Personal data is something that is part of the objectives of hackers. They are constantly looking for ways to steal information from Internet users for profit. This is a problem for all those who seek to always preserve privacy when surfing the net. Now, luckily we can make use of tools and tips for this. In this article we are going to focus on online gaming. We will explain what we can do to prevent our data from leaking when playing online .
The importance of maintaining our privacy
Today our data is of great value. Many marketing companies look for ways to steal user information for profit. They can include us in spam lists, send us targeted advertising or even sell that information to third parties. This logically threatens our privacy.
Therefore, it is vital that we avoid data breaches at all levels. They can be filtered in many different ways, such as attacks with malware, theft of public information that we have exposed, leaks on the platform we use, etc.
All this means that our data may be exposed to possible intruders. They could impersonate our identity and create problems. They could also steal our account, for example when playing on the Internet as is the case that we are going to deal with.
How to prevent data from leaking when playing online
When playing on the Internet, such as when using any online service or platform, our data may be compromised. This means that potential intruders would have the ability to impersonate our identity, access our accounts, or even send personalized malware to achieve their goal. This means that we must take steps not to compromise our information.
Always install from official and secure sources
Something basic to keep in mind is the fact of always installing the games from official and secure sources . It is true that sometimes we can access third party pages that can offer the same on paper, but it could contain software that has been maliciously modified to put our information at risk.
This can also be applied when playing games through web pages. It is important that we always access the official website, as well as enter platforms that are reliable and where our data will not run any risk. This must be applied regardless of the type of device we are using.
Keep games updated
Of course our games and consoles have to be updated correctly. Sometimes vulnerabilities arise that can be exploited by hackers to execute their attacks. They can use those flaws to send malware or steal information.
We can avoid this if we keep the patches and security updates that come out. We talk about both the game itself, something that usually brings improvements in both performance and security, as well as firmware updates on the device itself. Sometimes, as we say, there can also be problems in game consoles and it is the manufacturers themselves who launch security updates that we must apply.
Beware of possible accessories
This is very important as it is a source of malware. It is quite common that when playing online there are different accessories that we can add. They are usually improvements that include different modes, personal or added abilities, etc. Now, it must be borne in mind that not all this that we see may be legitimate. We can make mistakes and install add-ons that are a problem for our security and privacy.
So our advice is to be very careful when installing plugins in games. We must ensure that we are adding them from official sources and that they are reliable. We must avoid those that may contain software that has been maliciously modified and that could compromise our personal information or steal our accounts.
Do not post data on forums and public pages
It is common to access forums and platforms where players exchange information. Sometimes we can even learn about the game and exchange opinions about it. However here we must also take care of our privacy. Something basic is to avoid posting personal data in forums and pages that are public and that can be accessible to anyone. They could use our data to include us in spam campaigns, for example.
This must also be applied when registering on these sites. It should be noted that the platform is reliable and where our data and personal information will not be in any danger.
Set security and privacy options
Normally, games, like any other platform that we use, will have a series of configurations that we can modify as we want. There, within all those options, we will find some related to security and privacy. It is important that we dedicate some time to it, since there we can change some parameters that can allow us to increase reliability when it comes to playing online.
As we see we have the possibility of configuring different security factors as well as those based on privacy. Here, for example, we can prevent third parties from accessing the content of our account or that our account is linked to different services and platforms outside the game. Thus, our data cannot be leaked to other platforms that may exist.
Limit our profile information
We must also limit the information in our profile. As usually happens with any registration on the Internet, it is normal that we can put our personal data and related information in the account. This means that it is possible that other users can access everything we have put.
Therefore our advice is to limit the information we put on the profile. We can prevent other users of the game from accessing that information and exposing it. We do not know who could be there and for what purposes they could use our data, such as phishing or even creating targeted malware, such as custom phishing.
Beware of accessories
Keep in mind that our game console or when playing on the computer we are not talking only about a device. We may use some accessories such as cameras to play certain games. Now this could be a problem for our privacy if those devices are maliciously designed or if they contain some kind of malware.
Therefore, care must be taken when using certain accessories when playing online. We must ensure that they are completely secure devices and that our data is not at risk.
Security tools
Having a good antivirus and other security tools is essential to prevent threats from entering. We need to protect our systems and in this way that the devices are safe. This will also avoid problems that directly affect games.
There are different types of malware such as keyloggers that can steal our passwords and personal information. It is essential that we have security software to prevent this.
Common sense
Last, but perhaps most importantly, common sense . Many types of attacks are carried out by user interaction. For example downloading malicious content or clicking links that may be a problem. Therefore common sense is essential for this.
