Is Cybersecurity Necessary for Online Gamers?
There’s no questioning the popularity of online games. One look at the active player count of the top games on Steam is enough proof of the sheer number of gamers out there.
Due to its popularity, this enormous digital ecosystem has become a tempting target for hackers, especially given that millions of gamers link to online servers, share personal information, and make in-game purchases. Naturally, this begs the question: should gamers really care about personal cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity Risks in Online Gaming
While hackers are known to target companies and institutions that they can steal money from, gamers are not safe from them either. This is because some online games have tradeable items that are worth a lot of money. And even the gaming accounts themselves can sell for a hefty price depending on the account’s game progression.
One common hacking tactic that many gamers fall for is a phishing scam. While usually done through email, a random player might send you an in-game mail or direct message promising some cool item or in-game currency. However, their goal is to either get you to install malware or claim they will deliver a gift by logging on to your account and taking over it.
If someone gets into your account through a data breach and doesn’t steal any in-game items, they might be after something else. For example, they might be snooping around for personal info saved in the game to compromise other accounts you have. When this happens, the damage can extend beyond the game.
Why Cybersecurity is Crucial for Gamers?
Losing rare in-game items or currency is tough, no doubt. But there’s an even greater reason to take cybersecurity seriously – it builds a habit and saves you from losing sensitive data. In fact, protecting your game accounts now can make it second nature to secure all your other online accounts, too. But that’s not all.
Gamers are often part of online communities that are mostly collaborative. If a member of such a community adopts strong cybersecurity practices, players can influence and educate others within these groups.
Indeed, sharing strategies for securing accounts or identifying online threats can create a culture of safety that benefits the entire community. This way, gamers aren’t just protecting themselves – they’re helping their peers build robust defenses against cyber risks.
Tools for Enhancing Cybersecurity
Fortunately, there are tools and online practices that can ensure your gaming accounts are being protected at all times. Here are a few of them:
Use a password manager
It’s true that most game libraries are concentrated in-game storefronts. However, gamers can sometimes create accounts outside of a specific digital distributor. So, a password manager can be useful to manage such accounts.
Depending on the PC you’re playing on, a Windows or Mac password manager can create, secure, and automatically fill your account credentials whenever you’re trying to access your games. Moreover, the main purpose of this tool is to ensure all your passwords are strong and hard to compromise. So, it’s a tool you can consider when thinking about improving the security of your gaming accounts.
Consider data removal services
There might be times when a gamer wants to clean up their digital footprint. Or maybe there is personal information about the gamer out in certain corners of the internet that will affect or tie back to their gaming accounts.
It’s normal for some people to want their gaming persona to be completely separate from their real identity. So, a data removal service can help you minimize your digital footprint. These services contact all sorts of data brokers and people finder sites and request them to delete all the sensitive information they have about you.
Install a virtual private network
Occasionally, there are really great games that are unreachable by traditional channels because of regional restrictions or platform exclusivity agreements. A VPN can help alleviate these restrictions and create a way to access unavailable games. But of course, the main benefit of this tool is to protect your data traffic from interception, especially if you’re gaming while connected to unsafe networks.
The best VPNs on the market will also ensure your games won’t slow down when the VPN is running in the background.
Level Up Your Cybersecurity
So, to answer the question, yes, cybersecurity is definitely something gamers should care about. Every gamer deserves to have fun while not worrying about the possibility of getting doxxed or hacked. Keep grinding in-game and stay cyber-secure!