Meta Description: Are you new to the world of mobile gaming development? If so,
go through this article to learn about the most alarming security threats in the
world of mobile gaming.
Most Alarming Mobile Gaming Security
Threats Developers Should Know
The present-day market of mobile games is valued at $90.7 billion. This
significantly highlights the continued growth potential for mobile gaming. And it is
no surprise that mobile games have become an enticing target for numerous
hackers.
There are some threat actors who wish to gain an unfair financial edge or
competitive advantage. Whereas some gamers just wish to save a few bucks on
games. No wonder both types of people are regarded as hackers. And they are
very likely to have a severe impact on the reputation and revenue of a Mobile
Game Development Company.
This is where the question of “how is it possible for mobile game developers to
protect their game’s integrity?” arises. The most straightforward answer to this
question is app hardening.
Today, in this article, we will be highlighting some significant mobile gaming
security threats. As a mobile game developer, you should be familiar with them
and know how to prevent them. Come, let’s check them out.
● Hurtful Bullying and Trolls
Most online games are incorporated with the option of texting or voice
messaging. Even though this feature is highly beneficial for communicating with
other players, it is widely abused. So, in the heat of any online gaming battle,
cursing or insulting is most commonly heard of. Some players even cross the line
and go on to bully each other.
● Phishing
It is just the same tactics that scammers deliberately use to trick people. Here,
people are scammed by acquiring bank passwords, credit card numbers, and
gaming account logins. In such a case, criminals efficiently build something that
looks exactly like an online gaming website. Here, the players are urged to
validate their accounts by changing their passwords.
And as a result, if the gamers don’t comply, they are threatened to block their
account permanently. The primary aim of such actions is to resell the active
gaming account on the black market.
● Inventory and Character Theft
Hackers are likely to target in-game resources, paid game accounts, well-
developed characters, or associated credit-card data. Even though the latter is the
hardest to target, others might get stolen from you in multiple ways. It includes
password-stealing malware, phishing, in-game fraud, etc.
In other words, the better your account or character is, the greater the chances of
criminals targeting you. This is highly relevant for well-developed games that host
enormous loyal audiences across the world.
● Frauds and Cheats
As per the type and rules of the game, there might be multiple ways of cheating.
While some of them are considered legitimate, some aren’t. Some players take
the best advantage of any significant error they discover in the game’s server
code. This is only to gain an advantage in-game.
Other frauds involve game fixing, virtual fraud, and incorporating virtual gangs to
rob novice players. Gamers might sometimes encounter a person offering them
some inventory advantage for a discounted price. No wonder such offers typically
turn out to be the biggest scams.
● Ads Patching
You should note that ads patching might have an immediate impact on the ability
of mobile games. And that too for generating additional revenue. This is a slightly
different take on piracy, as in-app ads are deliberately annoying for mobile
gamers.
Basically, ad content in games is enough of a nuisance to some gamers. And they
will seek certain ways to overcome and get around the interruptions. Even though
it is not always malicious intent, ad patching can significantly impact mobile game
developers.
Ads patching can literally appear as:
● Reducing ads and redirecting profits
● Removing all ads
Conclusion
Whenever it comes to security, the gaming industry is primarily becoming the
target of hackers. However, most gaming businesses are always under pressure to
develop and deliver new games and updates. And all of this is happening at an
unprecedented speed to maintain their business share within the market.
This has significantly paved the way for many Game Development Services to
experience a plethora of security issues and vulnerabilities. In fact, hackers are
targeting and exploiting the online gaming world more than any other business
vertical. This is why it is important for game developers to be aware of the
probable security threats.
Thus, you will have to take the correct security steps and avoid significantly
damage.