Online security company Kaspersky Lab has today announced the expected surge in online hacking attempts following the release of both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
In a report compiled by Consumer Affairs, it was found that there’s an estimated 34,000 attacks daily. The biggest culprit by country was found to be Spain, which garnered a staggering 138,786 attacks levelled at gaming systems; Poland was in second place with 127,509 whilst Italy sat in third with 75,080. Furthermore, Kaspersky has revealed that, in total, there’s over 4.6 million pieces of gaming malware levelled at various gaming systems.
Given the ever-increasing need for always-on internet connectivity with the newly-released consoles, gamers need to be more vigilant than ever in the face of scams and dubious behaviour.
"We’ve just seen two of the biggest console launches ever, with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One,” said David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab. “That means there will be more gamers for criminals to target, especially as the Sony and Microsoft machines increasingly use the Internet for a fuller gaming experience.
As ever, a strong password is paramount to keeping your account in good shape, as is vigilance in responding to questionable messages through the consoles’ multiple communication services. Always be sure to report any such activity to the console’s manufacturer immediately, too.
Seen any fishy behaviour on Sony’s PS4 yet? Let us know below.