Video game cybersecurity is rapidly becoming an important issue, with a growing number of professional gamers succeeding through the laborious process of setting up gaming accounts and broadcasting gameplay online. As online games are becoming increasingly susceptible to attacks, gamers must improve their internet security to protect themselves from various cyber threats. The more lucrative playing video games becomes for professional gamers, the more work cybersecurity professionals must undertake to secure them from potential thieves. The gaming industry is on an upswing, and it will be investing millions more to safeguard the privacy and security of gamers that devote their time and money to play those games.
Gamers are not just concerned about online gaming but also their privacy when buying games on e-commerce websites. Third-party payment gateways and in-game purchases necessitate a vigilant approach to cybersecurity. It becomes crucial for gamers to assess the platforms they engage with, ensuring that the websites adhere to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance. Whether purchasing virtual goods or unlocking premium features, gamers should use platforms that prioritize the security of their financial data. A key step in this regard is to ensure PCI compliance of your Woocommerce store (or a similar platform), mitigating the risks associated with unauthorized access and potential data breaches.
That said, the increasing attacks against these gaming platforms are a threat and significant risk to users using these platforms. It makes the game industry highly susceptible to cyberattacks specifically targeting reputations or accessibility.
Due to its dependence on connectivity, the games community is not immune from cyber-security threats. To avoid being targeted and continue enjoying the mystic worlds found in online games, users must keep in mind the threats from a cybersecurity perspective. While these threats appear menacing and may be a source of discomfort, online gamers do not have to throw away their gamepads in fear because there are ways to mitigate these risks to enjoy a safer online experience. The most basic one would be going through a few hacking tutorials and building up your proficiency in cybersecurity may come in handy. Additionally, investing in good anti-virus and internet security software may be prudent to keep viruses and malware at bay.
As a member of the gaming community, any gamer, developer, or host could become the next victim of these malicious attacks, highlighting the need for solid security software solutions. Attackers frequently target video games and online gamers, breaking into their accounts and initiating attacks.
Phishing and Identity Theft: Phishing, a popular attack technique among cybercriminals, is a common tactic in the gaming community. The same tactics that fraudsters use to deceive individuals about their credit card numbers, bank passwords, and other account logins are also popular among gaming thieves.
In this scenario, instead of imitating Chase Bank or a similar institution, criminals might create something that looks like a popular online gaming site. They then encourage players to change their passwords or verify their accounts, often by threatening to lock the players’ accounts if they don’t comply. For example, a fake login page could also inject a malicious program running in the background. This can cause problems not just for video games but for entire computer systems. To keep players safe from such threats, game developers often opt for regular web app security assessment by Hummingbird Networks or similar companies. This can help safeguard players from scams and ensures a more secure gaming environment.
Besides creating bogus login page, threat actors often send phishing links via an in-game messaging system, leading players to the fake login page. Hackers try phishing, creating fake login pages, sending malicious links during chats, etc. If they get trapped with players, they may be able to steal data, exfiltrate it, manipulate it, etc. Phishing attacks on gaming platforms are different from general methods used by internet gamers, which are emails to send legitimate-looking emails.
Phishing campaigns typically target customers on these gaming platforms with the intent to hijack their login credentials or payment card data to sell it to other cybercriminals. Because online and mobile games accrue complete data about their subscribers, hackers make targeting player accounts their priority.
So ultimately, the importance of Bitdefender and the likes come to the fore.