The video game industry is as fun as it is lucrative — in 2024, global revenue is set to hit over $450 billion, a whole $50 billion increase in 2023.

As user bases grow, more money is flooding into the industry, drawing the attention of more and more cyber crooks.

2022 saw a 167% spike in cyber attacks on player accounts and gaming companies.

So before you lose any accounts, in-game items, or worse, it’s important to know the most common cyber attacks in the gaming industry.

Without further ado, let’s explore the common cyberthreats and how you can avoid falling into a nasty trap.

6 prevailing cyber threats in the gaming industry

Let’s get to know the serial offenders — these are the tricks and hacks you’re most likely to cross during long gaming sessions.

#1. AI incorporated into social engineering scams

Like it or not, AI is here to stay. On one hand, it helps gaming companies to create a more immersive and customizable gaming experience. However, there’s a new malicious way to use AI to trick gamers into revealing their private data.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely heard of ChatGPT and its competitors. These chatbots do one thing that scammers were never so great at — sounding like an honest, caring human being.

Now, with AI-generated scripts, messages, or emails, scammers sound more convincing and sincere than ever. However, if you never share personal information online, you’ll never fall for a social engineering scam, AI-generated or otherwise.

#2. Hackers taking advantage of crises

Unfortunately, in times of geopolitical crises and conflicts, cybercriminals are out in droves to try and catch you unprepared. They’re the vultures of the cybercrime world — luckily, they’re pretty easy to spot. Often they impersonate:

- Victims of war;

- Charity fundraisers;

- Wealthy benefactors;

- Influencers doing “give-aways”.

This form of social engineering relies on a user sharing Personal Identifiable Information (PII). These scams usually operate the same way as social engineering, so data privacy will keep you safe in most cases.

#3. Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks are on the rise

Do you meet up with friends in an internet cafe or other public spot for LAN parties? Even if you only play the occasional game at your public library, you could be risking a major data leak.

An MITM attack happens when a hacker worms their way into an unencrypted internet connection. The perpetrator places themself between the router and your device, picking up any data packets that pass by.

These data packets are most often your login details, credit cards, and IP addresses. Luckily, there are various handy cybersecurity tools that can keep you hidden from these hackers. Read more about VPNs for gaming and how they can safeguard your data on public Wi-Fi.

#4.. Ransomware-as-a-service is widely available

Ransomware has been evolving and festering in the underbelly of the internet for a while. Now, the technology is becoming easy to use, purchase, and proliferate, earning the name Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS).

RaaS is essentially a pre-packaged cyberattack, ready to launch at the press of a button. The market is booming, too — buyers can purchase ransomware packets costing anywhere from $100 to $84,000.

The best cure for RaaS is prevention, which includes strong cyber hygiene practices and quick-acting antivirus.

#5. Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) is alive and well

Any veteran gamer has at least heard of DDoS attacks. This brute-force assault floods a network with so much traffic that it has no choice but to shut down. These are especially common in professional esports.

Through DDoS, cybercriminals are able to eject players from their own accounts, often to gain a competitive edge mid-game. DDoS is usually an attempt to disrupt a competition or weaken a network in order to steal data.

Due to its nature, DDoS is difficult and sometimes impossible to mitigate. However, VPNs and personal data privacy will prevent the majority of attacks on individual users.

#6. Credential stuffing compromises accounts

Credential stuffing is more common than we’d like to think and poses real dangers to gamers. This occurs when cybercriminals use stolen login details from one website to access user accounts on other websites.

This data is sold openly on the dark web in large and affordable data packets. Thousands of users have lost their accounts, in-game currency, and rare items due to this malicious attack.

Use complex and unique passwords for every account you own, and credential stuffing will likely never be an issue for you.

Conclusion

You wouldn’t grind for hundreds of hours just to hand over your accounts and items to a hacker, would you?

Unfortunately, unless you take action to safeguard your private data while gaming, the danger of cyberthreats in 2024 is all too real.