Cybersecurity Threats in the E-sports Industry
Competitive video games have brought an empowering revolution in the world of online entertainment. Just like with most traditional sports, most internet users with a decent computer can experience the same thrill of competitive gaming as their favorite players do while participating in online tournaments and massive LAN events. E-sports is a massive industry that keeps booming with plenty of room to grow. With incredible video games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Dota exploding in popularity and building the groundwork for gaming as a profession, consumers, marketers, and video game developers keep finding new ways to tap into the market and continue the growth of the e-sports industry.
Gaming has many unique aspects that help individuals with unique skill sets thrive in their elements, with tens of thousands of viewers enjoying the show. While competitive games are the main entertainers in the market, gamers can also play single-player games or online games in a more relaxed environment and still captivate audiences with their skill and/or charisma. The industry keeps growing and shows no signs of stopping because even if one game loses its popularity, there will be plenty of suitable replacements that will continue to capture the attention of viewers.
The e-sports industry leaves many paths for gamers that seek purpose, self-discovery, excellence, or just a profitable pastime. However, exponential growth attracts new problems and threats that range from casual players to e-sports companies. With so many unique ways to generate income, cybercriminals have many reasons to exploit security liabilities to sabotage the gaming experience. In this article, our goal is to introduce readers to security and anonymity threats in the e-sports industry and go over the tools that will help you preserve privacy online. In some cases, disclosing your real name on the internet will not hurt your gaming experience as much as exposure to your IP address. To solve this problem, we will discuss the usage of proxy servers and proxy prices so you can get the best deal for your needs. We will describe the instances where a good server from a respected provider can protect your private network and the stability of your connection. Click here if you want to learn about different servers and proxy prices, and find out which deal is the best for your needs.
Why do hackers attack gamers?
There are numerous reasons why cybercriminals attack video game players, so let’s try to compartmentalize them into abstract types to get a clearer picture of why hackers disturb gamers and use this knowledge to prevent cybercrimes in the future.
A competitive grudge
Professional e-sports athletes and some casual video game players may reach a point in their life where the game and the performance they bring start to carry a greater significance. For some, it becomes a livelihood, while others cannot shake up the burning passion for the competitive experience.
Still, there are plenty of cases where a competitive rivalry can turn into a nasty grudge. Even between strangers on the internet, hackers that feel cheated out of a victory may look for backdoors into an opponent’s private network, seek out information about the player, and DDoS them. While DDoS attacks might seem like an annoying but relatively harmless cyberattack, the performance of a gamer often depends on the stability of the network. Sadly, without a reasonable motive or any personal gain, individuals may harass other players with cybersecurity threats because of a competitive grudge.
Match-fixing
When compared with many traditional sports, in many ways e-sports industry shows many aspects of immaturity. While the biggest tournaments of most played games are usually hosted on private networks, there are many online tournaments that feature great players, which creates plenty of opportunities for betting. Some e-sports athletes may possess a unique skill set for the game without putting in many hours and may intentionally lose the match for a quick payout.
Even though many match-fixing cases involve dirty players, the outcome of video game events can also be contoured by giving more favorable conditions for a chosen team or a player. E-sports athletes that participate in online events should use protective tools to ensure a stable connection to the game’s servers. For more information, visit Hostari.
Digital property theft
Over the last two decades, video game developers have contributed to the creation and updates of colossal games that begin to resemble alternate worlds. With massive time, effort, and resource investments, gamers develop game accounts that carry value in many digital forms that can translate into real-life value. Hackers always seek valuable accounts of Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) or accounts of incredible players with high rankings on the game’s competitive ladder. Cybercriminals may use any exposure of private information to dig deeper and try to gain access to your account.
E-sports security solutions
Today, the gaming community is bigger and more diverse than ever before. It is no longer an exclusive club of technically literate geeks that enjoy modern entertainment. However, if casual players and e-sports athletes spare the time to learn about simple security solutions, the likelihood of suffering from a cybersecurity threat would be severely diminished, also for such problems you can find solutions on platforms like Syxsense.
Avoid exposure to private information!
Even when communicating with other players that know your real-life identity, it is unwise to share any private information that could endanger your internet connection and the security of your account.
Public figures like popular streamers have accidentally leaked their IP address by running a speed test in front of their viewers. Needless to say, this quickly turns into a barrage of DDoS attacks and the inability to use the internet without interruptions.
Use proxy servers!
To avoid unnecessary accidents, we highly recommend our readers connect to the web through a proxy server. With affordable proxy prices, you can use a nearby intermediary server to redirect your connection and mask your IP address from potential criminals. With a good proxy provider on your side, you can quickly change between remote IPs to ensure your anonymity without sacrificing internet speed.
Once we understand cybersecurity threats to the e-sports industry, we can see how IP masking and proper management of video game accounts are the keys to ensuring a secure gaming experience. Even if you haven’t experienced these difficulties yourself, there might come a time when you fall into the claws of a petty cybercriminal, therefore it is better to get informed to solve the problem immediately if it arises.,
