Game Over: Exposed to hackers most of online gamers

© Sofokleousin.gr Game Over: Exposed to hackers the online gamers

Online gaming has quickly evolved into a very profitable industry, with more people than ever having online gaming accounts. According to a survey by Kaspersky Lab, more than half (53%) regularly play online, increasing to 64% for people aged 25-34 and 67% for those aged 16-24.

It is also potentially profitable for digital criminals, as online gaming accounts that have been violated can be sold on the black market. Despite the threats, players often leave their Internet accounts vulnerable to attempted hacking, jeopardizing their tremendous progress, personal data – and possibly their income.

The global game audience -driven by online platforms such as Steam, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live– is currently estimated to be between 2.2 and 2.6 billion and continues to grow. This makes the industry a clear target for digital criminals who are trying to disrupt electronic features and gain access to data such as passwords and bank card information, as clearly demonstrated by recent attacks on both the Xbox and PlayStation platforms.

With more than half of people playing online, digital criminals have an enormous set of possible goals among which they can choose. In addition, online gaming has become an important part of the lives of many people, with users turning to games when they are bored or feel alone, to socialize with friends.

Therefore, successful attacks can disturb the people very much. In addition to the fact that their data has been stolen, victims whose accounts have been violated can also be emotionally affected, losing access to their favorite games (either temporarily or permanently), the many hours they may have spent on the profile and any money you may have invested in it.

Of those who have been successfully attacked or attempted to attacked to one of their Internet accounts, 16% recognized their online gaming accounts as a target, a figure that rises to 21% for men. And as 55% can not quickly restore the game account details if they are lost, the desperation accompanying such attacks is greatly enhanced.

And these accounts are clearly extremely important for their owners. Instead of being a home-based activity, online gaming is an integral part of the everyday life of many people, as shown by the fact that almost one in three (27%) regularly uses their smartphone for online gaming.

Although devices are not inherently safe, nearly a quarter (23%) of users use public Wi-Fi to connect to online gaming accounts, and 56% say they do not take additional security precautions when using public networks, which shows obvious security risks. This risk is further reinforced by the fact that just 5% chose his online gaming account as one of the three who require the strongest passwords.

In addition, as many online profiles are now linked, victims can easily end up losing access to many of their accounts -such as email accounts and social media– that are important to them in many different ways. While this may be emotionally harmful to amateur gamers, professionals may be even more seriously affected, possibly losing even valuable to them income.

“With personal information – a treasure now available online, digital criminals have more opportunities than ever to get the private data of the user that they can sell on the digital black market,

commented Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business, Kaspersky Lab.

And he continued,

“Online gamers -both amateur and professional- are reasonably worried about the fact that their accounts have been violated, or that they are “locked out”, forgetting their passwords. This is a dilemma faced by users every day, with many choosing the less secure option to use either the same password for all their accounts, or simple passwords that hackers are easy to guess. However, only by taking appropriate precautions and using powerful, unique passwords will users be confident that their valuable accounts are protected and that all their efforts will not be lost.”

Source: www.sofokleousin.gr