Use a VPN to Improve Online Gaming Security
Sharon 
2024.04.10 
According to surveys, there are 2.5 billion active online game players in the world. Popular online games such as Fortnite, League of Legends and World of Warcraft have tens of millions of monthly active users. The global online gaming market is estimated to be worth over $150 billion.
Gamers are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks because gaming accounts often hold valuable virtual items and personal information. To stay safe while gaming online, you should follow online hygiene best practices to protect your anonymity. These best practices include using strong passwords, enabling VPNs, and keeping software updated.
Risks of Online Gaming
Unfortunately, cybercriminals frequently target gamers. Anyone you encounter while playing online games could be a potential threat actor who may be trying to steal your sensitive information. Here are some data security issues and threats you may sometimes encounter while playing games.
Human Flesh Search
Doxing is when someone posts your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) online, often with malicious intent. People may use your personally identifiable information to harass you, target you, and sometimes even file false police reports, resulting in a “false police report.” A government alert (such as a bomb threat) results in the government sending law enforcement officers—such as a SWAT team—to your home.
According to a study by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 29% of participants had been doxxed while online. The proportion is close to one-third. But if you follow good cybersecurity practices, you can effectively reduce the risk of being doxxed.
General Harassment and Cyberbullying
The ADL also found that 75% of online gamers have experienced some form of harassment, and experiencing online harassment can have adverse effects on mental health and overall well-being. 65% of online gamers have experienced “severe” harassment, including threats of physical assault, stalking and persistent harassment. This means that many incidents of harassment that originate in online gaming make their way into real life. This programmable program is caused by a poor data privacy environment in which criminals are able to find your home to first commit stalking and other types of harassment in real life.
Account Stolen
Gaming accounts are targeted by cybercriminals because they are often tied to credit cards and contain personally identifiable information. Game accounts are also valuable for players’ achievements in games and access to rare game items, which can be sold to people who want to level up in a particular game. This means that any account is vulnerable to a variety of hacking techniques, including phishing and brute force attacks.
Identity Theft
Any active online account associated with personally identifiable information may expose you to the threat of identity discrimination. Game accounts are no exception. Just like people who overshare on social media, gamers who don’t practice online hygiene may feel strangers sharing personally identifiable information, unaware that it could be used against them. This leaves gamers vulnerable to identity theft.
Phishing
A phishing attack is when cybercriminals impersonate a real person or a real organization to steal your information. Phishing may take the form of email or may occur through the chat function of an online game. Threat actors may disguise themselves, direct users to deceptive fake websites, or infect their computers with malware to steal confidential information.
Data Breach
No matter which online entity you entrust with your personally identifiable information (including online gaming startups), that entity may be the target of a data breach attack. If this happens to your online gaming startup, any personally identifiable information you have stored in your account could be leaked on the dark web and used to launch other cyberattacks against you.
Stay Safe While Gaming Online
Online gaming offers endless entertainment, challenges, and ways to connect with friends. However, as with any online activity, players need to take steps to protect their accounts, information, and privacy.
Here are key tips for staying safe while enjoying online gaming:
- Use strong and unique passwords for each game account and implement two-factor authentication (if available). Don’t share login credentials.
- Minimize contact with strangers or join online groups. Limit sharing of personal information.
- Use a VPN to hide your IP address and location while gaming. Choose a reputable VPN designed specifically for gaming.
- Update gaming software, applications and devices with the latest security patches. Don’t click on suspicious links.
- Closely monitor accounts for any unauthorized changes or activity. If possible, enable login notifications.
- If your account is stolen, please contact the game manufacturer immediately and reset your password. Run an antivirus scan.
How VPN Encryption Helps Gaming?
VPN encryption protects the privacy of everyone connected to the VPN server. Login permissions, payment information and communication details remain hidden from authorized eavesdroppers. Additionally, a VPN provides anonymity within its encrypted network so that only gamers, clients, and servers can share information with each other.
As online gaming has grown in popularity, there have been DDoS (Denial of Service) attacks, where black hat hackers can overload servers, paralyzing ownership. Many VPNs offer DDoS protection to keep the gaming environment stable and allow players to deal with the dangers of these attacks.
VPNs are built on encrypted data and DDoS protection, attracting the IP addresses of gamers. Strangers don’t always have a player’s best interests, so they may be looking for someone’s personal details to conduct hostile activities against them, such as doxxing. If other players play too confrontational or are cyberbullies, they may seek revenge. With a VPN, gamers can keep their assets, such as physical addresses or emails, safe. Criminals cannot easily trace IP addresses to harass anyone through IP stimulation.
PandaVPN – High-speed, Secure, and Private Gaming VPN
PandaVPN is established in the Republic of Seychelles and is not part of the intelligence sharing scope of the 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, and 14 Eyes alliances. You can use it with confidence. The highlights of PandaVPN are detailed below:
High-speed, Stable connection speed
All server nodes use patented acceleration technology to provide high-speed and stable VPN speeds without limiting bandwidth, and the server bandwidth can reach up to 10Gbps. Unblock games with PandaVPN, no lag or buffering.
3000+ server nodes all over the world
PandaVPN has deployed more than 3,000 nodes in 178 locations in 80 countries around the world, and its server network is constantly expanding, which means you have more opportunities to successfully unlock this popular game, which shows that PandaVPN is indeed a A good VPN for gaming.
Compatible with Multiple Systems, 3 Devices can be Connected at the Same Time
PandaVPN is compatible with all common systems such as Android, iOS, Linux, etc. One account can be connected to three devices at the same time, which means you can use PandaVPN on your Android phone, Windows computer, and iPad at the same time to access web pages or applications that are inaccessible in your region.
Support no-log Policy
Supporting a no-logs policy means that PandaVPN does not log any user’s online privacy. When registering an account, you don’t need to provide a username, email address, or even payment information. At the same time, PandaVPN does not record your online browsing history, download records, etc. during use.
ECC security encryption, OpenVPN protocol
PandaVPN uses the highest security level ECC encryption algorithm to protect users’ online privacy. ISPs, advertisers, hackers, and other cybercriminals no longer have the right to peek at your online footprints. OpenVPN is currently the most commonly used VPN protocol. In addition to being safe, it also has good speed guarantee. (Recommended reading: Is PandaVPN safe >)
How to play games with PandaVPN?
Now follow the steps below to play the game
Create a network environment
First, go to the PandaVPN official website and click Get PandaVPN. The system will automatically generate a digital account for you. You only need to set a password. If you are worried about forgetting the password, it is best to fill in your email address. Then, choose the appropriate package and pay. In addition to regular credit cards, UnionPay, etc., the client also supports Alipay.
Get PandaVPN
Next, click to download PandaVPN and install it on your device. After the installation is complete, open PandaVPN, log in with your account and password, and select a line to connect. The desktop supports direct search for the target node. PandaVPN provides 3000+ global high-speed lines.
Be wary of free gaming VPNs!
Note that not all VPNs support game acceleration. When choosing a VPN, it is best to choose a paid VPN from a major manufacturer, which is more secure and does not have to worry about running away. And only big companies can provide huge server networks, because it costs money to maintain server nodes, and it is difficult for free VPNs to have the financial resources.
Are you curious about how free VPNs make money since they don’t charge users a service fee?
The most common way most free VPNs make money is through advertising, and they usually have a lot of ads embedded in their apps. Advertisers love to collect people’s online privacy. After obtaining your personal information, they will accurately deliver advertisements to you based on your preferences. Some bad VPNs will even collect your privacy themselves and then package and sell it to advertisers and even the dark web.
Therefore, we recommend that you use a paid VPN. In fact, many large VPN providers support free trials and money-back guarantees. Of course, PandaVPN also supports free VPN trials. Before buying, you can try it out first, and then consider long-term subscription after you are satisfied.
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