Types of Gaming Malware and How to Enjoy Safe Gaming

You are a simple gamer who likes to enjoy video gaming. But what if after playing games one night, the next morning you find all your bank accounts drained? If that has not happened to you yet, it can happen and you should be aware of how to stay safe. Keep in touch with Blogines.com where there is information on how to stay safe from different types of malware.

Because online gaming is a multibillion-dollar industry, scammers and hackers obviously look for chances to steal a sizeable share of the tremendous revenue.

So, enjoy gaming, but smartly, without getting victimized by staying equipped with the right information.

Spoofing and Phishing

Spoofing, in simple words, is an idiomatic term for “fraud through imitation” and phishing is its most notorious example. Phishing is a technique of scamming that involves copycatting fraudulent URLs or websites to trick users for entering login details or confidential data like credit card number etc. Once the user enters this information, the phisher retains all of it on her/his database. With time, spoofing techniques are becoming advanced. For example, social media bots monitor gamers while chatting on social media and asking for technical help and then directing them to spoofed websites where the gamers have to enter their login details (and give them away unknowingly).

Precautions: Phishing is commonly done through emails. Don’t click links in emails from unknown users directly. While logging in as directed by a company, hand-type website’s address.

Malware Downloads

Gaming is an activity that involves heavy downloads, especially if you perform gaming mostly on your PC. You download anti-cheats, installer files, in-game interface tweak, third-party modifications and so on. While 99% of these files may be fine, 1% can be malicious. In gaming malware, keyloggers are the worst type of malware. It’s a program that hides in the background and notes all your keystrokes, and then sends them to its creator in a remote location where s/he analyses them. Thus keyloggers steal your usernames, passwords, credit card information and much more.

Precautions: You can be pre-equip your computer by installing some type of free anti-virus program and be a little alert while gaming, about not downloading a suspicious file. Also scanning your system regularly using anti-keylogger tools will ensure that no one is stealing your keystrokes.

Social Engineering Frauds

Social engineering has got an age-old concept – manipulate the victim to disclose personal information on her/his own. In the gaming world, gamers are scammed through social engineering for their accounts, credit card numbers or virtual goods. So, anytime when you involve in a real money or virtual goods transaction, you are at risk of getting scammed. This is true for whether you are buying black market gold for World of Warcraft or trading Steam cards.

Precautions: Use your common sense and never give your usernames and passwords; don’t click links directly from unknown sources.

Database Breaches

Havocs have taken place due to this. For example, in 2011 many Sony-owned major databases were hacked. These included databases for Sony Online Entertainment and PlayStation Network. Result was 102 million victimized accounts of which at least 12 million involved unencrypted credit card details.

Then in 2014 too login details of more than 27 million people were stolen by a team of 16 hackers in South Korea by spoofing six leading online gaming sites. These hackers stole in-game currency of various types, causing damage worth $2 million to the South Korean economy.

Precautions: Understand that although a company may be renowned, it cannot be 100% risk-free; so, take care to avoid sharing credit card information online.

Staying in touch with Blogines.com is also a wise step to take towards online safety because they keep you updated about how to remove various types of malware from your system.