Browser Games? Is it Safe to be Playing Online? What are Dangers that exist in Online Games? Is it better to download and play software based games?
A Massively multiplayer online role-playing game, aka MMORPG, It is a type of computer role-playing game, characterized by interactions between a very large number of players in a virtual world. No matter your location, you can reach and interact with people from all over the world. You will compete and play at the same time with people of different ages, with different levels of knowledge. And these people also have Different Motives. Even if you did a “Raid” together and everything looks fine and dandy. Do you really know them? Do you know who they are? What is their real age? What are their real names? (I, personally, have never come across a person called 77!WizardMaster!77).
Such games exist in two configurations:
- Browser Based – can be used by your browser agent. Usually does not require downloading files or installing any softwares on your device. The game and the data in it are performed on the website in the browser itself which runs scripts and code written by web programmers. Does not require any hard disk space. Although in most cases it is necessary to install certain add-ons and plugins required to run the game on the browser. We’ll talk about the dangers involved later on.
- Software/Agent Based – exactly the opposite. It is necessary to download an agent or a certain software in order to be able to run the game on our personal device, without the need for a browser. Here too, we will talk and understand the dangers involved, later on.
But wait, these are just games. Why would there be dangers involved?
exactly! The fact that they are “just games” and that this whole thing seems innocent and harmless. That, will be the reasons why attackers will take advantage of it.
Dangers of Online Games
- Level of Security – since you play a game via the Internet, the level of security of the game and the things you will be exposed to depends on the programmers of the site/game itself. If they are not familiar or experienced in information security, the product and everyone who uses it will be vulnerable accordingly.
- Maintenance – similar to what was said above, we are relying completely on the company responsible for the game we play. If a game is not maintained and receives updates related to its maintenance and security, we may find ourselves exposed to new emerging threats.
- Exposure – an internet connection is required in order to be able to play these games. That’s because when you play, you’re Always Online. Any action we take from completing missions to Purchasing in-game items, something that will mean that the credit information we enter may leak! What stops attackers from obtaining personal information about you obtained through the game?
- Credibility – when we play games that don’t require an internet connection, usually, they don’t have a way to get the information from us to them. But when there is a constant internet connection, nothing is stopping the “people behind the scenes” from pulling information about you. Which they will, in real time – while you are playing the game! They can get you IP Address, Mac Address and so much more!
- Linked Accounts – in most of these games, to create an account, you need to enter details such as an email address, a link to accounts from other platforms and so on. Which means that if the reliability is low or there are certain Vulnerabilities related to the systems that manage the game, all these details may leak and be exposed to various attacks. It’s important to understand that all of this is possible mainly because all users information is stored in a certain database, if it’s hacked – it’s game over!
- Competitiveness – these games usually have a competitive nature. That provides an additional incentive for players to damage the progress of others.
How to stay Safe while playing Online Games?
With all the things written above, how do we keep ourselves safe when playing online games?
Here are some useful tips:
- Know the Risks – if you know and understand what you might encounter, you will know how to deal with it. Not all players have malicious motives.
- Strength of Credentials – easy, if you choose a Username and Password with high complexity. This will make it difficult for attackers to obtain these details through attacks such as Brute Force and the like. Also, try to use a password that is different from the one that you use for you email account or other important accounts.
- Browser Exploitation – the choice of the Browser which we will use is also important. Each browser has its own advantages and disadvantages.
- What Vulnerabilities do we have – if we manage such a site, it is important to check where we are vulnerable to. And, to fix it immediately! To do this, we may perform Penetration Tests and scans on our Assets. One tool that is very great in doing so is Cytrix. Cytrix web application vulnerability scanner allows you to scan your web assets against a large pool of vulnerabilities through powerful automation in order to detect security gaps in the most professional, rapid, and cost-effective way.
- Providing Details – NEVER give away personal details, credit card initials and such to sites or platforms you don’t trust. Also, make sure you don’t give away these details by Chats. It doesn’t matter if you are interested in sending them to people you know and trust, you have no way of knowing how secure these chats really are! In addition, you need to know WHEN to provide these details. It doesn’t make sense that a network game that doesn’t have any form of payment would require your home address.
Stay safe, choose Cytrix.
