NortonLifeLock has published the findings of a global study that sheds light on the cyber risks impacting the gaming community.
The 2021 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special Release – Gaming & Cybercrime, conducted by The Harris Poll among more than 700 American adults who currently play online games, found that almost half of American gamers (47 per cent) have experienced a cyberattack to their gaming account or device. Of those, more than three in four (76 per cent) report that they were financially affected as a result, losing a striking $744 on average.
The study also uncovered surprising findings about gamer-to-gamer cyber risks and the great lengths gamers are willing to go to win. Nearly one in four (23 per cent) U.S. gamers are likely to hack into the gaming account of a friend, family member or romantic partner if they knew it would give them a competitive advantage in an online game. This sentiment is more pronounced among hardcore gamers in the U.S., with two in five (42 per cent) agreeing, underscoring serious gamers’ tenacious determination to win.
“These findings are jarring, but there are some gamers out there that will do whatever it takes to win. I’ve learned that when you’re gaming online, it’s so important to be mindful of who you are friends with online and what information you share. While this is especially true for professional gamers who have that public profile, it’s clear this goes for any online gamer,” said gamer and Twitch streamer BigCheeseKIT.
The competitive drive extends across all types of gamers in the U.S., from casual to hardcore gamers. If they knew it would secure a competitive advantage, about one in four American gamers are likely to exploit a loophole or bug in a game (27 per cent), pay to take possession of another user’s gaming account (25 per cent), install cheats to their own gaming account or devices (24 per cent), or hack into the gaming account of a random person (24 per cent).
“Cheats, trainers and exploits can be incredibly alluring for driven gamers. Scammers know this and will often try to trick gamers into clicking phishing links or downloading malware by touting limited edition items or secret cheat codes that promise to give a competitive boost. If the scam works, gamers might lose their gaming profile, digital assets or personal information. The real competitive advantage is having strong security protection that can thwart these threats and keep gamers in the game,” said NortonLifeLock head of technology Darren Shou.
Additional findings from the study include:
- Struggles with security basics: Many gamers in the U.S. admit to a number of risky online gaming habits, like using the same password for more than one gaming account or device (47 per cent), sharing personal information (e.g., names and birthdays) while playing a game online (39 per cent), or downloading add-ons (e.g., characters, skins, swag, etc.) from a website that was not associated with the game distributor (29 per cent).
- Doxing isn’t uncommon: Among Americans gamers who have had a gaming device or account targeted by a cyberattack, one in five have been doxed (21 per cent), or had their personal information stolen and shared publicly online.
- Gaming over everything: The majority of hardcore gamers in the U.S. say they would rather spend time gaming than attending a friend or family member’s birthday party (74 per cent), going on a date (68 per cent), or simply spending time with friends or family (55 per cent).
In partnership with The Harris Poll, the report surveyed over 5,300 adults ages 18+ across eight countries, including 702 U.S. adults, to explore the Cyber Safety risks gamers face and their online security attitudes and behaviors.
For gamers looking to take proactive steps to safeguard their accounts and devices from threats, Norton 360 for Gamers offers advanced protection features specifically designed to address their unique security needs without interfering with gameplay. Norton 360 for Gamers offers Game Optimiser to help maximise game performance for a more immersive gameplay experience and Dark Web Monitoring, which scans for gamers’ gamer tags, usernames and other personal information on the dark web.