Exploiting games to hack users’ devices is one of the easy ways for hackers to access the device or the accounts on it, which causes many problems for these users, as the attackers only need a mined game in which the user registers his account until the attackers start implementing their plan.
How are devices hacked with games?
The most common methods of hacking are exploiting online games by introducing viruses or malicious files to gain access to the player’s personal account and damage their gaming software.
Hackers take over the account by hacking emails and private passwords, as most users tend to use the same password for many websites. Naturally, when one account is taken over by the hacker, he can access any other account that has the same password. This is what is called in the field of piracy a “taking over account.”
The link between video games and hacking
Video games are just like many other online accounts for kids and adults, there are passwords and usernames usually associated with these accounts, and hackers and scammers take advantage of users spending a lot of time on these platforms to target them.
Increased penetration during Corona
Cybersecurity companies have announced that game hacking has increased dramatically since the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic, as a result of the increase in game users due to the quarantine period. Which provided a greater possibility of attack by hackers, and stated that the sum of the attacks and targets that were monitored in the games could lose game companies huge batches of data, and make their games temporarily offline.
Players during the spread of Covid-19 lost a lot of money and sensitive personal data, which made this period difficult for players and game companies and caused major problems that had to be intervened at the time. This stage brought together two epidemics that must be addressed: the Covid-19 epidemic and the game pirate epidemic.
The main reason for hacking devices with games
The video game industry has boomed greatly over the years, but there are those who use it to harm others, and the rise of online games has given hackers from all over the world the opportunity to easily manipulate and hack users, their devices, and their online accounts.
A study from the University of Maryland showed that hackers attack a user’s device every 39 seconds, because most of the time the victim has their own credit or debit card attached to the account from which they are logged into the game.
Hackers trade and sell those accounts or sell items within that account, and hackers can convert the account holder’s digital currency into cash in their bank accounts.
Top gaming companies that were vulnerable to hackers
Hackers target gaming companies for ransom in exchange for releasing source code, and Electronic Arts Inc. was hacked by hackers. The attack involved data theft, with schedules of upcoming game releases posted on Dark Web forums. (Dark Web), including the Resident Evil Village and Street Fighter games.
The hackers also claimed to have stolen the source code of popular games, such as the FIFA series, from the company and libraries of code and digital assets known as game engines used from the developers.
Instead of demanding a ransom for not publishing the source code, the hackers auctioned it off on the dark web.
Hackers can sell the source code or use it to launch attacks in several ways by leveraging the core functionality of the game. Hackers can also build tools that allow them to pretend to be support staff and then send phishing emails to players to gain access to accounts to exploit or sell.
How to avoid being hacked by games
Users can protect their devices and accounts and play securely by following simple steps such as turning on two-factor authentication on the user’s gaming devices to avoid being hacked.
If the user has attached his/her credit card, purchases made from this account should be monitored regularly.
The user must check to see if the game companies offer “Clean” for the chat function, as it allows game companies to censor specific language and prevent links from being posted.
An active antivirus program must also be installed in order to combat any threat.
Users are required to report any strange activity to the company, especially if something appears to be a scam.
For children and their games, parents should check the ratings to see if the games are in the appropriate age range for their children, read the safety controls, and educate children about the importance of paying attention to the privacy and safety policy in games. The most important thing is to have all security protocols running on the devices.
Greater burden on game manufacturers
Game makers need to patch vulnerabilities in their game code to make hacks virtually non-existent, and despite the increase in threats to gamers’ privacy, preventative steps can be taken to avoid hacker scams.
In the end, games can be a cause of fun and entertainment, but we should not overlook that they may be the key to our secrets and privacy, and this is what requires that players be the first line of defense in the face of game hacks.
Source: Al Jazeera Net
