Individual gamers can become the targets of DDoS attacks if they don't take the right precautions. But what is a DDoS attack? And, what can you do to protect yourself?
You've probably heard of DDoS attacks on the news, even if you don't know exactly what they. Normally, DDoS attacks are used by individuals or groups to target big companies and websites. Sometimes, security services launch DDoS attacks against whole countries in a form of cyber-warfare. Unfortunately, DDoS attacks can also be targeted at individual gamers like yourselves. But don't panic, you might be thinking: "what does DDoS mean in gaming? And am I safe?" But there are very simple ways to protect yourself from such attacks. Let's get into what a DDoS attack in gaming is exactly, and then we'll go through protection measures.
What Is A DDoS Attack Against Gamers?
A DDoS attack is a denial-of-service attack, and it's when an individual or group flood a target server's bandwidth to deny service to normal users. Basically, they try to overwhelm the target server with requests so that it's too "busy" to provide normal bandwidth to non-malicious users. But here's how a DDoS attack can happen to you as a gamer:
- Your IP address gets exposed because there's a data breach at either a game's multiplayer server or a VoIP service.
- A bad actor will then flood your home server with requests, which will leave you with very little bandwidth, and prevent you from connecting to a game well (this can happen on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch).
- The culprit probably gets away with their crime, because although it's illegal, it's very difficult to trace.
So how do you protect yourself from DDoS in gaming? It's too late once they know your IP, so you need to start right at the beginning. You need to prevent them ever finding your IP address with a VPN.
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How Can You Protect Yourself From DDoS Attacks?
You can protect yourself from DDoS attacks by using a VPN service (virtual private network), which prevents your IP address from being easily discovered by others. If you use a VPN service, then your internet connection gets encrypted, and so your IP address never has to be exposed connecting to a leaky VoIP services or game server. Instead, you connect to the game using an IP address provided to you by the VPN, and the VPN servers use extensive anti-DDoS measures, so they're safe anyway.
Obviously, VPN services will only protect you the individual and not the game servers. But VPNs are your best bet against personal DDoS attacks. And, they can protect you on console as well, you just need to set up the VPN to protect the home router directly, and not only the PC.
We've used a lot of different VPN services as gamers. But we agreed that when it comes to choosing the best VPN right now, there's really only one choice: NordVPN.
Why Is NordVPN Our Favorite VPN Service?
NordVPN can boastsome of the best prices on the market for their VPN subscription service. But even if price isn't an issue, they're clearly offering the best product right now. Here are just a few of the reasons we would pick NordVPN:
- NordVPN now has its own WireGuard-based protocol called NordLynx, which allows users to browse the web at incredibly fast speeds without the tradeoff of lost privacy.
- Users can add up to 6 devices with one subscription, so you could share the deal with family or roommates.
- You will have access to more than 5200 servers spread across 60 countries.
- Their website is a fountain of knowledge on VPN protocols and servers.
- They have a readily available app that makes the whole process incredibly easy.
- NordVPN also have a 24/7 customer support team who can always help you out.
- NordVPN is a no-log service, so you can be assured your online activities will be private and risk-free.
- The service is continually updated and improved.
As more and more people begin to realize how important VPNs are, we're sure that the entire industry will grow. But right now, there's really no other choice than NordVPN for gamers worried about DDoS attacks.
So if you started this article asking "what is DDoS in gaming?" We hope you can leave more aware of what you're up against, and how you can keep yourself safe. Good luck out there!
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