It's a great time to be a gamer in today's online world with millions of modifications and expansion packs available for numerous multiplayer games such as League of Legends, Warcraft, and Starcraft. However, there is a real risk that downloading an executable from an unreliable source, for example a random user on a gaming forum, could turn your afternoon gaming adventure into a week long effort to remove unwanted applications and malware from your machine.
Do You Feel Lucky?
Imagine you are surfing the Internet for an expansion pack for your favorite computer game and stumble upon the perfect one on Reddit. Just as you are about to download the file and enjoy all the great perks that come with it, you hesitate and start to wonder if the user who posted the program, 'videogamer27', is actually a reputable source or a potential malware-writer. How well do I really know 'videogamer27'? Even though it seems he's a hard-core gamer, is the expansion pack he recommended a malicious file that could contain potential threats? As a security professional, I would recommend having the file scanned by an online multi-scanner, which verifies the program does not contain any malware prior to installing the executable.
A multi-scanner is a tool that aggregates multiple antivirus engines into a single platform, which allows users to scan a single file by multiple antivirus engines at one time. What is the major benefit of scanning with more than one engine? With over 200,000 new threats emerging daily, it is impossible for any single product to keep up with the onslaught. However, scanning with multiple antivirus software products significantly increases the odds of detecting a threat before it's too late.
What is another way multi-scanners can be used to ensure gaming mods are safe to download? By the user posting the file scan results! For example, check out this Reddit thread where the user posting downloadable versions of a gaming mod for League of Legends, also posts the file scan results from an online virus scanner. With the user posting the file scan results from a reputable multi-scanning website, you can instantly see whether or not the gaming package can harm your computer
We can all agree, it's not fun to spend hours looking for that perfect expansion pack and then find out it's a virus that deletes all your saved game data (worst case scenario!). By using some of the simple steps outlined above, you'll be able to sniff out infected files and be well on your way to enjoying a hassle-free gaming experience..
