Everyone loves online gaming. It’s a fun and engaging hobby and it allows you to meet and play with people from all over the world.

For some, it’s even more than this – some have turned gaming into a lucrative and productive business venture.

However, going online and sometimes exchanging your private information isn’t without its downsides. It’s important to take precautions and protect yourself online if you’re an avid gamer. The security measures should protect both your privacy and your property (mostly your computer and the data on it).

1. Viruses and malware

Viruses have been around since the internet itself and the technology used to stop them exists just as much. Gamers are especially vulnerable to virus attacks because they often download a lot of data. This is needed to keep the games updated or be able to play them at all. Sometimes the sources of this downloads could seem completely Safe and legitimate, but be malicious in their intent.

The best way to keep yourself safe is to invest in a good antivirus software and to keep it updated on the Regular Basis. Just to be on the safe side, keep some of your data backed up in a cloud or in Computer unrated to that you use for games.

2. Phishing

Phishing is a scamming technique that rallies on the trust of those who are scammed. It’s committed via email which appears to be sent by a legitimate organization or the person you know. The link within the email will lead to a hoax site on which you should enter personal information.

There are two ways of dealing with phishing. The first is to be careful with emails and the links that you get and the second is to change your passwords and security questions once you have been phished.

3. The computer itself

It’s important for the computer itself to be suited for both gaming and supporting the security measures you’ve installed. This doesn’t mean that every computer needs to be top of the line and that you need to spend a fortune if you want to be a gamer, but you need to keep the performance rate of your computer high.

When buying PC Case Gear you should keep in mind the size of the motherboard and the graphic cards that you plan to add when improving the set up you have in place now.

4. Identity

One of the most serious problems you could have online is concerned with the theft of your offline identity. These could happen to gamers because some of the games require in-game purchases and therefore the use of your bank account.

There are no software solutions for this problem –the only way to be safe is not to give out your information until you’re certain that it won’t be misused. You should also change passwords on a regular basis and never use the same one twice.

5. Webcam

Webcams allow games to make the gaming a communal activity more than anything else. There’s something very satisfying about watching someone play and express their thought process while they do it. However, there are obvious dangers here. A skillful hacker could access your camera and turn it on even when you don’t want them to.

There are a lot of ways to deal with this. Some recommend that you unplug the camera when you’re not using it (or to uninstall the driver for it on your laptop, but the safest way is also the simplest. Put a piece of tape over the camera and you have nothing to worry about.

Computer games are a lot of fun but don’t forget to stay safe out there. Get the newest software and exercise caution when interacting with strangers.