How Gamers Can Protect Themselves

How gamers can protect themselves

The situation isn't as grim as it might appear. It’s often the case that users are the weakest point in any security system, but most gamers are digital natives. A certain amount of familiarity with technology often makes it easier to educate users on finer points of security and data protection. There are multiple precautions people can take to better safeguard their accounts from harm. Here are some of those possibilities:‍

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Password protection

Good password practices are just as effective in gaming as they are elsewhere. Gamers should follow guidelines for password strength, and consider using passphrases to aid memory and protect against brute-forcing. A good password manager may be helpful as well. Above all, it’s important to avoid reusing the same password across multiple accounts, or a compromised Overwatch account could turn into a compromise of Steam, Origin, and even the user’s personal email.‍

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Phishing awareness

Standard phishing advice applies to gamers just as much as anyone else. Never click a link without being sure where it goes — even links sent by friends could be malicious in the case of compromised accounts. Remember that genuine emails from game providers will not request login details or personal information. If it’s impossible to tell for sure if an email is genuine, contact the game’s support team directly and ask. Gamers should be wary of “too good to be true” deals. A fellow player offering an apparent bargain trade may be trying to tempt people into a phishing scheme, and a website offering unbeatable competitive advantages is more than likely a scam of some kind.

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‍Malware protection

Many gamers have an antipathy to running antivirus software as it is often perceived as a drain on performance. Some antivirus products are also prone to false-positives when it comes to games or game platforms. It’s still possible — and definitely advisable — to find a good antivirus which includes “game mode” features to keep performance high, and which won’t discourage gamers from staying secure with false-positives.‍

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Multi-factor authentication

Many games and distributors offer options for two-(or more)-factor authentication. These should always be turned on, if available. It adds an extra step to the login process, sending a code to either a registered email or phone number. Though inconvenient, game companies encourage 2FA for improved account security, and some are beginning to offer in-game rewards to players who enable it.

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How game companies can help

In most cases, the ultimate responsibility for keeping accounts secure lies with the players. However, this does not mean that developers, publishers, and distributors can’t — or shouldn’t — do anything to help their players stay as secure as possible. These are some steps that game companies can take to help maintain a high standard of security:

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User support and security features

Several of the methods gamers can use to protect themselves depend on what the video game company in question has provided. Multi-factor authentication is good, but only if the software has a framework for it. There should be support in place for users to be able to quickly lock their accounts if compromised, especially if financial information is involved.

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Backend security

There are also features developers can implement that need never be seen by the player. Geofencing can be an effective tool to protect user accounts, and is already employed in many other fields. Behavioral biometrics could also be an option to consider. While behavioral biometrics is still in its infancy and quite costly to implement, gaming is in a unique position to explore the technology. A rudimentary form of behavioral biometrics is already employed in some games’ cheat-detection systems, able to flag potential cheaters by inconsistencies in play. A little innovation could easily extend this to security and account protection.

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Support user knowledge

There’s nothing any business can do, gaming or otherwise, to force their users to be security-savvy. However, there’s no reason not to make information as accessible and digestible as possible. An easily-accessed page of basic security best practices, presented in concise and user-friendly language, would certainly not go amiss. Any known, active threats should be prominently declared on a game’s launch screen or main menu, along with the best way for players to protect themselves.

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Respect users’ personal data

Data is valuable, both to legitimate data processors and to malicious actors seeking to compromise it. Mobile games and social media apps both share the same reputation for gathering unnecessary data on their users, meaning that any breach results in a far bigger loss than it should have been. Several games had to shut down in the wake of the GDPR, as it would have been too costly to update their sweeping data collection systems to comply with the new regulations. Game companies, as with any organization gathering or storing data on its customers, should follow best practices for security and never gather more data than is necessary.

Video gaming has a unique kind of duality when it comes to cybersecurity. A gamer is a software user just like any other; he or she is subject to the same security risks and threats as any other user. The same security principles are just as effective and important. However, each threat also involves a unique twist, adding a complication that isn’t seen in any other field. Attackers have more options to compromise a player’s security, and the players must tailor their practices to account for them. By knowing which aspects of security are the same and which are different, game companies and their customers can protect themselves, and stay safe in a way of life that’s “just for fun” while still containing real value, and the potential for real loss.