How to secure your online gaming account?


The gaming industry is one of the most popular and biggest in the entertainment industry in the world currently. Several gamers have started to rise exponentially in recent years, and with that number of gaming accounts, gamers have also grown steadily. Because many players fail to take simple cybersecurity safeguards, hacking most accounts isn't difficult. To avoid such data and identity thefts, it is critical to safeguard your gaming account.

Threats to Gaming Accounts

In this article, we will discuss the different types of threats that can affect your gaming accounts and some helpful hints for keeping your gaming account safe.

Phishing

Game chats can be used to send phishing links. These links may direct you to a fake login page. You may unintentionally give criminals your login credentials or other personal information on these pages. Social engineering, unlike phishing, is a more active procedure that involves someone interacting with you to deceive you.

These techniques are used to persuade you to download hazardous content, provide personal information, or participate in trade scams. A trade scam is when someone deceives you into trading stuff with them.

Cyberbullying

Cyberstalking and cyberbullying can wreak havoc on both your online and offline lives. In several video games, toxic behavior is common. Opponents can check your IP address, determine your location or even identify you, and then harass you on social media and other gaming sites. They can even stalk you in real life if they have your preliminary address.

A takeover of an account

When an attacker gains illegal access to an account and changes the login credentials, this is known as account takeover. The attackers must first steal login credentials using malware or exploit data breaches and leaks to accomplish this.

They may make use of your skins, your gaming rating, or even the game itself. They might be able to identify purchasers for such an account and try to sell it. If the account contains personal information such as a home address, name, phone number, credit card number, and so on, account takeover can lead to identity theft.

Malware

Malware can cause latency, system crashes, and many other issues that can ruin gameplay and harm PCs. Keyloggers can access your gaming and social media accounts and steal your login details. Spyware can access your login information, as well as your browsing history and nearly any other information. Worst of all, there is gaming-specific malware.

Malware can be hidden in gamer-friendly content, such as hacks, games, applications, mods, and updated files. Malware isn't just for gamers, but you don't see a lot of folks downloading Excel mods or hacks.

How to Protect Your Gaming Accounts?

You can take the following precautions to protect your gaming accounts −

Use strong passwords

Many internet accounts are hacked and hijacked due to users using simple passwords that are easy to remember or guess, making it easy for others to gain access. Using strong passwords to safeguard your account is one approach to avoid being worried about getting hacked. Using a password consisting of letters, numbers, and special characters in your password is one approach to make it more secure.

Making long passwords is another option. Longer passwords, while usually the bare minimum, provide additional security. More importantly, don't use your passwords to store personal information. Do not use your name or date of birth as a password.

Take additional precautions with what you download

You should only download software from reputable sources if you want to keep your online gaming account safe. You should always download games from the official website or apps like Epic or Steam.

Activate two-factor authentication

Getting into your gaming or email account will be twice as difficult as before. To obtain a second verification code, hackers will need physical access to your phone.

Antivirus or antimalware software should be used

Hackers may hijack your computer or device with malware or viruses to steal your passwords and gain access to your account. Hackers can carry out this attack using phishing or USB drive downloads, for example. Use antivirus or antimalware software to avoid this problem. This program protects your online account by acting as the first line of defense against malware and cyberattacks.

Use a VPN and a Firewall

Install a Firewall on your home or workplace network to analyze all incoming traffic and prohibit any harmful information from accessing your network. To secure your network from hackers, you can employ an IPS (Intrusion Prevention System). To avoid being hacked, it's critical to secure your internet connection. If you're utilizing public Wi-Fi, a VPN might provide an extra layer of security. Avoid logging into your gaming account using public hotspots because they lack authentication, and hackers can easily eavesdrop and grab your passwords.

Conclusion

Gamers always be careful and vigilant on these cyber threats and comprehend the security risks and vulnerabilities associated with online gaming. It would be best if you also kept up with the most recent technology news, such as any data breaches or cyber-attacks that may harm you. Using the above will help you a lot, but it won't protect you entirely; there is always a chance of getting attacked.

Updated on: 03-May-2022

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