Last Updated on July 9, 2023 by
In 2020, gamers experienced over 200 million cyber-attacks. That number represents 4% of all hacks worldwide. For many during the pandemic, gaming with friends was a way to maintain real-world friendships and de-stress. But, sadly, the immense growth of online gaming has left gamers susceptible to cyber threats. Keep reading to learn how you can protect yourself while safely gaming online.
Table of Contents
1. Protect Your Gaming Account
The cardinal rule of safely gaming online is to never, ever post your personal info.
We all like to tell the world about ourselves, but it’s wise to keep some details private. Personal information to never include on your gaming profile is your full name, date of birth, and address. These are details that are easy to exploit and leave you vulnerable to scams.
All online gamers should have firewall protection and a virtual private network (VPN) to secure their information.
2. Get Crazy With Your Password
When creating your password, create a long string of characters, symbols, and numbers with a mix of capital and lowercase letters. The more complex the password, the safer it is.
It is also a good practice not to use actual words or names in the password, even if you spell them out with numbers and symbols. Your friendly neighborhood hacker knows that c001 = cool, so don’t try it.
Protecting your gaming account and password are key components of safe gaming.
3. Keep It in the Game
If someone asks you for your IP address, they have something nefarious in mind. So, needless to say, don’t give it out to anyone.
It is also critical to keep in-game communication on the game’s chat system. Cybercriminals will try to get you to chat via text, social media, or chat apps. However, the game administrators can’t protect you when you leave the safe confines of their server.
Last but not least, never agree to meet anyone in person.
4. Shop With Caution
Many types of video games these days aren’t a one-and-done purchase. There are always more things to buy to customize your gaming experience. Gamers looking to save money will often leave the in-game store to download skins and objects from other users.
Yet, you should exercise extreme caution when trading real-world dollars for in-game objects outside of the game. Only visit reputable online merchants like https://runescapegoldmarkt.com/. To ensure you aren’t on a scam site, you should triple-check the store’s URL.
Avoid Trouble While Safely Gaming Online
The golden rule is rarely followed when playing online games.
Remove yourself from the drama by muting your mic. You should also record any negative interactions with a screenshot and always report bullying to the game’s administrators.
Don’t Ignore These Common Threats
Common cyber threats include phishing, data breaches, stolen accounts, and ransomware. Unfortunately, younger gamers often dismiss these risks because they think a) that it will never happen to them and b) that they have “nothing to steal.”
However, it’s dangerous to disregard these threats. There are a lot of ugly things that criminals can do with your data besides stealing your money.
But, don’t fear! By following cybersecurity best practices, you can enjoy safely gaming online.
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