If you take online gaming seriously, then you might consider online gaming security a priority – perhaps to the same extent that you value high scores and high frame-rates, you might seek to retain control of your digital identity. This applies especially if you’re streaming your gameplay.
Five online gaming security tips
1. Hide your home base with a VPN extension
When your IP is exposed, malicious actors on the internet can determine where you live. You can make this more difficult by installing a VPN extension for your browser. That way, you can contribute to gaming forums and wikis without fear that someone is snooping on you.
An extension has a major advantage in that it will restrict the VPN tunnel to the sites you visit, while allowing other applications to work unhindered. You might enjoy the lowest possible ping while playing Counter-Strike, while still preventing your location from being revealed.
2. Guard against “Social engineering” AI
A game might seem like a relaxed, safe environment. But there are threats lurking even on seemingly benign forums. Many of the friendly strangers you’re looking for might actually be malicious – and some of them might not actually be real people. Chatbots, in the age of AI, can be very convincing. Do not click links sent to you by strangers – or even friends.
Scammers often seek to instil a sense of fear and urgency that causes us to abandon our better judgment. In a fast-moving game environment, this danger might be even more pressing.
3. Move beyond passwords to passkeys
Passwords can be easily leaked. For this reason, they’re largely being supplanted by multi-factor ‘pass keys’, which use biometric data, among other things, to ensure that the person attempting to connect really is who they claim to be. But these measures won’t amount to much if you don’t actually make use of them. Set up multi-factor authentication, and you can game with much greater peace of mind in the future.
4. Use a “Burner” email for community sites
You don’t need to hand over your main email address to participate in a community discussion. If you do so, you’re presenting a greater ‘attack surface’ to malicious actors and increasing the level of risk you face. If a small indie site suffers a breach, you don’t want your email address to be among the data that falls into the hands of hackers.
5. Secure your in-game economy
In-game assets like skins and badges can hold major real-world value. Make sure that you explore the privacy measures available in your favourite games, and that your valuables aren’t on public display. Scammers often use automation to trawl through publicly listed items. If you don’t conceal what you have, then you’ll make a more obvious target for online gaming security.
