How do you stay safe online gaming?

Winners use long, complex and unique passwords. The most secure passwords are at least 12 characters long and include letters, numbers, and symbols. Ideally, the password should not be recognizable as a word or phrase. And yes, you must have a unique password for each online account. Does that sound hard to remember? Using a password manager has never been easier: many smartphones and web browsers include password managers.

The best password managers will even suggest secure passwords. While online gaming can provide quality social interaction, there's also a dark side. From cyberbullying to online predators to hidden costs, there are a lot of concerns when it comes to playing video games online, especially for children. The most important thing parents can do is to engage in a dialogue about safe Internet use at an early age and build on it as their children grow up. When they understand the risks and the importance of safety, children are more likely to come to you with warning signs, alarms, or small things that concern them.

There are a number of impersonation, impersonation and malware attacks that are common in the online gaming world.

Online players sometimes befriend other players or engage in conversations while collaborating on game objectives.

Combating this problem means talking to your children about online risks and closely monitoring their gaming. According to Internet Safety 101, online games provide predators with an opportunity to create a kind of shared online experience, effectively becoming advocates, teammates and allies for the child. To stay safe while playing video games online, you must follow cyber hygiene best practices to protect your anonymity. Every time you entrust your personal information to an online entity, including a video game provider, that entity can be the subject of a successful data breach.

According to US-CERT, the social nature of online games allows cybercriminals to manipulate conversations. Most online gaming platforms offer sophisticated MFA options, as cyberattacks in online games are common. According to a study by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 29% of people have taken drugs while playing online video games. Gamers are especially common targets of cyberattacks, so it's important to take extra precautions if you play video games online.

Some online games use the freemium model, which means they offer some content for free; however, to get all the features and functions of the game, you need to pay. Whenever you create a new account, check your settings and choose more restrictive options to further protect yourself on the Internet. These are some of the threats to your data security that you may encounter while playing online. It usually looks like harmless information, but a threat actor can use any tiny piece of data to attack you online.

Emily Harris
Emily Harris

Lifelong beer maven. Extreme web trailblazer. Pop culture buff. Typical bacon maven. Subtly charming social media scholar.