BleepingComputer.com: How safe is the game modding community?

Not sure if this is where it belongs.
The question is security related but also pertains to video games specifically.

So I've had it stuck in my mind lately, since I got help from boopme I been wondering about what they said about "staying away from gaming sites." Frankly I can see easily how allot of gaming sites would fall into an unsafe category. But I more specifically wonder about modding sites.

Back in 2004 I got my first truly horrendous malware infection, it was a fake AV, ultimately I had to reformat the hard drive. Anyway, back then I had figured it could've been caused by one of the modding sites I frequented, and I haven't really done any mod downloading since, which really gives me an itch.

No seriously, adding mods to Fallout 3 gave me some kind of weird warm feeling of happiness I can't quite explain. Also, right now I'm wishing I could mod away a few problems New Vegas has.

To the point, my current gaming rig is a family PC. My mother uses it allot for banking and buying, so I'm concerned for it's security. Since all my troubles back in 04 I've made a few security upgrades for the PC such as extra virus removal tools and using firefox with NoScript and Adblock Plus, but I don't know how much they'd really help. And I don't really know if these places use P2P for their downloads or not.

So just how safe is it? And if I could be more specific, how safe are these places?

www.newvegasnexus.com
www.moddb.com
www.gamefront.com

P.S.
While I'm here, can anyone tell me what "that other site" is that people aren't allowed to mention on the Nexus sites? And why no is allowed to mention it?

Those three websites that you mentioned above seem to be pretty safe. I checked it on WOT.
See-:
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/www.newvegasnexus.com
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/www.moddb.com
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/www.gamefront.com

Alvas Rawuther, on 08 April 2011 - 03:29 AM, said:

I know this much for already. They've had trouble in the past though. Mostly they've gotten allot of viruses in their ads... Oh wait I'm covered for that aren't I? Hmmm...

Just nervous about going back to it, y'know...

Don't worry, I've modded a few games before. They caused problems only rarely, and those got fixed quickly too. Just don't click on the ads and stay away from whatever looks suspicious. You'll be fine.

Happy modding!

In many cases Gaming sites are a security risk which can make your computer susceptible to a smörgåsbord of malware infections, remote attacks, exposure of personal information, and identity theft. They can lead to other sites containing malware which you can inadvertently download without knowledge. Users visiting such sites may encounter innocuous-looking banner ads containing code which can trigger pop-up ads and malicious Flash ads that install viruses, Trojans and spyware. Ads are a target for hackers because they offer a stealthy way to distribute malware to a wide range of Internet users. For these reasons gaming sites can put you at risk to fraud, phishing and theft of personal data. Even if the gaming site is a clean site, there is always the potential of some type of malware making its way there and then onto your system. In some instances an infection may have caused so much damage to your system that it cannot be successfully cleaned or repaired. In those cases, recovery is not possible and the only option is to reformat/reinstall the OS.

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Malware Makers Target Online Games to Spread Worms

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Microsoft warns game developers of cyber thieves

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Game Sites Next Big Malware Target?

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MMO Security: Are Players Getting Played?

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online game + online trade = Trojan Spy

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Real Flaws in Virtual Worlds: Exploiting Online Games

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Taterf – all your drives are belong to me!

If you are insistent on using gaming sites, then I recommend not using the same computer to conduct online banking or financial transactions and not to store sensitive or personal information which could be exposed to an attacker.

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Come on, you don't need to be that afraid. You don't stop walking on the road just because you can get hit by a car, do you? Just remain careful and stay away from anything that looks suspicious, you'll be fine.

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I do agree with this. Better yet, if you don't want to have another computer. You can just simply install linux(ubuntu is a good one) for all your banking and shopping needs and Windows for the rest.

This post has been edited by Alvas Rawuther: 08 April 2011 - 11:34 AM

Well, I was saying that since the ads and foreign scripts are all blocked by my browser tools I might be safe. Though I'm sure Malware makers can easily subvert those things.

Either way, your approach did seem a little heavy handed quietman7. And I wouldn't exactly put Moddb or the Nexus sites on the same level as typical "gaming sites" where people trade junk on WoW, or other such nonsense. Unlike those big headed places, the community has a good say in everything (at least on the Nexus sites anyway), and the last time the sites had a noticeable malware problem has been six years ago now. And there are worse places that I've gone to (and still do), such as Deviantart, a place which indeed can expose you to a "smörgåsbord of malware infections" and it's the worlds most popular art site. If fact, there's a better chance that the fake AV I mentioned actually came from there instead of the modding site.

Still, that's only my experiences.
I asked this question wanting and expecting to hear contrasting opinions, and that's what I'm getting.

I'll wait until I can finally figure out how to put together a gaming computer before I jump back in. Though, transactions are still likely to occur on that gaming computer due to buying DLC on Steam, banking wont, and that's what's important.

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I didn't think it was. You asked and I provided information on the risks as advised by experts to include Microsoft. I'd rather provide more than less so you can make an informed decision. What you choose to do with that information is up to you.

quietman7, on 08 April 2011 - 08:44 PM, said:

You're right. All you did was provide facts and information. Sorry.

Allow me to make an assessment of some of these though.

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Most of what is mentioned in the articles pertains to MMORPGs. Regarding trojans and malware that use their own system to specifically target user accounts. This does not effect me in the slightest, as I do not even like MMO games, perhaps with he exception of Minecraft, but I'm not entirely sure if that qualifies either.

Here's another bit taken from the Trend Micro article.

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I consider clicking on any ads, of any kind, on any website to be careless and irresponsible. This is because the ad distribution industry is nothing but foul and uncaring towards what ads they deliver to sites for revenue, and thus a large majority of malware and trojan distribution today is due to their own carelessness! That is why I use Adblock Plus!

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Ok now that's just closed minded. It's like telling a kid he's not allowed to have fun or play sports because he could hurt himself.

Enough of that.
I just learned some important stuff! http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/enigmasoftware.com
This gets a poor rating as well. http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/spywareblockers.org
And apparently they're related http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic205409.html
Ok, ok. The main reason it gets a bad rating is because apparently some of the AVs they promote are rogue, or at least considered rogue. But hey, I'd have to download it first anyway, so I think I'm OK. Just warning you that you might want to clear out some of those.

As I said before, you don't need to worry too much. Be careful and stay away from anything that looks suspicious and you'll be fine. I too have a modded a couple of games myself before, be aware of where you go and what you download. And also make sure to read other users' comments because a lot of times they are more than helpful in deciding whether its safe or not, it works or not. And set up a dual-boot with Ubuntu. Use it for all our banking and shopping needs and Windows for the rest.

Have a good time modding!

This is a bit of a hair-brained idea, but circumstances can be funny sometimes.

What if I installed Ubuntu on another computer, browsed game sites and download mods with the safer OS, then place the mods on a USB and move them to the gaming computer? Would that be safe? I'm asking because having my mom learn to use Ubuntu and switch between the two OS when she wants to play Sims 3 would be a nightmare.

I originally wanted that computer to game on, but it's position in the dining room resulted in it becoming the family banking PC. Stupid circumstances. Just wish my mom would get a laptop for herself like I've asked her to.

Yeah, that will be safe too. But make sure that you don't access those sites on your mom's computer, the one in which she will do banking and shopping on. And don't do banking, shopping, etc. on Ubuntu, the safer OS which you'll use to download mods. But make sure that your Mom's computer is installed with antivirus software too.

Go ahead, do it!

This post has been edited by Alvas Rawuther: 12 April 2011 - 08:31 AM

Does Ubuntu's installing size have to do with how much space it takes up or how much it's allowed to utilize when running?

Edit: Nevermind I figured it out.
Still, I wish I could get the gaming computer so I wouldn't have to be so careful about this. The motherboards are just so confusing, and no one ever really lines up the pros and cons of the different boards for me, not to mention the 2011 socket which has me wondering if I should wait or not.

This post has been edited by VicVegas: 13 April 2011 - 12:17 AM

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No.

I too would say that you should go get a gaming computer.