Browser gaming is still thriving, despite advancements in console games, smartphone gaming, and PC gaming. Sure, browser games aren’t as popular as 10 years ago when everyone was enjoying Adobe Flash games, but the technology has evolved too.
Before, browser gaming was predominantly Flash games, but we now have an entire iGaming industry with online casinos and sweepstakes casinos too, like https://www.sweepstakescasino.net/reviews/spree/—where you can play video slots, table games, and fishing games directly in your web browser. Indeed, online casino games are probably more popular now, and there are hundreds of platforms you can try.
Because browser games are still incredibly popular (whether traditional video gaming or online casino gaming), security is still especially important. Historically, browser games have been known to have potential security issues and unfortunately, this is still a thing. To help keep you secure and make sure you have a safe gaming experience, we’ll discuss browser security and how to stay safe below.
Potential Security Issues With Browser Games
Before our security lesson, you have to understand the potential issues and how you can get caught out. Below, we’ve listed common security issues that can arise from playing or accessing browser games, including video games and online casino games
- Insecure links: Often, what you think is a link to a reputable game could be a phishing attempt, or a fake link directing you to a virus or something malicious that activates once you have clicked it.
- Activation of malicious software: Simply by opening a browser game or clicking on things in the game, you could be activating viruses or malicious software if these things have been coded into a fake game.
- Downloading unsafe files: If the game asks you to download files, you could potentially be downloading malware, spyware, ransomware, or other malicious executables.
- Illegal data farming: If you enter personal details to play a browser game, such as your name, address, and email address, this info could be illegally sold to third-party marketing companies without your consent.
- Account hacking: It’s possible for your login credentials to be stolen when playing browser games but this is a potential security risk when using any online login information.
- Backdoor entry: Backdoor entry is when an active cybercriminal uses your live connection to break into your device. For example, you could open a browser game and unwittingly provide a backdoor access route to your computer. The cybercriminal could then take control of your computer, steal information, and implant viruses.
How To Stay Safe When Playing Browser Games Online
As you can see, there are potential security issues with some browser games. Generally, browser security is excellent today, and playing games is much safer compared to a decade ago. However, that doesn’t mean that browsers are infallible! So, to make sure you are always protected, we’ve listed four simple tips below for staying safe online.
Enable Browser-protection on Your Antivirus Software
If you have antivirus software, such as Norton Antivirus, McAfee, or Avast, there is most likely a browser protection feature. We advise enabling this when you play browser games or games at an online casino. Browser protection from antivirus software should protect you from security issues like phishing attacks, malicious links, and spyware.
You have to be careful when using browser-protection tools though, and the level of security they provides. This is because sometimes the protection can be too strict, and it may prevent the games from even loading. The key is to strike a balance between security and accessibility.
Only Play Games From Trusted Sources
This should be a given, but it’s surprising how many people still click on links from random sources and play games without any background checks. Please be prudent! Just because something looks safe and reputable, doesn’t mean it is!
We advise only playing games from trusted sources, such as licensed online casinos and sweepstakes casinos and gaming platforms that have excellent reviews. All it takes is a simple Google search and you should be able to immediately see if the game-hosting website is legitimate or not!
Only Download Game Files if Necessary
With browser games, you shouldn’t need to download any files. Certainly, with casino games and sweepstakes casino games, everything should be done in-browser. Therefore, if a website is asking you to download files, treat the site with caution.
Even if the game you are playing has a save mechanism, that should still be achievable in the web browser. The only instance where you should need to download game files is if you are actually downloading the game to play it offline or install it on your computer. Even when doing that, make sure your antivirus is active so that the downloaded files are scanned for potential viruses, malware, and spyware.
Research the Game Software Developer
For sweepstakes casinos and online casino games, we always recommend researching the software developer. This is because even though 99% of casino games are safe, some might not be fair. Casino games can be rigged and their RNG systems can be altered to give more favorable results to the house.
Therefore, only play casino games in your browser from reputable iGaming developers. Again, a simple Google search should give the info you need. However, some top iGaming developers include Pragmatic Play, Evolution, NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Betsoft, Big Time Gaming, Play’N GO, and Ezugi.
Protect Yourself When Gaming Online From a Web Browser
Today, browser security has improved greatly, and with the phasing out of technologies like Adobe Flash and the usage of HTML5 and other web technologies, there is less chance of encountering security issues. However, you should still be careful and take precautions.
Generally, online casino and sweepstakes casino games are incredibly secure, provided you play them directly on the casino page and you trust the underlying casino platform. For video games and other non-casino games, make sure you check the software developer, enable browser protection via your antivirus software, and avoid downloading game files unless necessary.