With a growing number of consumers playing games online, cybercriminals are now targeting this audience for their malware attacks.
According to antivirus security firm AVAST, avid gamers will often turn off their virus protection programs as they play online to maximize their system's performance. However, this leaves them open to hackers, who can take advantage of their unprotected state to infect them with malware.
"As the gaming industry continues to grow, hackers will inevitably develop more ways to target this massive group," said Ondrej Vlcek, chief technical officer at AVAST Software. "With Avast, gamers can rest easy and focus on their play while we keep their computer and identity protected from attack."
Some of the most-infected gaming sites, according to AVAST, include GameFactoryInteractive.com, Games-Digest.com and Mariogamesplay.com. Other sites to be wary of include destinations that enable players to download free games or cheats.
Experts agree that the most effective way for consumers to ward off cybercriminals is to keep their antivirus definitions up to date. Additionally, they should avoid downloading suspicious files or visiting unknown websites.
