Cybersecurity for Gamers 101: Gaming Malware and Online Risks

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The Worst Security Issues in Games. How to Avoid Getting Infected.

Despite the predictions of the late ‘90s and early 2000s experts, gaming has evolved to encompass much more than teens and young adults. Being interested in video games is not a ‘phase’ you outgrow once you mature enough.

In fact, the industry has shifted to be more and more inclusive as time passes. According to VentureBeat, today there are more females than males spending money on games, and the average age of gamers is 31 (with more players being over the age of 36 than between 18 and 35 – or under 18). According to Nezwoo, the total worth of the gaming industry will be $174 billion by 2021.

With this kind of numbers, there’s no wonder that hackers are beginning to target games more and more. Where there’s an opportunity for financial abuse, there will always be those who try to exploit it. Cybersecurity for gamers has become a concern, and rightly so.

The Security Risks for Gamers: 10+ Common Cyber-Threats

As a fellow gamer, I understand pretty well how the landscape looks like and how common gamer behavior can lead to certain cybersecurity risks.

Beyond official stats, the gaming world sometimes behaves in less than ideal ways – buying cheats and shortcuts, for example – and very often, those are exactly the entry points for hackers.

Trying to bridge the two worlds, I think all people who enjoy games should be a little more aware of their online safety and how to protect it. So, here’s a short but comprehensive guide to cybersecurity for gamers and the main risks you can get exposed to through games.

#1. Having Your Credentials Hacked for a Connected Account

If one of your various gaming accounts is hacked, it’s not just about that particular platform. Even if you think some platforms might be inconsequential (just a browser game you once signed up for), hackers can easily use your leaked credentials in order to gain access to more important accounts.

Credential stuffing is one of the easiest ways for hackers to steal money or data. It doesn’t require much technical sophistication and buying leaked credentials is cheap. From there on, they just (rightly) assume that people tend to re-use the same password for multiple accounts and they keep trying until they break in.

Since casual but committed gamers have at least 2 or 3 gaming accounts directly tied to their credit card (Steam, GoG, Blizzard and HumbleBundle, to name just a few), you can see how this can become dangerous pretty fast.

#2. Falling Prey to Scammers by the Lure of Power-ups (Buying Cheats)

Everyone who plays complex games knows that there is an entire sub-economy which trades in-game goods and favors. Despite the intentions of developers, who would like players to earn achievements, gear, and rewards by putting in the time and hard work, many players want shortcuts. As long as there’s a demand for it, there will always be other players willing to supply it for real-world money.

Some providers are even doing this for a full-time job – the Chinese gold farming phenomenon is a good example. To be fair, the work required by games is sometimes too much, almost resembling a second job. Unfortunately, regardless of whether players are right to use third-party services for buying power-ups, the main problem here is that they are often compromising their security.

The sellers of boosts and power-ups are often abusing the transaction details or the credentials they obtain (for leveling up their character faster, for example) in order to defraud the player shortly after the initial exchange takes place.

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