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Online gaming has grown into a massive global industry in the last decade. Whether you’re playing competitive matches in Call of Duty, building majestic worlds in Minecraft, or teaming up with your squad in Fortnite, online gaming brings people together like never before. However, all of this has a downside that not many people think about: security risks.
When you play your favourite games online, you’re inevitably connected to other players, servers, and networks. Sadly, that connection can expose you to malicious hackers, data leaks, and even vicious online bullying.
That’s why, in this article, we’ll team up and take a look at how we can defeat the biggest security risks associated with online gaming, so that the next time you log in for a gaming session, you can focus on having fun, not worrying about your online safety.
First things first, we should take a look at some of the most common security threats you might face when you’re gaming online.
A distributed denial of service (most commonly known as DDoS) attack happens when someone sends huge amounts of traffic to your internet connection because they want to slow it down or completely crash it.
In gaming, your opponent might do this to make the game lag or disconnect on your end, giving them an unfair advantage. And yes, DDoS attacks are illegal, but that hasn’t stopped the bad guys before, right?
If you, like most people around you, use weak passwords or the same login information on different sites, hackers can easily break into your accounts, including the ones meant for gaming.
Once a hacker gets into your gaming account, they’re free to wreak havoc on your turf: steal your in-game items, sell your account for profit, or use it to scam others. Keep reading to learn how to protect your gaming accounts with simple adjustments to your login information!
No, that’s not a typo! A phishing scam is what happens when someone tries to trick you into giving away your personal information, including your full name, your address, your banking information, and even your login information.
To pull off this deceit, scammers send you fake emails (often marked with an actual fishing hook on Gmail) or messages with links that look like they came from the game’s official website. When you click on the link and unknowingly enter your information, it goes straight into the hands of the hacker.
This is an extreme form of online harassment where someone calls emergency services and reports a fake crime at your address. It’s often done as a “prank” during livestreams or online matches, but it’s extremely dangerous and illegal.
Wasting the valuable resources of emergency services and scaring someone half to death when a police officer breaks down their door is an illegal and horrific scenario, but they’re known to happen. If you wish to prevent swatting from happening, your online security is crucial.
We all know by now that gaming (or doing anything else, for that matter) on publicly available Wi-Fi options such as those at cafes, airports, malls, schools, and other community hotspots can be risky.
Hackers lurking on these unsecured networks will take any opportunity to spy on your online activity, steal your sensitive information, or even inject viruses and other malware into your device.
Now that we’re all caught up with the major threats that online gamers face, it’s time to talk about how to stay safe when you jump into the game. The good news is that you don’t need to be a tech guru to make this work; just follow these simple steps, and you’ll be a-okay!
A gaming VPN (a virtual private network built with gamers in mind) is one of the best tools for online safety. It hides your IP address (like your digital home address) from public view and creates a secure, encrypted pathway for your data.
When you connect to a VPN before your gaming session, you’re protected from DDoS attacks because your IP address is hidden; it also masks your location and identity from nosy strangers. Moreover, using a VPN can reduce lag or ping by connecting to faster servers.
You probably know by now that using passwords such as “password12345!” or your childhood pet’s name isn’t a good idea. Instead, you should create hard-to-guess passwords with a good combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Even better, look into getting a password manager; it’s a tool that creates and stores complex passwords for you.
Alternatively, you could try creating passphrases instead of passwords, because a truly random phrase is almost impossible to guess compared to a semi-complicated password. Because who would ever guess your password is “My!Uncle!Likes!Tetris30?”, not “password12345!”?
Many platforms already offer users the option to set up two-factor authentication to protect their accounts. Using 2FA means that you need a second step (like a one-time code sent to your phone) after you put in your login information, but before you’re allowed into your account.
As such, even if a hacker knows your login information for the account they want to hack into, they won’t be able to, because you’ll receive the one-time code to your phone, and they won’t get to see or use it!
Developers of both games and devices often regularly publish updates that fix annoying system bugs, as well as security loopholes that could be exploited by bad actors.
That’s why it’s important that you either set up automatic system updates on your games, phone, laptop, and or tablet, or, alternatively, make it a habit to routinely check if any updates are available, and perform them as soon as possible when they’re published.
Online games often include chat features that allow you to speak to your teammates or your opponents mid-game. And while most people are friendly and wish you well, some of them aren’t so nice and may try to trick you into doing something inappropriate or outright bully you.
That’s why it’s important not to share any personally identifiable information about yourself, such as your name, school, or address, in voice or text chats. Moreover, it’s really important to be kind to everyone as long as they extend the same courtesy to you. Kill them with kindness!
Online gaming should be about relaxing, working with your team, and embracing the community of like-minded people that you’ve built, not being anxious about cyber attacks or scams. Understanding the risks you face and taking a few simple preventative measures is all you need to stay safe and have fun the next time you settle down to have fun online!