Playing multiplayer games... am I at risk?

[Kingsly]

Does playing games such as America's Army, Battlefield 2, and running browser independent programs such as Steam leave me open for virus/malware attack? I would imagine anything involving network traffic is fair game, but part of me wonders if a browser is necessary for the malicious software to download and install.
Thoughts?

 

[7on]

Yep, you're at risk. Back before SP2 just plugging in Windows XP into the internet would get you a virus in under 10 seconds. Of course that virus can't harm us under SP2. Nevertheless, having a good firewall would help that issue.

 

[gekko513]

It could open you up to virus attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the communication protocols of the games themselves. I think the risk is minimal, but it certainly is a possibility.

 

[Kingsly]

It could open you up to virus attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the communication protocols of the games themselves. I think the risk is minimal, but it certainly is a possibility.

Not nearly as much risk as, say, IE or another browser?

 

[savar]

Not nearly as much risk as, say, IE or another browser?

I've never heard of a game-related exploit...don't sweat it.

 

[Kingsly]

I've never heard of a game-related exploit...don't sweat it.

What about TeamSpeak?

 

[SilentPanda]

I've done my fair share of online gaming for ages... I've *never* had a virus on a Windows machine that I've controlled. As long as you take the normal precautions I'm sure you're fine. Firewall, virus scanner, keep up to date on updates...

 

[Kingsly]

I've done my fair share of online gaming for ages... I've *never* had a virus on a Windows machine that I've controlled. As long as you take the normal precautions I'm sure you're fine. Firewall, virus scanner, keep up to date on updates...

Know any good free virus scanners?

 

[miniConvert]

I believe AVG can be had for free. http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1

I must say, I also use online games on my computer, along with a plethera of other things including Internet Explorer, and have never contracted malware or a virus.

 

[SilentPanda]

I believe AVG can be had for free. http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1

That's what I use...

 

[FragTek]

Ive used AVG before, great for a free scanner.

For a small fee though, NOD32 is the hands down BEST av program you can get. I absolutely swear by that program.

 

[Kingsly]

I believe AVG can be had for free. http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1

I must say, I also use online games on my computer, along with a plethera of other things including Internet Explorer, and have never contracted malware or a virus.

I don't see anything on there about being free... sounds like I'm being overly paranoid anyway. Windows firewall is on, and I *NEVER* use a browser while logged into windows. The only network traffic is games and teamspeak.

 

[justin216]

I don't see anything on there about being free... sounds like I'm being overly paranoid anyway. Windows firewall is on, and I *NEVER* use a browser while logged into windows. The only network traffic is games and teamspeak.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1