14 DAY TRIAL // As online gaming evolves, the scene attracts all sorts of shady characters, especially since in some cases real money is just used to make trades. To ensure that gamers have a secure experience while playing online, experts from Trend Micro have released an advisory.
The small guide – Level Up and Secure Your Online Gaming Experience – reveals that hardcore gamers are exposed to all sorts of risks if they don’t know how to properly protect themselves.
These risks are mainly generated by the fact that almost anyone can take upon himself any identity he wishes and remain completely anonymous to the other players. This allows fraudsters to do all sorts of malicious things without supporting the consequences of their actions.
Another risk factor is caused by the use of hacks and cheats. Pirated software also increases the perils on the scene.
All these are topped by the fact that many online games involve real money trading (RMT). Although these practices are considered illegal in most situations, the phenomenon exists and it’s an increasing cause for concern.
The risks enumerated here expose gamers to all sorts of attacks. For instance, the cheats and hacks we were referring to could (and they usually do) hide nasty pieces of malware.
Players who trust others can wake up one day and find that their accounts have been hacked and all their “possessions” taken away.
There is also the matter of privacy. Many games are linked to other social media websites that publicly reveal the customers’ activity, fact which could lead to information theft and invasion of privacy.
Those who trade virtual items via RMT can be tricked into paying for something that they’ll never actually receive. It’s like advance fee scam, but translated into a gaming environment.
So what can gamers do to protect themselves against such threats?
For casual players, it’s not that difficult. All they must do is avoid dubious people, don’t use cheats and hacks, never purchase items with real money, and never mix their real lives with the one of the online character.
Hardcore gamers on the other hand should ensure that their account passwords are strong and secure (the use of a password manager is recommended), make use of authenticators when possible, and avoid “illegal behavior.”