Online gaming is more popular than ever, which means it’s more vulnerable than ever.
Unfortunately, all gamers have experienced issues with hackers and other threats at least once in their lives. Whether it’s angry opponents who didn’t take losing too well or just somebody out to steal your user ID, the danger is real.
However, there is plenty you can to prevent these bad actors from harming you. In this brief guide, we’ve put together the 5 essential ways you can start enhancing your safety now.
Why Games are Such Valuable Targets
To start, it’s because the gaming industry has grown massively large. The total market value now exceeds $93 billion and is quickly catching up to Hollywood.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a diehard LOL, DOTA, Fortnite, or just playing free games on your phone, hackers want your account for reasons like:
- Gaining access to in-game items, power-ups, and trophies
- Tracking conversations
- Accessing login details to break into other accounts (like social media)
- Find information they can use in a phishing attack to find additional ways to harm you
- Sell your information on the dark web
- Purchase virtual or in-game currency and resell them in other places.
- Use your devices as part of a DDoS attack
The list goes on. The more important thing is that you start taking steps to be safe.
1. Hide Your IP Address
You’re probably thinking, “Why do I need to hide my IP address?” Anytime you connect to the internet, including playing games, your IP address is usually very visible since it’s an integral part of the way your device connects to the internet.
Your IP address reveals a lot of personal information about you, including your approximate location. Hackers can also use it to track your online activity.
That’s why you should hide your IP address with a VPN. VPNs not only conceal that information but also encrypt your connection making everything you do online much safer.
As an added perk, you can also use VPNs to unlock gaming content worldwide and sometimes improve your gaming performance.
2. Secure Your Accounts
Whatever password you’ve been recycling since you were 12 needs to go. Hackers target gamers through weak passwords. And since they know people will reuse the same one again and again once they have access to one, they can continue to wreak havoc across your digital life.
That’s why all of your online accounts, not just your gaming, need unique, lengthy, and complex passwords. Consider using a password manager to store them all in one safe place.
Likewise, don’t forget to enable two-factor authentication, which gives you an excellent additional security layer.
3. Beware of Phishing Attacks
Many of us have a false impression that phishing attacks are still the famous “Nigerian Prince” scam. While that’s still floating around the web, social engineering attacks in the gaming world are much more sophisticated.
These days, hackers can create imitation versions of landing pages from places like Steam and trick users into entering their account details.
The same also goes for email and other tricks. Be careful of any files and links you receive. Use a file scanner to ensure they are legitimate and don’t have any malware hidden inside.
4. Watch For Cyberbullying/Cyberstalking
This is another of those trends that people don’t quite understand. They expect it to look like a schoolyard counterpart of bullying and not a pattern of behavior that can be much more complex.
The gaming world is mostly full of great people. But you never know when you might run into a bad egg. However, you don’t have to just watch for overtly aggressive behavior. Sometimes cyber-stalkers can disguise themselves as a friend or do other strange things.
While we’re not saying you can’t make great gaming buddies, be a little cautious just as you would in the real world.
5. Keep an Eye For Larger Threats
DDoS attacks have grown increasingly rampant in the gaming world. Hackers have even taken down some of the biggest gaming servers in the world with them.
DDoS and other attacks can be hard to watch out for. But the first way to defend against them is with a VPN. Second, make sure you have a firewall enabled on your device. Finally, routinely scan your computer for malware. You need to particularly watch out for hidden processes that have remote access control.
Hackers may be smart. But you’re smarter. Now that you know the threat, you have everything you need to arm yourself against hackers. But more so, you’ll have the tools to blissfully enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience.
We hope this article helps you secure your setup and stay safe from hackers. You can never be too careful! To learn more about streaming and game, view more of our posts!
Leave a Reply