Computer security is really not something to be taken lightly... This new year is off to a flying start! Indeed, on February 12, 2021, the databases of Google (Gmail), Netflix and Linkedin were the target of a violent attack, a real hacking like we had not seen in a long time!
Hold on tight: 3 BILLION passwords have been stolen ...
Only a day before this event, “white hat” hacker Alex Birsan had infiltrated the programming language repositories of Microsoft, Apple, PayPal and Tesla to infiltrate malware and damage these systems. Obviously, he didn't do a lot of harm.
Good to know: A white hat infiltrates computer systems to detect flaws and then report them to the owners of these systems in order to strengthen the security of these companies.
Unfortunately for us, not all hackers are kind people like Alex Birsan... It is more than necessary to protect ourselves against these “net pirates”.
Millions of people all over the world are often victims of malicious hackers , they use VPNs and make themselves untraceable.
The potential risks?
- A hacker can go so far as to block your computer
- Spy on your online activities
- Access your personal files
- Know your geographic location using your IP address
Everything we talk about here is valid for your computer as well as your smartphone or tablet. Let's attack right away...
The password manager
When you want to register on a website for any reason, the site is much more picky about the length of your password than before.
And not just on its length, because you also often have to use capital letters, numbers and even these famous special characters like the slash (/), the star (*) or the hyphen (-).
It's getting more and more complicated and you're likely to spend several minutes trying to choose a password that matches all these excessive requests.
Many people know about this but very few use it, and that is a big mistake.
Here's what it is, and what it's used for:
A manager will create a password for you upon request that meets all the characteristics of what you will be asked to do. Your password will often be several dozen characters long and will be impossible to hack. Above all, it has the advantage of centralizing your password and keeping it encrypted with all those you use for different sites.
Good to know : If you use the Google Chrome browser, it offers a password manager. For greater security, we invite you to turn to paid software!
That said, there are many other methods to protect yourself from any hacking attempt. Not from any access on a website login but from the network!
The VPN – virtual private network.
VPN software has many uses, which makes it a powerful tool that you absolutely must have in your kit.
Its primary purpose is to camouflage your IP address .
It's even more than camouflage or concealment, it's a total disappearance of your IP that the VPN allows. In short, you are completely untraceable . A hacker systematically uses this type of software when he begins a computer attack.
For ease of reading, we will not detail how it works.
Briefly how does it work?
VPN is a virtual private network that allows you to create a secure, encrypted connection to another network on the Internet. By connecting any device to a VPN, the device acts as if it is on the same network as the VPN; allowing, for example, remote access to local network resources. This way, all traffic – or a certain portion of traffic – is sent encrypted and secure through this new VPN communication tunnel.
Some additional benefits!
Download anonymously
VPN allows you to surf the net and download whatever you want anonymously , because your real IP address will never be made public, only the IP address of the VPN server you connect to will be visible.
To ensure this anonymity, it is important to choose a quality VPN !
To bypass geographic blogging
Is a YouTube video you would like to see blocked in your country? Are you on the go and find that you can't watch the Netflix series you usually follow?
Good to know about Netflix : Did you know that the films and series they offer change depending on the country? In France in 2021 you only have 4019 programs on the Netflix platform. However, the total of these films, series, documentaries and cartoons amounts to 53778 worldwide. The calculation is quick, you only have access to 7.53% of what the platform offers. That’s not even 1 film in 10!
With a VPN, you can easily bypass this type of geo-blocking by simply connecting to a server in the country where they are not active. This will allow you, for example, to fake a US IP address (or an IP address from another country) on the go.
To bypass firewalls
The VPN service also serves to bypass firewalls , both locally and nationally.
A local firewall could be, for example, a university firewall that doesn't let you connect to Netflix, or a firewall at your workplace that blocks certain sites, like YouTube. By connecting via a VPN, the problem no longer exists.
At the national level, the “Great Firewall of China” can be cited as an example, which can be fooled by using a VPN in China. There are also other countries whose governments are trying to impose online restrictions and where a VPN can be useful. These include the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkey and Russia.
Have a secure Internet connection !
Public WLANs (Public WiFi) are more dangerous than you think! When using public WiFi at an airport, hotel, or downstairs cafe, be aware that even inexperienced hackers can access sensitive data of users of these WiFi networks.
If, on the other hand, you use a VPN to connect to the Internet using public WiFi, your data is encrypted and no hacker will be able to access sensitive data such as your credit card number.
Antivirus
Antiviruses remain the best-known defense weapon! An antivirus is an essential computer program to prevent possible malicious attacks entering your computer.
It also allows the blocking, detection and deletion of harmful files, which you could download awkwardly on your PC... while browsing the web.
An anti-virus protects you from several types of computer viruses – malware:
- Trojans (Trojan horse)
- Spyware
- Adware (advertising)
- Ransomware (access to your personal information)
- Rootkits (to take control of a connected device)
An antivirus can also offer you a password manager, which as we have seen is very useful.
Good to know : Generally, when purchasing a new computer, with a Windows 10 OS system, an anti-virus is already pre-installed. There are also very good free anti-viruses.
An antivirus, unlike a VPN, will not be used to be able to browse the web completely freely without any restrictions. On the other hand, it will effectively protect your computer system against certain threats.
Combine Antivirus and VPN for more protection!
For even greater security, you are strongly advised to use both a VPN and an antivirus . The two can be complementary and thus ensure more than optimal protection. As the saying goes “you can never be too careful”.
More than 5.6 million personal data, such as your passwords or even your credit card numbers, are hacked each year. Individual users browsing from home are twice as likely to be victims of a cybersecurity breach as businesses.
There are many different attacks. Whether it's phishing (fake emails asking for your information, which appear real so you give it), identity theft (the hacker pretends to be you and carries out illegal actions, which means you find yourself judged in the district court for tax evasion or terrorist financing). The sanction is criminal when the culprits are identified (they never are, or perhaps in only 1 or 2% of cases).
Now that you know all this, take urgent action. On February 14, 2021, hackers stole nearly 100 million euros with a massive attack. Precaution is always essential! Take a few minutes to protect yourself from a cyberattack. The best recommendation: install a VPN and antivirus immediately.
