How do online game developers the UK keep you safe from cyberattacks?

While you should always put in the effort to protect yourself when gambling online, online game developers put in a huge amount of work to safeguard you from cyberattacks. In fact, in the UK, licensing requirements require them to protect you from threats, whether you play home video console games or online casino titles.  

Today, we’re going to review how online casinos protect you from cyberattacks. This is a brief guide given the complexities of the sector – but it will give you a general idea of how much thought goes into protecting your information and financial details.

However, we can assure you that online game developers will stop at nothing to ensure they are protecting you to the best of their ability, with staff working 24/7, and if you gamble somewhere legitimately licensed in the UK, you’ll be in the best possible hands. 

1.Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protection  

If you’ve browsed the internet using Google Chrome, or another reputable browser, then you’ll sometimes get a warning notification telling you that the site isn’t secure and you should probably avoid using it.

Without getting too much into the technical side of things, this is a warning that tells you that any data you transmit over the website will be unencrypted. It means that somebody can easily snoop on your data. 

When you’re using a secure website, you’ll notice that the site says https:// in the URL rather than http. This means that the website is using SSL to encrypt your data. It means that the data sent from your computer to the website is encrypted.

This means that on the rare chance that somebody does snoop, your information can’t be read. All legitimate online casinos will use SSL. 

2.Regular auditing 

Due to licensing requirements, all online game developers need to regularly audit themselves for security issues. This includes checking their servers and all games. This process helps to identify any potential threats to their customers. It also guarantees that games are completely random, so you don’t get scammed there either. 

You should always ensure that any online games you choose is subject to these regular checks. This means making sure that your selected online casino is licensed to operate in the United Kingdom and the game developers they use are also compliant with legislation.

You can tell a platform is licensed as it will explicitly indicate it is in the footer at the bottom of the website. This should include the licensing number. 

3.Two-factor authentication 

Most online casinos nowadays offer two-factor authentication (2FA), and some may require it. We know it can be annoying to use 2FA, but it is the best method to protect your account. Game developers in the modern market must ensure the inner mechanics of their games allow 2FA to be easily implemented, too.  

2FA involves entering your password to sign into your account, and then inputting a number sent via a text message or email. The idea is that while somebody could find out your password, chances are they won’t also have access to your phone or email account. This means that your account should be properly protected, and only you should have access to it. 

Of course, this will only work if you use different passwords for your accounts. If you use the same password for your email account as you do for your online casino account, then there is a strong chance you’ll be hacked if you share the information or your password is cracked. 

4.Secure payment systems 

Online games never process payments on their website. It is just another thing for them to worry about. Instead, online casinos work with some of the best payment processors in the industry.

It is the payment processor that handles your payment. Game developers must ensure that their secure payment systems work in conjunction with other game developers. 

As long as you work hard to protect your data and ensure that nobody is snooping on your computer, then you are safe sending payment information to a reputable online casino as the payments are handled by major payment handlers and banks. The protection they have for your data will be far, far higher than any online casino offers. 

5.Data anonymization  

Where possible, online game developers seek to make your data anonymous so data cannot be tied to your personal details. This isn’t possible in every situation, as they need to comply with some data access requests, but they try their best. 

The idea is that on the off-chance that there is a cyberattack, your data will be properly protected so nobody can use that data against you. 

6.Firewalls 

Again, we are not going to get too technical here. The job of a firewall is to act as a line of defense against unauthorized connections to a server or computer — you should be running one on your computer too.

Online games will experience countless attacks every single day, albeit minor ones. The firewalls protect the servers. It is also the job of game developers to follow suit and ensure that they are on the same page as the online games where their games are featured.  

7.24/7 staff 

Staff are working 24/7 at online games. This means that if there is a cyberattack, then damage will be kept to the absolute minimum. Although, we cannot stress enough that a reputable online casino is rarely, if ever, going to have a successful cyberattack made against it.

Game developers also work tirelessly to ensure that there are no holes in their gaming mechanics that could provide an inroad for cybercriminals to access their services illicitly. 

8.Online game developers can’t do everything 

As you can see, online games employ a lot of tools to protect you from cyber-attacks. However, there is only so much they can do. You still need to use a little bit of common sense when online games.

This means choosing the right games, scanning your computer regularly for illegitimate software, not clicking random links, and ensuring the game you play has a reputable and trusted game developer behind it.  

You can read more about safe gambling here and how review sites can help you stay secure. Stay protected and choose the right online casino. You can find plenty of guides about protecting your computer online. 

Final thoughts 

Online game developers put a huge amount of effort into protecting your data from cyberattacks. While it might not seem like it, online casinos spend millions per year protecting your data. Partially, this is because they have a legal requirement to do so.  

However, they know it will be a major hit to their reputation if they end up the victim of a cyberattack. If you want proper protection from cyberattacks then you need to choose a reputable online platform and a game designer that has the credentials to operate at the top of the industry.

This means choosing a UK-licensed platform in the UK or an online game that has a strong working relationship with a reputable game provider, and a proven track record of keeping their site and their customer information as secure as possible.