Even before the rise of online gaming, LAN parties, in which gamers create an offline network for multiplayer adventures, have offered constant appeal. From basement setups to fully organized events around the world, like DreamHack, optimizing your gaming gear for play is crucial to gain both a sense of comfort and the advantage you need to play your best.
On the other hand, one of the easiest ways to get kicked out of a LAN party, other than entirely crashing it, is to discover that malware is lurking on your gaming device or USB stick. Gamers need to have their devices protected with an antivirus software that can prevent cyberthreats from ruining their gaming experience. That’s where ESET’s Advanced Machine Learning (AML) technology steps in, by stopping the spread of malware, even while offline.
Gamers should be aware that they are targeted by hackers. In early 2019, a well-known threat group called Winnti was found compromising the main game files of two games, one of which was revealed as the game Infestation, as well as a popular gaming platform application.
So, don’t crash your LAN party
Over a long weekend, you’re getting together with your friends to contend for “last player standing” in the new Definitive Edition of Age of Empires II. Since you’re meeting at your family’s summer cabin, somewhere in the countryside, Wi-Fi service is no good. So, you get ready to set up a private LAN and download a copy of the game file on your USB beforehand to pass around to your friends. Unbeknownst to you, the game file has been infected by malware.
Fortunately, some of your friends have ESET Internet Security with ESET Advanced Machine Learning technology installed on their PCs. As soon as a PC protected by ESET scans the USB, it immediately quarantines or deletes the file. Lucky thing one of your friends has brought a clean copy of another all-time favorite game for the group – Atomic Bomberman. The weekend isn’t ruined, and there’s still plenty of time to play on.
How ESET Advanced Machine Learning works
Available in all ESET home products for Windows, ESET Advanced Machine Learning runs directly on user devices as a lightweight layer of defense especially designed to fight never-before-seen threats. The mechanism uses multiple algorithms and models to decide whether a suspicious sample is clean, malicious or potentially unsafe.
You can learn more about ESET’s products and see for yourself how you can enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience while having the lowest impact on your system here.
Since the AML layer runs locally, it can protect against malware offline without sending suspicious samples to the cloud. That means you can kill the spread of unknown malware via contaminated devices and more safely share your game files with friends whenever you’re offline. When you do get back online, the AML models are updated with the latest versions, which take into account the context of current threats discovered globally.
On top of protection, ESET Internet Security also offers gamers the lowest impact on system performance as tested by AV Comparatives. Being able to cut down on unnecessary utilization of computer resources is a huge boon for gamers. This is also in large part enabled by a feature in ESET’s home solutions called Gamer Mode, which optimizes antivirus protection for full throttle game play while keeping players safe both online and offline.
Find out more about ESET’s low-impact security solutions for gamers here.