Many people focus on games for entertainment, which is also my hobby in my spare time. Being immersed in the game world often makes people forget about themselves. The rules of the game are constantly changing when it comes to protecting your privacy, and as technology advances, online scammers and predators are getting smarter at trying to get your hands on your personal information. Often, one of their common methods is to target the most unsuspecting people.
A must-read for gamers! 4 basic common sense to protect your privacy
Playing games is a way for many people to escape the monotony of their days, connect with friends, or relax, and these are the times when gamers may be at their least vigilant. In fact, games may open the door to potential privacy issues, especially if you are a gamer who likes to play online games or make friends with strangers. Due to the transnational nature of the Internet, online fraudsters may be difficult to track down by law enforcement agencies. This does not mean that it is completely impossible to punish the bad guys. In 2016, Interpol announced the arrest of the mastermind behind a global online fraud network. This also set a precedent for international cooperation to help protect gamers and their privacy. While there are many things gamers can do to keep themselves safe online, there are some basic common sense you shouldn’t forget.
Improve account security
As a gamer, you likely have many cross-platform accounts linked to your personal and financial information. For gamers, protecting your privacy requires a comprehensive security approach amid the various risks you face. With the rise of AI, the average time it takes to brute force a password has shortened significantly. In 2023, Hive Systems claimed that hackers could obtain your passwords almost instantly, even if they were a combination of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols. Therefore, it is especially important to create a strong password or use a password manager. Additionally, you should enable two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible.
When playing new games, you may need to register an account. If possible, you can register a separate email address just for your game account, separate from your own private mailbox, so you don’t have to worry about it being stolen. While some questions, such as your birthday, may be necessary to prevent children from accessing adult-rated content, information like your full address or credit card information can be somewhat protected.
Finally, if you play mobile games, you should also regularly check the application permissions on your phone. In some cases, some game developers will try to request information or data that is not always necessary for the game. Often, this includes access to your profiles, photos, and even your location. In this case, if you don’t want the developer to be so aggressive, you can delete it and look for another game.
Manage your online profile
While many influencers in the gaming space make money by sharing their lives and gameplay, they often need to weigh privacy risks in exchange for income. However, even if you’re in the business of using your personality and likeness to make a living (or even just a little extra pocket money), you still need to be careful about what you post on social media. Much of this is common sense, but you should always avoid revealing your exact location no matter where you are. Not to mention, you should also keep information like your full name or your children’s names off the web unless it’s part of your brand. In fact, you should teach your children the value of data privacy and the importance of personal privacy protection from an early age.
Even by accident, you may reveal information useful for malicious intent, such as potential password clues, factors that identify your account or life, or even information related to password recovery. In the worst-case scenario, hackers might use your elementary school, your pet’s name, and other personal information to try to hack you. In addition, it is important to protect the privacy of others around you. In general, always seek permission from people who may occasionally appear on your public posts, such as family or friends. For ordinary people, revealing details about their lives is not always something everyone is willing to do.
Beware of phishing traps
Since there are too many games and you don’t have enough time to play, many gamers will sign up and subscribe to real-time news and queue lists to stay informed about more news, promotions and lottery information. Recently, companies such as Epic Games and Valve have also launched physical gifts for players to thank players for their love. Unfortunately, even legitimate communities can fall victim to phishing scams. 2019,Check Point Research and CyberInt claim a vulnerability in EA systemsPotentially affecting more than 300 million Origin users; in the same year,Fortnite also encountered similar security issues, where older subdomains were used to create phishing links to trick players into using their credit cards to purchase in-game points.
In addition to creating fake emails and directing users to legitimate-looking websites where players may have unknowingly entered financial and personal information,Kaspersky also pointed out, some other common online gaming scams include directing gamers to third-party websites. Gamers are often tricked into purchasing in-game add-ons through this method, which do not appear in their accounts and the money they paid for the add-ons is lost. Alternatively, scammers also target gamers’ IP addresses, where they can discover your actual address, full name, and other sensitive information that could be used to commit fraud or identity theft.
Safety first (literally)
For many serious gamers, having high-speed internet at home is the first choice for the best gaming experience. Unfortunately, you can’t take it with you when traveling, leaving many gamers craving a stable connection, and while that can be difficult, there are a few things you should definitely avoid when using public Wi-Fi, especially since hackers can use it to steal your personal information. An unsecured Wi-Fi network can mean a lack of encryption, which could expose everything from your bank account to social media login details if a hacker gains access. Beyond that, there are always benefits to decentralizing your data, such as having separate emails for different needs, not easily agreeing to cookies, and avoiding any unnecessary tracking across any of your devices.
If you’re not playing on a home network, avoid any transactions or purchases of add-ons if you can. Playing games on public networks is fine, and many people often go there when they want to gain a greater competitive advantage through powerful networks and hardware in places like Internet cafes. Just be careful what you log into, especially if you’re using a public gaming computer that many people visit every day.
Source: KOCPC Chinese