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Gaming Safety 101: Here's What Hackers Don't Want You to Know

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Your gaming account isn’t something you’d consider to be interesting to hackers. It’s not like there’s anything unique or valuable there, right? Well, you would think so. Yet you would also be devastated if you lost your game and all of your progress to hackers. 

 

The truth is that hackers love to target gaming accounts, and soon you’ll learn why. Read on to learn everything that hackers wish you didn’t know about gaming account safety.

Your gaming account is more valuable than you think

You would be wrong to assume that cybercriminals don’t care about gaming accounts. In reality, it’s quite the opposite. Here’s why hackers target gaming accounts:

 

  • They can sell your account with all of your progress;

  • They can access your other accounts if you use the same passwords (which is why you should NEVER reuse passwords);

  • They can eavesdrop on your conversations until you share valuable information;

  • They’re your rivals. Yup, some players are so caught up in the game that they’re even willing to commit a crime to stay ahead.

Many gaming accounts are vulnerable to hackers

So many people game away carelessly without having a single thought about hackers. They think they’re safe because nobody knows their password and they use reliable software. Well, the truth is that a lot of gamers fail to take the correct cybersecurity measures. Usually, they only learn about the consequences when it’s too late.

How to keep your account safe:

Although the gaming industry is a hunting ground for hackers, there are plenty of ways to protect your accounts. Follow these tips if you want to always be one step ahead of hackers:

  1. Secure your passwords

Ever seen hackers in movies use fancy programs to crack passwords? Well, that happens in real life, too, and more often than you’d imagine. To avoid hackers, use long and complicated passwords. Also, don’t use the same passwords for multiple accounts. 

 

The best way to secure your passwords is by using a password manager, which is a tool to encrypt and store your passwords. The only password you’ll need to remember is the one to your password manager account. This means that you can use super complex and different passwords for all of your accounts. Feel free to read more here!

  1. Use two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is a simple yet powerful tool to avoid cyber attacks. Even if a hacker manages to get your password, they won’t be able to log into your account without your additional verification.

  1. Download games only from legitimate sites

There are plenty of “generous” websites that offer free game downloads. Well, paying for them on legitimate platforms isn’t just a matter of ethics. It’s also a matter of cybersecurity. This is because many websites that offer free game downloads infect them with malicious software. So game downloads are probably not the place to cheap out.

  1. Avoid downloading cheat codes from unknown locations

Cheat codes are a great way to up your gaming experience. However, don’t just click on any links or make any downloads for the sake of going up a level. Just like with illegal game downloads, cheat codes that come from unknown locations often have malware. Again, only download them from reliable websites.

  1. Ensure your software is updated

Software updates can be a pain sometimes. They keep coming and yet don’t seem to offer much performance improvement. Well, most software updates are there for security purposes because hackers keep discovering vulnerabilities in software.

 

In response, developers create software updates to eliminate those vulnerabilities. If you’re still on old software and keep lying to your computer that you’ll download updates tomorrow, then you’re just making it much easier for hackers to get into your system and eventually hack your gaming account.

  1. Use antivirus software

Sure, you might be careful when clicking on links or downloading software. However, viruses are so widely distributed throughout the internet that you can never be sure that your device is safe. For this reason, make sure you have antivirus software installed and enabled.

  1. Keep a backup

Imagine if all of your gaming data was erased, and you needed to start over from square one. You’d probably be crushed. Well, a simple backup can save you a lot of nerves. Make sure all of your gaming progress is safe and backed up, and regularly update your backup.

  1. Don’t trust strangers

Yup, the old “stranger danger” that you’ve heard so many times as a child also applies in gaming. It seems self-explanatory, but it’s so easy to trust someone you’re gaming with, especially if you’ve been gaming together for a long time. So always be cautious. Some gamers are just waiting for other players to give out personal information that they could use against them.

Stay safe!

Following these tips will make you and your gaming account an unlikely target for hackers. However, remember that even if you follow all possible precautions, you can never completely eliminate the risk of cyber attacks. So never lower your guard and always be careful who you trust online!