Online games are exciting, vivid and thoroughly entertaining. Millions of people go online every day to play these games. The excitement is addictive! There are many games that you can play right in your browser.
Some others require you to download special software. In the early days of online gaming, there were no dangers on the Internet. However, there are many digital risks to worry about today. They include hackers, data leakage and malware infection. Is it really safe to play games online? Read on to discover more about this.
Security issues which you can suffer while playing games online
• Identity theft
This is where cybercriminals infiltrate the gaming accounts database. After that, they can steal your personal data and use it maliciously. In identity theft, the hackers are usually in search of credit card information. This problem mainly affects the games which you sign up for through social media. If you provide any information to social media games, you never know how much access to your account that you’ve granted the hacker. Moreover, any online games that require you to download some software are highly likely to perform identity theft.
• Breaches of data
Whenever you create an account so as to play an online game, your details are saved on a server owned by the game publishing company. This server can get hacked and your information can get retrieved and used maliciously. For example, the servers behind Fashion Fantasy Game were hacked in 2016. The details of 15,000 players were stolen and added to phishing lists. This breach of data was performed with an SQL injection hack. As such, your information may not be as secure as you imagine when playing games online.
• Your in-game credits can get stolen
There are some online games that have a compensation mechanism. You can shoot fish online get rewards. You can accumulate credits or points which can be converted into real money. In such games, the credits face the risk of theft. There are hackers that can penetrate your account and transfer your points without your knowledge. In this way, they pose a major risk as you play games online.
How you can protect yourself when gaming online
There are ways that you can stay safe as your play games on the Internet. Firstly, steer clear of any games which are presented to you on Facebook. Also, be very careful with downloadable games. Moreover, avoid free-to-play online games.
If you want to play resource-heavy games online, it is advisable to sign up with a Cloud service.
There are some Cloud services which are developed especially for gaming. They provide encryption, anonymity and access to hundreds of vivid games. These platforms are described as Gaming as a Service (GaaS).
Last but not least, you can subscribe to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. This is a specialized service which will hide your activity on the Internet. It will hide your Internet Protocol (IP) address so that no one can track you. This service can also encrypt your data so that nobody can intercept your communications. This will cost some money, but will protect you from any malicious intent on the Internet.
Thanks to advances in technology, it is quite possible to play vivid, entertaining games online.
There are many security risks surrounding this activity. Some are mild while others have extreme consequences. However, there are also multiple solutions that you can pick. Depending on the solution you use, there may be some effort required on your end or some financial investment. This guide can help you to enjoy online games and stay safe as well.
Image Credits: Online Gaming from Gorodenkoff /Shutterstock