Hacker-Proofing Tips for Online Gaming

Tue, Oct 26, 2021 10:42 PM Internet Bundles Technology Safety

Some people find that defeating aliens, creating virtual entertainment parks, and participating in online battles royale are good stress relievers. As we all know, there's been plenty of tension to relieve during the last year, as well as more free time on our hands to indulge in our hobbies. From the first to the second quarter of 2021, online gaming traffic increased by 50%.

Hackers are profiting from the dark web by exploiting heavily visited online gaming portals. Consider this recent video game breaches the next time you log on to your favorite virtual world, and beef up your gamer security, which might include a gaming antivirus.

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Recent Attack

According to Akamai, cyber attacks against gaming organizations increased by 340 percent between 2019 and 2020. Hackers have recently targeted a number of high-profile gaming companies for a variety of reasons. First, Electronic Arts' game source code was stolen and sold on the black web. Developers on the dark web reverse-engineer popular games or replicate the code into their own games using stolen source codes. Only a few months apart, Capcom and CD Projekt Red were both struck by ransomware assaults, with one focusing on financial data and the other on source code.

According to several gamers, "Titan Fall" and "Apex Legends" have both been hacked to the extent where the former is unplayable. Gamers took to "Apex Legends" to protest the producers of "Titanfall," changing in-game messages. Because of the seeming ease with which hackers might get access to online gaming portals, game makers and gamers must pay greater attention to security.

Players can use real-world money to buy valuable enhancements for their characters in online PC gaming. Some of the other players are enamored with these characters. Others are envious. On the dark web, advanced characters may fetch a lot of money, thus some thieves use credential stuffing to gain access to player accounts and steal ownership. Credential stuffing is a type of brute force attack in which hackers estimate login and password combinations based on their knowledge. To protect your account and investment from a dark web fate, you'll need a strong password or passphrase.

Why they are attacked

Based on the aforementioned previous attacks, it is evident that gaming firms have a treasure trove of sensitive data. Gamers entrust these platforms with their credit card information and the security of their game avatars, which they spend thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars customizing, making gaming an attractive target for hackers.

Malware masquerading as an advantage is another method attackers target gamers. Players desire to be the best out of thousands, hence cheat software for online games is prevalent. A virus fraud targeted advantage hunters for “Call of Duty: Warzone.” The malware's designers posted instructions on how to download the "cheat software" on YouTube. Thousands of people watched the video and hundreds of people commented on it, making it appear legitimate.

Users had to disable antivirus products and firewalls as part of the "cheat software" installation process. Cybercriminals were able to walk right into users' devices! The device was then infected with a dropper, a sort of aggressive fileless malware. A dropper doesn't install a malicious file on the device; instead, it opens a direct channel for an additional payload, such as credential-stealing malware, to be delivered.

Gamer Security Tips

Gaming in a competitive environment is, well, competitive. So, if you put a lot of real money into your characters, be extra cautious and follow these five crucial tips to keep your online accounts safe.

Personal information should not be shared.

In their public-facing usernames, gamers frequently use versions of their real names and birthdates. In your username, don't mention your real name or date of birth. Instead, consider using a nickname or a series of random digits. In the same spirit, don't divulge personal information about oneself (phone number, birthday, frequent destinations) in chats or streams. These personal facts can be gathered by lurking cyber criminals in order to impersonate you.

Make changes to your privacy settings

You can join campaigns with players from all over the world in several online PC games. While connectedness is wonderful, be cautious about who you allow following your online presence. Be wary if a stranger makes you a friend request out of the blue. They may have malevolent intentions, such as phishing for sensitive personal information. It's recommended to adjust your privacy settings so that strangers can't see your profile.

Don't download pirated games or cheat software.

Developers put a lot of effort into making fantastic games, so make sure you buy them legally and play them as intended. Free downloads, pirated versions, and cheat software should all be avoided because they're almost always too good to be true. Rather, take on a challenge and enjoy the game as it is written.

Use a VPN to connect.

A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your internet data transmission, making it hard for hackers to see your IP address and track your online activities.

Sign up for antivirus software for gamers.

Gaming antivirus software can not only make your online gaming experience safer, but it can also improve the performance of your rig! McAfee Gamer Security scans the cloud for risks and optimizes resources to reduce frame drops.