Do Gamers Do Enough to Protect Themselves Gaming Online?

May 21, 2024 By Johan Curtis No Comments 5 minutes

More people than ever enjoy playing their favourite games online. But unfortunately, this particular digital realm also happens to be the prime hunting ground for cybercriminals. They prey on the weak and unprotected, which is why you should always protect yourself when gaming online.

Protecting Online Gamers Against Cybercriminals 900

NOTE: Online gaming is a thing now and more and more people are stepping foot in the industry. As popular as it is today, the more threat it attracts in the form of cybercriminals. Ensuring safety while gaming online must be a top priority of gamers who spend a lot of time on unofficial websites. FastestVPN acts as an automatic virtual blocker of any opportunity that hackers can take advantage of.

The question being asked here is, do gamers do enough to protect themselves online? If not, what can they do to protect themselves? Let’s dive in to find out.

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What Are The Risks Of Gaming Online?

When playing video games online, any other player you encounter could potentially be a hacker, cybercriminal, fraudster, or any other type of ‘bad actor,’ which is why it’s important to protect yourself as much as possible.

The most common threats to your sensitive data (e.g., personal information/files or preferred payment method details) when playing online games are the following:

Phishing

Cybercriminals use this method to steal personal information and other sensitive data from you by pretending to be a real organization or person. They typically trick players through the instant messaging chat features and try to send you to fake websites, where malware, spyware, and other digital nasties can infect your computer and steal your data.

Data breach

If a website is hacked, your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) might be compromised, stolen, and sold on the dark web.

Unauthorised account access

If you have a weak password or store your username/password on a shared computer for your favourite gaming sites or real money iGaming sites like Unibet in Poland, cybercriminals could easily gain access to your account and steal sensitive PII information, your money, or worse – both. Unibet also has sites that you do not need to log in to enjoy it, for example Unibet TV – their own live streaming platform.

Identity theft

Players can have their identities stolen and used for nefarious reasons because they overshare information about themselves on gaming sites.

Doxxing (aka doing)

Similar to above, but the cybercriminals who steal your PII can use it against you to target or harass you – one of the worst forms, especially in the US, is called Swatting. They used your doxed information, contact the emergency services or government agencies, claim you have committed a serious crime, and within minutes, you have a SWAT team or similar agency bursting into your house.

Stolen accounts

Gaming accounts become top priorities for hackers because when accounts are ‘stolen,’ hackers generally gain access to other PII and banking information (e.g., credit or debit card details, etc.)

There’s also the threat of cyberbullying, stalking, and general harassment, which can be caused by poor data privacy and by oversharing personal information. The worst-case scenario is when cyberbullying or stalking moves from the digital world to the physical world if they have your PII.

Do Gamers Do Enough To Protect Themselves Online?

Some gamers don’t do anything to protect themselves online, whereas others do everything they can to ensure they don’t fall victim to any cyber threats. People who do little to protect themselves leave themselves open to attack. Others want to protect themselves better but don’t know how.

If you plan on spending hours gaming online from your smartphone, PlayStation, Xbox, desktop computer, Nintendo Switch, tablet device, SteamDeck, laptop, or whatever your preferred gaming device is and want to stay safe, luckily, there are many things you can do to minimise the threat of cyberbullying or cyberattacks.

What Are The Best Practices For Staying Safe When Gaming Online?

You can start by creating a strong password that hackers can’t easily guess, preferably 12 to 16 characters or more, including a mixture of characters (letters, numbers and symbols). Also, never save your password on a shared computer or share your password with anyone.

You may want to consider using a globally renowned password manager to keep all your passwords safe if you can’t remember them all.

You can also use a secure VPN each time you go online, never overshare personal information, turn on facial/fingerprint features, and use as many other 2FA (two-factor authentication) login security features as possible.

Also, pick an anonymous username for your gaming accounts, keep all your software/programs/devices up to date, only use secure online payment methods when making purchases, and stick to playing on secure gaming sites with secure games.

Try to take as many precautions as possible when gaming online, which also means choosing the more restrictive privacy settings on your accounts and blocking aggressive or suspicious people you may encounter while playing your favourite games.

Conclusion

Are you into gaming online while trying to take your mind off from a hectic day at work? Do you play online games as a side-hustle by streaming your live gaming experience?

Whether you are a pro gamer or someone who has just started gaming as a fun hobby, you must not forget the risk it poses on you without you even knowing. Phishing, data breach, unauthorized account access, identity thefts, stolen accounts, etc., are just some of the examples many people have experienced due to lack of paying attention. Hackers online are always on the lookout to hurt you and enter your system through third-party websites.

Taking precautionary measures is the best way to keep them at bay. Connect to FastestVPN and save yourself from all sorts of troubles before you start your online gaming ventures.