What Does Unsecured Network Mean and How to Stay Safe While Gaming Online
Online gaming, however thrilling, isn’t without its share of risks if you know where to look. Especially when done via an unsecured network, playing online can pose threats to not only your data but your gadgets as well. It could be WiFi and even mobile networks; any unsecured connection can be viewed as a tripwire, waiting to go off with the right commands.
Going forward, we’ll be highlighting the crux of an unsecure network and how to establish secure connections to stay safe while gaming.
What Does an Unsecured Network Mean?
In simple terms, an unsecured network is any setup that lacks adequate security protocols and measures to prevent cyber-attacks and glitches. These protocols include standard measures like firewalls, encryption, passwords, privacy policies, etc. Away from the jargons, these terminologies are simply implemented to make networks secure.
So what is an unsecure wifi network? Basically, any WiFi connection setup that lacks the basic safety measures to protect its users.
Risks of Gaming on Unsecured Networks
Edward Snowden, American Intelligence Personnel: “Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.”
Before we dive into staying safe during online gaming sessions, it is only proper to create an understanding of the risks unsecure networks pose. Here are some of the most profound risks you’ll be up against with an unsecure connection.
- Identify Theft: Online identity theft is a leading danger of online gaming, especially with unsecure networks. Here, cybercriminals collate and abuse personal information belonging to thousands of gamers.
- Viruses and malware: Due to its lack of security, unsecure networks become a breeding ground for computer malware. As such, your gadget is ten times more likely to download or pick up malware while gaming on the network with zero security.
- Packet sniffing: Data packets running through unsecure WiFi connections can be easily intercepted. This means every piece of data you exchange while interacting with your gaming platform can be captured and unpacked to extract sensitive info.
There are still many more risks a typically unsecured network exposes gamers to. However, the examples listed above are by far the most prevalent and likely.
Staying safe while Gaming Online
More often than not, you can not be entirely sure how safe a network is or if it is at all. As such taking some precautions and deploying certain network tools are your best bet. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Fun Fact: Gaming accounts often contain valuable digital assets like rare items, in-game currency, and payment details, making them a lucrative target for hackers on unsecured networks.
Deploy Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Brian Krebs, American Cyber security Journalist – “A VPN is a vital tool for anyone who values privacy and security online. While no solution is perfect, a VPN effectively reduces your exposure to many common threats“.
A VPN is a technology that creates a secure encrypted tunnel over a public network. This infrastructure ensures that data transmission remains private and protected, unreadable to unauthorized parties. Also, a 256-bit AES encryption VPN such as iProVPN enables remote yet secure access to network resources while gaming.
In essence, connecting your gadgets to a sophisticated VPN, the likes of iProVPN before starting your gaming session on any network guarantees a layer of protection. So if you don’t have one, be sure to install and run a VPN on your gadgets before the fun.
Practice Anonymous Gaming
It is generally safer to establish anonymous gaming profiles when playing online. In essence, your identity info, pictures, etc do not necessarily have to be tied to your gaming profiles. Many online gaming platforms and consoles today allow anonymous gaming. According to CasinoCanada.com research, most online and mobile game software allows for anonymity. Take the initiative and ensure as little as possible sensitive data of yours is on your playing profiles.
Enable Two Factor Authentication
To further guard against unauthorized access, deploy the two-factor authentication option on your gaming platform. This measure is a form of mitigation that protects your gaming accounts from infiltration even if your login info is somehow acquired. So before hopping on the next public WiFi, ensure your accounts are enabled for two-end verification.
Keep Your Software Updated
Most cyber-attacks are perpetrated via vulnerabilities in a system or gadget. Using an unsecured network is one vulnerability, and using an out-of-date software is another. Since software updates are improvements to previous weaknesses, installing them regularly will contribute to staying safe on the internet, whether you are gaming or not.
Fun Fact: Without encryption, information like passwords and messages are sent in plain text networks. This makes packet sniffing for cyber criminals more difficult.
