You’re Treating Your Digital Security Like a Noob — And It’s Costing You More Than Just Your Rank

The statistics speak for themselves. In 2025:

• The US recorded 3,322 data compromises impacting over 278 million individuals (Statista).
• 16% of breaches involved malicious AI, with 37% using phishing and 35% utilizing deep fakes (VikingCloud).
• Average ransomware payouts doubled in Q2 2025 compared to previous periods (Coveware by Veeam).
• The US gaming industry experienced 57% of daily DDoS attacks and over 19 million malicious attempts targeting Gen Z gaming titles, such as GTA and Minecraft (Kaspersky).

Accounts are getting hacked left, right, and center, with studies indicating that roughly 21% to over 40% of gamers have experienced a cyberattack (Cybersecurity Hub). And most likely, you're treating your digital safety like it's irrelevant to gaming.

Below, we'll explore why your digital security might be costing you more than just your rank.

People Don't Understand The Scale of Online Security Issues in 2026.

This is probably the biggest issue. Gamers are logging on, playing for hours, buying skins and loot boxes in search of the best weapons, but they're not even giving a single thought to their digital safety or understanding the online security issues in 2026.

Think of it like this: you're already in a ranked match against real threats, with modern cyber threats more likely to reach high-level players. They're not always random hacks from clueless attackers.

They're coordinated teams and automated bots that farm accounts at a scale you can't imagine, and they're using sophisticated phishing scams, credential stuffing, and advanced data breaches.

They're becoming so advanced as to have the ability to use fake login screens or wipe entire servers, which, as you can imagine, would mean you lose your skins, rare items, entire inventories, and whatever money you had on your account.

Or, worse, they'll take your stored card details and use them for account and financial fraud. You have to remember that your gaming account is often linked to your email, payment methods, address, and basically everything they need to commit fraud.

But you probably don't think about that; you're just logging on and joining the next game.

How to Protect Your Digital Safety

There are multiple things you can do to protect your digital safety while gaming.

Unless you're playing something like Call of Duty or PUBG, something you know is verified and secure, then we'd always recommend reading reviews. You can read online casino reviews at The Grueling Truth, or you can read PS5 game reviews on Metacritic. You want to know the platform or game is verified and trusted before you play it.

Then there are the standard recommendations that you'll see for all your online activity:

• Strong passwords (you can use password generators)
• Unique passwords for every account (you can use password managers)
• Enable two-factor authentication. Most of the time, it's automatically enabled.
• Ignore messages that read something like "urgent quest," "it's time to change your password," or "add more coins now." Always check the in-platform or game messages and not your email.
• If you do get an email, check the sender details and don't open the link until you're sure.
• Keep your system updated.
• Backup your data
• Don't share account details.
• Don't purchase accounts and items from shady marketplaces.

Even with trusted games like Call of Duty, you should be mindful of these recommendations.

The Mistakes You're Probably Making With Your Online Safety

Basically, if you're doing the opposite of everything above, you're likely making a mistake with your online safety.

Some are more common than others, especially clicking on bad links. These are becoming a popular hacking tactic, with criminals sending links through the following:

• Discord
• DMs
• Fake giveaways

Discord moderators will remove spam and suspicious links, but as you can imagine, some will fall through.

There are a few others to consider, such as using public Wi-Fi and ignoring the obvious warning signs, like receiving an alert saying "suspicious login detected. " Then again, even that can be a spam link, so we can see why people might not follow up on it.

But, more than anything, the "it won't happen to me" mindset is the most noob mistake you can make.

All of the above will definitely cost you more than just your rank if you're not serious about your digital security. Most of your accounts will have some financial information tied to them, so don't make the mistake of thinking nothing will happen to you.