Gamers and cybersecurity professionals have something in common—the horrific presence of hackers, scams, and data theft—but how and why would people want to target gamers?
One of the most worrying trends in gaming over the past few years has been the introduction of microtransactions, which require you to provide funds in case you want to quickly engage in in-game activities or buy better equipment or additional skins. For example, for your character. This is true for both multiplayer and single-player games these days. As a result, malicious actors have more opportunities to exploit you.
The ubiquity of scams in online gaming allows for some level of interaction between players via in-game chat or voice services. Most of the time, these places are the first point of contact between scammers and their victims, and due to the nature of these games, this affects not only adults but children as well.
fishing for money
Cybercriminals use online games as a means of earning income by stealing and selling user data or tricking them into giving up bank account information. At the same time, ransomware, viruses, and Trojans are also used to target players and try to steal money from them.
The most important opportunities here are virtual currency, skins, weapons, etc., since many game developers sell these products for various amounts, some skins can be sold for hundreds of dollars or more due to their rarity.
Scammers can easily create an online gaming account and then use stolen credit card details to purchase said items, which can then be sold for a lucrative sum once the account is full. Some accounts can be sold for thousands of dollars, exchanging virtual items for real-world currency.
shelter under attack
Of course, online games do employ various levels of protection to protect users' accounts; however, account hijacking still occurs because the data in these accounts can be of enormous value, either because of the in-game wealth accumulated by players or their Various licenses you may have on an online game store, along with their personally identifiable information, such as phone numbers, addresses, email, and financial information.
All it takes is a weak password, and your account can get completely out of control, especially when people tend to still use the same weak passwords they always have, rather than opting for stronger passwords, or better yet, use secure password management device time.
Another problem is that many gaming services lack additional authentication methods, or the provider may suffer a data breach exposing passwords. In a way, it's like the various wars between the Horde and the Alliance in Warcraft; one wins, the other loses.
friendly scam
Perhaps one of the lesser known scams in the online world is friendly fraud. Still, it's huge, with e-commerce merchants reporting a whopping $11.8 billion in losses in the US alone. This has become a growing problem due to microtransactions. For example, a child might overcharge a parent's credit card with an in-app purchase for some special skin/in-game currency. Parents may not know this and dispute the charge to their bank account with the bank or gaming company.
While likely unintentional, these disputes can still overwhelm banks and bookmakers, or make parents look like liars. Why? Well, intentional friendly fraud also exists, where a gamer or someone posing as a gamer buys the game/currency and then disputes the charge on the credit card statement to get a refund. It's like buying a shirt, wearing it for a day or two, then returning it to the store to get your money back.
Summoner's Fault (mostly)
In addition to the previously mentioned tricks, malicious actors also love to extract credentials through false promotional materials, such as free exclusive items and game time promotions on social media, directing you to fake login sites to extract your personal information, and possibly You offer malware free! How exciting, right?
Even in-game transactions can be dangerous, as transactions can be made via PayPal outside of game restrictions, after which fraudsters dispute the payment, causing you to lose desired items and suffer monetary losses. Note how many of these scams rely on user error, which is a reality, as human error remains a major cybersecurity concern.
What steps can gamers take to protect themselves?
Thankfully, gamers can take advantage of certain security tips to protect their precious accounts and game time from malicious actors. Here are some:
- Use strong passwords - Sadly, we need to repeat this advice. Try to stay away from simple word+number combinations and mix them with special characters, capital letters, or try using passphrases, which are more complex but easier to remember.
- Using Multi-Factor Authentication – When properly securing any account, it is imperative to use an additional method of authentication, which is best done using a one-time code-generating application like Microsoft Authenticator or Authy.
- Try buying game content internally - Try buying within the game's own store or through an official reseller instead of giving scammers your financial details.
- Don't trust giveaways - some games offer freebies for in-game content, but in some cases, people asking for your account details can be fraudulent - always verify that the giveaway is done from an officially approved source.
- Never give out your account information to others - this advice is repeated a lot in World of Warcraft, especially - a game admin or developer will never ask you for your credit card number or bank details, especially in an online game.
For example, if your account was somehow hacked on Steam, there are a number of ways you can go about it to recover successfully. That doesn't mean gamers shouldn't be wary. As the lucrative gaming world will always be under threat from shady money makers and hackers. Stay safe and watch out for any dangers lurking in the shadows.