. Bit by bit, attackers can breach and steal your data from all around, forming a picture of your real-life persona and using that info against you. VPNs hide your online presence and obfuscate the data you send from your devices while gaming. The most obvious information that VPNs protect is your IP address, which is an internet equivalent to your real-life address.
To give you an example of how this data can be used against any gamer, it’s worth looking at swatting. The act of calling government law enforcers against an IP address for malicious reasons is a short definition of swatting, and it can cause incredible damage to both an unfortunate gamer and law enforcement resources. The online phenomenon has become so widespread that since 2018, the Seattle police department has kept a registry of all swatting callers so that they know when a malicious attempt is made.
3. Update your antivirus
Online games can contain patches, versions, extensions, mods, and applications associated with the game. All of these are used to enhance gameplay and to enable certain game features. While they are common practice and most gamers are used to them, they can also provide a point of entry for hackers. In a scenario where you receive a potentially official email from a gaming company containing a file or an executable is the most common modus operandi of hackers. With a single click, you receive a malicious program that can install backdoor entries into your PC and provide ways for attackers to steal all your data.
Updating your antivirus is the perfect way to protect your electronic devices from harmful extensions and untrusted sources. One more step that requires no investment is to practice level-headed reasoning. Official gaming companies will never include executable files in their emails, they will never ask for your account information (because they already have them on their servers), and they will never ask for you to install any application besides the main game launcher and the game itself.
4. Be careful of identity theft
What is your mother’s maiden name? Your childhood friend? What about your favorite color? When you game online it’s natural to interact with other players. Massive multiplayer games require several people to interact with each other so they can win. But that’s where potential dangers come which can not be prevented by any software. Attackers can pretend to be your online friend and initiate casual conversation and chit-chat, from which they will attempt to extract personal information.
In-game communication which deviates from the game topic can be considered a potential threat. Sharing game secrets and strategies, and talking about in-game worlds and objectives is common, but anything besides what is happening in the game is a deviation, which you should be mindful of. It is always best not to reveal too much, or anything, from your personal life or data online, as identity theft can’t happen if you adopt a virtual person and hide your real-life one.
5. Password protection
You’ve done all you can, and sometimes that’s not enough. Attackers can always brute force and attack the gaming servers directly. One such attack happened in June 2021 in Electronic Games California, where the company’s data servers got hit with a large-scale DDOS attack. The attackers claimed to have stolen over 780 gigabytes of data, containing game codes and engines, alongside personal gamer info. Against such attacks, companies can only invest in their cyber security, but you can prevent your accounts from being accessed with a two-factor authentication app and a strong password.
A lengthy account password containing special symbols, large and small letters, and a combination of numbers is incredibly secure, more so if you change it every few months. Couple your strong password with a 2FA, and your account will be as secure as possible. Even if someone somehow manages to reverse-engineer your password without a 2FA code that goes directly to your mobile device, they can not access your account.
Cybersecurity stands against attackers on two fronts. One is the companies that actively invent new software protection and invest in hardware security and personnel training. Companies also actively work with law enforcement agencies, policing the internet for hackers’ locations and preemptively working on stopping them. Users can also join the effort of increasing overall cybersecurity with responsible gaming, using protection software, and practicing sound and smart decision-making. When these factors join hands, the overall gaming landscape security changes for the better.