If Your Computer is a Gaming Platform, You Need to Protect It, and Here’s How to Do it Properly

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Playing games can be fun and entertaining, especially if it’s an online game where besides playing, you get a chance to meet other avid gamers and make this whole experience even more interesting.

But frequently, people forget that this can also be very unsafe for them, especially if they are not equipped with the right protection. Bear in mind, that if you are not careful enough, a lot of different personal information can be taken from your account.

Of course, this highly depends on the type of game that you’re playing. So are there any ways you can protect yourself? Sure there are and if you want to know which ones are the best, then just keep reading and you’ll find out everything.

Smart Ways To Secure Yourself And Computer While Playing Online Games

Do Not Reveal Your Personal Information

The gaming world is loaded with different types of people. Some are normal, do not have any bad intentions, and are just here to play their favorite games. And then, there are those who act all friendly and nice but are actually the total opposite.

Generally speaking, you cannot trust anyone in this virtual world, unless you’re already friends in real life. And that’s precisely why you should never use your real name on the account you’ve been utilizing when gaming.

Besides that, your nickname should never consist of your date of birth, name, last name, location, or anything else that can be defined as personal data. Otherwise, you may come across a person who is actually a hacker and who is going to employ these details to enter your computer, and even steal your identity which is one of the worst things that can happen.

Utilize Unique, Hard-To-Figure-Out Passwords

One of the best ways to make sure you are protected is by focusing on creating a strong, unique password. This rule must be applied to practically every website and platform you are using. Those who want to be extra careful usually update their passwords frequently, like every month.

Even though this may be too much for you, it’s actually a great idea. Now, how can you create the best password, that can be difficult to uncover? Many computer gurus suggest employing a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters.

Besides that, you should also add some symbols and numbers to make it extremely omnipotent. On the other hand, if you can think of a long passphrase, that would also be a great idea. The whole point is to make something that’s very complex.

Do Not Forget A First-Class Antivirus Software

Generally speaking, the entire virtual world is packed with viruses, unfortunately. Sometimes it seems like they are lurking in every corner, waiting to attack someone (in this case, your computer).

So in order to prevent this, you must definitely opt for top-notch antivirus software. If you’re not sure which one is currently the best, ask Google to show you antivirus programs that are recommended and download one of those. So what are the biggest advantages of antivirus software?

Well, as the name suggests, it was designed to protect your computer against any viruses. Namely, it first detects the virus and then focuses on eliminating it from your system. Another great thing about it is the fact that it not only gets rid of the virus, but it also prevents any other ones from entering your computer in the future. Therefore, you should definitely consider this as a must!

Anything Else That Is Worth Doing?

Be Careful While Downloading 

It is widely known that downloading things online is definitely far from safe because they are usually filled with malware, viruses, and much other bad stuff. These days, a majority of gamers turn to Kubernetes or k8s.

What are Kubernetes? They can be defined as open-source software that lets applications manage and scale their containerized cloud-native apps. Many will tell you that this software has completely revolutionized the gaming world.

But does it mean that there are no risks? Sadly, the answer is no. One of the biggest threats when it comes to this is malware installation, hence, it means that you must be extremely cautious when you’re downloading anything. 

The best way to protect yourself (although there’s no guarantee) is to download things from trusted sources, such as the app store. If you choose any other source, then you’re increasing your chances of getting a virus, which means that you’re opening the doors to hackers.

Stay Updated

This refers to your entire system, browser, every important application that you’re using, etc. So whenever you can, make sure to opt for automatic updating. Why is this so beneficial? Namely, precisely these updates can get rid of any software flaws that enable hackers to steal personal information and generally monitor everything that you do.

As you probably already know, Microsoft is the one that offers Windows Update service. So what does it do? It is going to download, and then install software updates to your operating system, Outlook Express, Internet Explorer and additionally provide you with security updates.

Furthermore, patching can be run automatically as well for other systems, like Macintosh Operating System. Now, even though this is not a topic, it doesn’t hurt to mention it, if you have a smartphone, and you want to protect it as well, ensure to install iPhone, or Android updates.

Original Games Are Always The Best Option

Even though pirated games are more tempting because they are free of charge, keep in mind that they also come with certain risks. Plus, if you decide to install a pirated copy, you are not going to be able to update it and then at some point, patch to the newest version of the game.

So what happens then? Well, if you do not obtain an original one, you won’t be having any support when it comes to forthcoming updates that can drastically improve your whole gaming experience. 

Besides, as it was previously mentioned, downloading a pirated game comes with certain risks, and one of them is a virus is going to be activated as soon as you install the game. This can potentially destroy your system and data. 

Another thing that is supposed to be mentioned is the fact that having an original copy can help you avoid any legal-related problems that usually hit gamers who decide to download pirated versions.

What About Antispyware Software?

Definitely, something that must be mentioned, since it, unfortunately, can be frequently found in a lot of computers. So what is it really? It’s software that can be installed without your consent and knowledge and that monitors everything you do (regarding online activities) and gathers personal information whenever you are online.

These days, you can stumble upon spyware, known as keyloggers that record literally anything you key in, such as your financial information, passwords, etc. How can you tell if you have spyware on your computer?

Well, for instance, if you are suddenly bombarded with numerous ads, or you are being taken to different websites, plus your computer has become slower, then it’s highly likely that you are dealing with spyware.

So how can you eliminate it? Well, there is some antivirus software program that includes spyware protection. If that’s the case with the antivirus software program that you currently have, or you’re planning on having, then you can always just carefully go through the instruction to see what they say in terms of activating the spyware protection features.

On the other hand, if the antivirus you’re having doesn’t come with this form of protection, you can simply purchase a separate antispyware software program and update it on a regular basis. Is there any way to avoid these things?

There is. As it was previously mentioned in another paragraph, download programs only from the websites you trust, that have good reviews because that’s the only way to make sure that what you’re installing is safe.

Firewall

A firewall can be defined as a piece of hardware or a software tool that prevents hackers from entering your computer and utilizing your data. How do the hackers function? Namely, these people browse the internet, just like the telemarketers randomly call someone.

Furthermore, they send pings to numerous computers (we’re talking about thousands and thousands) and wait for their responses. But that’s why a firewall is here to prevent your computer from reacting to these calls. 

Moreover, a firewall forbids any communication to and from a source you do not allow, and that’s something that’s of huge importance, especially if you’re using a high-speed internet connection like cable or DSL.

Now, there are some operating systems out there that already come with a firewall that isn’t turned on. If that’s the case, then make sure to turn the firewall on. If you want it to properly do its job, then be sure to update it regularly.

The ugly truth is, no one is safe on the internet. It doesn’t matter whether you are playing games, listening to music, watching movies, you’re always exposed to hackers and viruses. Therefore, we created these tips to help you as much as you can to avoid them.