The popularity of online gaming increased during the COVID-19 epidemic — and so it has Cyber attacks against gamers. If you are the parent of a gamer, or if you are a gamer yourself, it is important to know the risks.
Why the growing cyber threat to gamers?
It may seem strange that cybercriminals are targeting gamers. But there are good reasons for this trend:
- The global gaming market is growing – and is expected to reach 7 9 219 billion by 2024. Whenever so much money goes around, bad actors look for ways to take advantage.
- The average cost of games is increasing, which makes tempting “cracked” or pirated games even more so. Unfortunately, hackers realize this and use the temptation of free games to infect people with malware.
- Huge economy has developed In Gaming community: People buy and sell in-game objects, character changes and even accounts. It provides an incentive for hackers to steal and resell digital property from other people.
- Many gamers are unaware of the cyber security risks they face. Also, many younger people are involved in gaming. This means much easier targeting for cyber criminals.
Gaming is the top cyber threat
There are numerous cyber threats to gamers. But you get the most out of focusing on the following three:
- Malware. Malware threats to gamers spread through malicious websites, exploit system vulnerabilities, or Trojanized copies of pirated games.
- Account takeover. Bad actors are always on the lookout for easily infringing gaming accounts. Once stolen, they can resell an account or its contents to interested buyers.
- Phishing and social engineering. Gaming is now an online social activity. This gives scammers a lot of opportunities to reach unsuspecting gamers and cheat to download malware, leave personal details or hand over login credentials.
Cyber security tips for gamers
It’s scary to think that cybercriminals are attacking gamers with high frequency. But the good news is that a few basic precautions can keep you safe:
- Protect your account. If you have a gaming account with Steam, Epic or another major gaming platform, take steps to keep it secure, like you would a banking or social media account. Use a strong, unique password for each of your accounts. If possible, enable 2-factor authentication (2FA) on your gaming accounts as well.
- Avoid pirated games. We’ve got it, games are expensive and times are tough. But hackers like to hide malware in those “free” copies of popular games. As such, downloading a pirated game is not worth the risk.
- Look for phishing and social engineering. By the way, if you are online then you are a target. The best way to stay safe is to be aware of threats — and learn how to identify phishing and social engineering attacks when you encounter them.
Following these basic cyber security tips will help make your online gaming experience more secure.
For added security, explore WebRoot’s SecureAnihiver Internet Security Plus antivirus solution. This will protect your system from all kinds of malware threats — and will include access to LastPass®, a reliable and easy-to-use password management tool.
