Only a few years ago, the largest threat to a gamer involved having to blow the dust out of their cartridges. Today, Hacking NetFlix reports that three out of four current-generation console owners utilize an Internet connection for gaming and streaming, making them vulnerable to identity thieves who prey on gamers. Today’s consoles provide an all-in-one entertainment device, but this makes them vulnerable to all the safety hazards of online play and communication. How can you protect yourself when playing online?
Xbox Live
Due to the necessity of using a credit card to access Xbox Live, Microsoft’s gaming console has proven a prime target for hackers. BehindTheGames reported in May of this year that a particularly effective hacking protocol left nearly fifty million users exposed to identity theft. Turning off Xbox Live will prevent digital identity theft, but makes you unable to enjoy your games online. Instead of cutting yourself off, you can get a Hard Drive Transfer Kit (this comes standard on new 120 GB Xbox 360 units) that transfers information from one hard drive to another, so that your information remains backed up and you can swap out the sensitive data when you want to play online.
Playstation Network
Since Playstation offers its online services for free, fewer hackers try to break into the console digitally. Keep in mind, “fewer” does not mean “none”, and Sony made headlines in 2011 when their online breach put millions of customers at risk. Ars Technica reported that they were fined just under half a million dollars for the security fault. The good news is that all of your information on a Playstation can be protected by simply placing all data onto one of the removable ports, loading it onto a USB drive, and taking the drive out. While your information remains digitally stored, hackers have a very long way to go before they find out how to remotely hack an unconnected USB drive.
Wii
With only about fifty percent of Wii users logging onto the Internet to play, Nintendo has avoided the data breach scandals of its competitors. In fact, their biggest brush with hacking comes from the pirates who try to “crack” or “brick” units to play modified games. Nintendo Life reports that the company has tested its new Wii-U against external hacks and found it to be “uncompromised”. What’s more, their data protection service is easier than any other. Simply go into the Wii shop channel and choose “remove account” in settings and features. This wipes your credit card and identity information, which you can simply re-enter whenever you want to make an online purchase.
Online Accounts
Credit card fraud and identity theft becomes common when a person fails to wipe their console of information, but console hacking can be prevented rather than retroactively dealt with. You can protect yourself by using LifeLock services against all-purpose identity theft, whether it stems from bogus emails or hackers. Lifelock advice applies to consoles, as well, according to its website. It’s recommended to use pre-paid credit cards for online purchases, so that a hacker who does get hold of a credit card number has stolen only chump change.
Julius Ballard
Julius is a blogger skilled in speaking technobabble to describe his two loves: gadgets and computers. LifeLock is a Sponsor to my webpage and anything you buy with that link will give me a commission so feel free to support my site!
