Cybercrime is becoming the most preferred way of committing a crime today. It’s an attractive avenue since it’s less physically engaging and unlike some years back, it’s becoming cheaper and more manageable.

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According to the Associate Professor at the Institute of Human and Computer Interaction from the Carnegie Mellon University, “The next big data breach is on the way, we just don’t know which organization or company will be affected.”

Case and point is the fact that cyber crimes have increased significantly.  There are two types of cybercrimes: personal and business. Of the two, personal cybercrimes are the most common. They target one particular individual. 

One of the typical personal cybercrime is Phishing.  It occurs when cybercriminals use tempting offers on the internet to obtain sensitive personal information such as passwords, login information, credit card details and so on.

Once they get this information, they can use it to access your data or resources. This might lead to cases of ransom whereby the attackers ask for a payment to give you back your information or risk it being exposed.

Most of these phishing scams happen when the hackers send particular pop-ups when you are on the internet.  Note, some of these pop-ups might overwhelm your computer and if you have multiple tabs on and your computing power is low, the computer might freeze.  If it does, you can get valuable information on how to resolve it here:https://techloris.com/windows-10-freezes/

But, most of the hackers are very persuasive. They will persuade you swiftly with irresistible offers so that they can get you to click on ads or other pop-ups that will activate other background malware installation.

Humans are the weakest link when it comes to cybersecurity. This is because the criminals can only attack a person’s account or computer if and when they get access to it. Therefore, it’s imperative for everyone to take proactive measure to protect anyone from gaining control access to their computer or accounts.

One of the easiest and cost-effective ways one can prevent oneself from cyber attacks is by using a VPN.

What’s a VPN?

It refers to Virtual Private Network. It’s a private and controlled network that connects you to the internet. It encrypts your data traffic and keeps you anonymous to anyone on the web including the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Here are Four reasons why using a VPN can protect you from cyber attacks:

1.It hides your identity and activity from the ISP.

When you log in to the internet and enjoy all the websites you visit, your ISP has all your data traffic. Even if you delete or clear the data history from prying eyes, the ISP can still survey your movement on the internet. But, if you use a VPN, you can enjoy anonymity and privacy.

2. Use public wifi without compromising your security

Hackers LOVE public wifi for two main reasons. One,  most public wifi’s are unencrypted and unsecured. Therefore, hackers can easily intercept the data between you and the router. Using the Man-In-The-Middle concept, the hackers exploit the flows in the network to monitor your browsing activities, online purchases, account logins and so on.

Secondly, they can also put up rogue hotspots that look like public wifi. You unknowingly login into the rouge hotspots thinking that it’s the public wifi. Once you are on their network, your data and activities are exposed.

3.  Secure your VOIP calls

Do you know that if you use VOIP calls in your business, every call makes your business susceptible to attacks? Yes, the hackers have gone ahead to hack the IP calls so that they can spy not only on the call but also what you are doing in your business.

This is also possible when you are making personal VOIP calls. A VPN helps to cloak your IP address, and therefore, hackers cannot gain access to your calls.

4. Prevent Google

 Just like your ISP, Google and other search engines keep a catalog on all your browsing history. It can track all your web activities which limit your privacy.  Using a VPN can help to encrypt anything you send online, protect your online movements from being tracked and keep you secure from possible attacks.

In conclusion, it’s important to note that a simple tool such as a VPN can help you guard against a multitude of attacks. Seventeen people in America are targeted for cyber attacks each second. You could be next. And, the hackers are wise not to target the big corporations because they have reinforced cybersecurity protocols. But, you, the owner of a small or medium sized business is a hot prospect for them. Therefore, be proactive today before they knock on your door next.