Top 6 Risks in Online Gaming and Best Ways to Stay Safe
The Roblox controversy, in which a vigilante caught predators pretending to be minors, shows us how unsafe online gaming can be. With AI software becoming more and more sophisticated, it is very easy for anyone to pretend to be a child or a female, to trick other players.
This is the reason cybercrime in the online gaming world is becoming very prevalent. According to Kaspersky, roughly 132,000 gamers were targeted by cyber criminals just in the first half of 2024. These attacks range from minor phishing pranks to sending malicious code.
So, if you think online gaming is safe, you need to think again.
Let us explore how risky online gaming really is and ways you can make it safer.
6 Risks in Online Gaming
Online gaming is not only a source of enjoyment, but it also has some serious risks. Here is how cybercrime can target you (or your child) during online gaming:
- Cyberbullying
This is when cybercriminals bully players in multiplayer games. This includes intimidation, harassment, or threatening such players.
Cyberbullying can negatively impact players and jeopardize their mental health and integrity. Plus, it can prevent new gamers from entering the field due to the fear of getting bullied.
- Malware Attacks
Players who tend to gravitate towards gaming platforms that offer free or pirated games are at risk of downloading malware disguised as the game. This malware can wreak havoc in their systems, steal their private data, or disrupt their PC’s ability to function properly.
Even if you legally buy a game, you are still at risk of downloading malware due to an unknown security gap.
- Phishing
In phishing attacks, cybercriminals can pretend to be officials from game companies or someone credible and trick players into clicking on malicious links under the guise of discount codes. These links have viruses that can get into their PC and steal all personal information.
Phishing attacks can also cause financial information to leak.
- Data Breaches
In this case, hackers attack online gaming platforms directly and steal login credentials and payment information. They then misuse this information and either impersonate the players to commit fraud or sell this to other cybercriminals. This jeopardizes the players’ trust and causes long-term emotional and financial damage.
- Doxing
An extension of the above-mentioned crime, doxing is when cybercriminals gain access to personal information, like phone numbers and addresses, and leak it to others with malicious intent. This makes any victim player an easy target for further crimes like harassment and stalking. It has the tendency to disrupt their life by traumatizing them.
- Swatting
This is when cybercriminals or cyberbullies call ‘911’ or other law enforcement authorities to the victim’s phone.
Swatting initially, started within the gaming community as a form of revenge, by calling on emergency services under false pretenses. It can have serious consequences for the victims, as it can end in them mistakenly getting hurt.
Tips for Staying Safe in Online Gaming
Before you lose all hope, online gaming is not all dark and gloomy. Here are some tips you can employ to make the online gaming experience safer:
- Use Internet Security
Most internet providers have internet security as part of their service. This includes strong antivirus programs and stellar network protection protocols that save you from viruses or hackers getting into your Wi-Fi.
I use the Spectrum Security Suite, which provides solid anti-malware protection software that keeps my PC safe from malware and viruses. All I had to do was contact Spectrum customer service, and they got me a suitable internet plan that included the antivirus software.
- Learn and Practice Password Security
To decrease your chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime, you can learn and implement password security. This means the practices of using strong passwords that are least likely to be hacked.
A strong password is a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols. Plus, make sure your password is not related to you, your pets, or your family/friends.
- Make Payments with a Debit Card
In most cases, victims face financial devastation because they use their debit cards to make payments. These debit cards are access points to bank accounts that hold their money, which the hackers can easily access.
This is why, for every kind of online payment, be it for an online gaming platform, make sure you use a credit card. Unlike debit cards, credit cards have stronger fraud protection policies where you can easily dispute fraud payment and avoid any loss.
Online gaming, despite being a major source of entertainment for millions of people around the world, can have its dark side. This dark side can greatly exploit you or anyone. This is why, consider this a cardinal rule for online gaming that you do not engage with unknown people to the point that you click on links they send or reveal your personal information.
