How to Protect Your Online Gaming Accounts — Steam, Origin, Epic, and More!

This article is from Trend Micro.

With around 226.6 million video gamers in the US, it’s safe to say that we Americans are big fans of gaming. It’s not a cheap hobby, either — we’ve been expected to fork out $60 for every Triple-A game upon release for a while now. And even games that are free to play, like Fortnite and Apex Legends, feature in-game purchases that we’re not shy about spending our cash on. For example, although the game doesn’t cost a dime to play, 68.8% of players spend money on Fortnite’s in-game purchases, and the average amount spent by those players is a whopping $84.67!

What this means is that we all end up having a significant amount of money tied to our online gaming accounts. If a hacker were to gain access to your account, all the games and in-game purchases tied to it could be lost, in addition to any in-game progress and hard-earned achievements you’ve acquired.

So how can I protect my account from hackers?

There are two things you can do to greatly increase the security of your online gaming accounts. The first one is to ensure that you have two-factor authentication (2FA) set up. The other is to use a password manager so you know your accounts are protected by the strongest passwords possible — without you even needing to remember them!

We’ll touch on it later in the article more, but if you’re interested in getting your hands on one of the best password managers around, you’ll want to check out Trend Micro’s Password Manager. Click the button below to learn more.

How to set up 2FA on your online gaming accounts

2FA blocks up to 99.9% of account hacking attempts. If you’re not using it, you’re simply leaving your online accounts at a much higher risk of being hacked than necessary. If you haven’t already, spend the few minutes it takes to get it set up on each of your online gaming accounts.

Below you can find links to instructions on how to set up 2FA for many of the popular online gaming platforms.

• Steam
• Origin (EA)
• Epic Games
• Ubisoft Connect
• Battle.net (Blizzard Entertainment)
• PlayStation Network
• Xbox (Microsoft)

Use a password manager for ultimate account security

Two-factor authentication is great, there’s no doubt about it, but it’s the last line of defense. To guarantee that your online gaming accounts are as protected as they can be, you need to use a password manager.

Password managers simplify online account security. No longer do you need to try to remember the passwords for all your accounts (and let’s face it, you’re probably using the same one across multiple accounts anyway!). With a password manager, you can have complete peace of mind knowing that all your online accounts are protected by the strongest, most tough-to-hack passwords imaginable.

Trend Micro’s Password Manager — which supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS —gives you everything you could ever want in a password manager. Below are some of its excellent features:

• Password safety — Makes identifying and changing weak passwords easy.
• Touch ID —Open up Password Manager with the touch of your finger.
• Generate secure passwords —Ensure you use only the most secure, tough-to-hack passwords possible.
• Web-based password management —Manage your passwords from any location, on any device.

If you’re looking to secure your online gaming accounts as best as possible, download Password Manager to save an unlimited number of passwords for FREE!