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A recent Norton cyber safety report found that almost half of gamers across the globe had suffered from a cyber attack, rising to some 66 per cent among hardcore gamers.
NortonLifeLock this week released interesting statistics on the likelihood of gamers to suffer from cyber attacks, with data demonstrating the gamers around the world are at risk of falling victim to a breach.
The 2021 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special Release – Gaming & Cybercrime, which was conducted by The Harris Poll, determined that some 46 per cent of international gaming respondents declared that they had fallen victim to a cyber attack, while statistics increased to 66 per cent for self-reported “hardcore” gamers.
The findings revealed worrying statistics on the financial impact of the hacks, of those who reported a breach, 76 per cent of United States respondents claimed that they had been financially impacted by the hack with an average loss of $744.
Interestingly, findings also uncovered a large willingness in the gaming community to break into other gaming accounts if it could provide them with an advantage, with 23 per cent of US respondents saying that they would break into a family member or a friend's account if it helped them win.
In fact, 25 per cent of respondents said that they would be willing to pay to “take possession of another user’s gaming account”.
"Cheats, trainers and exploits can be incredibly alluring for driven gamers," Darren Shou, head of 6echnology at NortonLifeLock said.
"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."
The findings reflect an ongoing addiction to gaming.
“Gaming over everything. The majority of hardcore gamers in the US say they would rather spend time gaming than attending a friend or a 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),” the release from NortonLifeLock read.
[Related: Video game industry targeted by cyber attacks during pandemic]
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