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6.2 Remaining Safe and Secure Online
Gaming Websites
Many people enjoy playing interactive games such as Words With Friends or popular games
produced by companies such as PopCap, Y8, Pogo, or Zynga. These games can be played
against people you know or whom you have never met who just happen to be online when
you want to play. Some of these games include gambling—with real money changing hands;
others are just for fun. In a massively multiplayer online game (MMO or MMOG) and a mas-
sively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), you may play against a large online
community of anonymous strangers and have unmoderated discussions, which pose a danger
of inadvertently giving away personal information about yourself (Get Safe Online, 2015).
Some of the hidden dangers of such sites are outlined here.
• Until they download a particular game, many people are unaware that a game con-
tains violent or sexual content. If you have children who can access your computer,
you can set parental controls on your Windows or Mac OS X operating system to
prevent access to sites that have such games.
• Most of these websites allow you to assume a false identity. So you never know if you
are online with a sexual predator or other person who is interested in more than just
playing games.
• Do not download “cheats” (offers to buy programs or files that claim to give you an
advantage over other players). They may contain malware or computer viruses.
• Play only authorized versions of a game, which you have purchased from a repu-
table source and for which you have a software license. Do not use pirated copies of
games, which are illegal, can incur criminal penalties, and may contain malware.
• Play online games only when you have updated antispyware and antivirus software
running and an effective firewall—which is a network security software system that
protects the computer network from harmful information from other computers or
the Internet—on your computer.
• Choose a user name that does not reveal any personal information, and don’t put any
revealing personal information on your game profile.
• Use strong passwords that make it difficult for hackers to figure out. Use the tips in
Strategies for Success: Tips for Creating Strong Passwords to create your passwords.
• Watch out for scams and cons that can occur when online game players try to sell or
buy items outside the computer game, in the real world (Get Safe Online, 2015).
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Strategies for Success: Tips for Creating Strong Passwords
Computer hackers who learn your password can access your bank accounts, medical records, and
other personal information. You can never completely guarantee that your information will be
secure, and most likely you will not use all the information shown in Table 6.4 to protect yourself.
However, the more mistakes in the “Don’ts” column that you avoid and the more suggestions
under the “Instead” column you use, the greater password security you will have (Lemos, 2015).
Table 6.4: Do’s and don’ts for creating strong passwords
Don’ts Instead. . .
Don’t use short, 3- to 5-letter passwords. The longer the password the better. Use from 6 to 12
characters in your passwords.
Don’t use common words or phrases such Avoid real words, if possible. If you use an actual word,
as password or iloveyou as your password. make it unusual or one that is unique to you.
Don’t use all letters. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols
and special characters such as & or %.
Don’t use consecutive, easy-to-guess letter Make your passwords random; mix up letters, num-
or number combinations such as abcdef, bers, and symbols into a random sequence.
123456, or abc123.
Don’t use the same password for multiple Have different passwords for different websites.
websites. If you duplicate passwords, you
run the risk of having more of your per-
sonal information stolen.
Don’t use a personal password at work. Use different personal and work passwords. It is bad
enough if someone steals your personal information,
but don’t run the risk that the thief could access your
employer’s computer system as well.
Don’t use words related to yourself such as After trying easy-to-guess passwords, hackers often
your address, phone number, or birthday. use public information about you for clues to your
passwords. Use the tips in this table instead.
Don’t use simple passwords so you can If you keep passwords simple to easily remember
memorize them. them, you also make them easy to hack. Instead, use a
variety of complex passwords, create a list of them, and
keep the list in a secure place at home or online on a
secure password management program such as Norton
Identity Safe, Dashlane, LastPass, or RoboForm.
Don’t use the same password for financial Develop a three-tier password system: (a) longer, more
information that you use for social media, complex passwords for financial data, (b) a different
games, and shopping. set of long, complex passwords for social media and
games, and (c) a third set of somewhat easier pass-
words for other websites.
Don’t use names of family members or Use a line from a song you like, and make your
pets as passwords. password the first letter of each word, substituting
numbers for some of the words. Thus, the Beatles’ song
“Yellow Submarine” might become waliays25ys.
Don’t use the same passwords forever. Change your passwords every few months.
Reflection Questions
1. Have you used any of the strategies listed? If so, which ones worked best for you?
2. What strategies have you developed that have worked for you, other than those listed?
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