In 2021, the Internet is a part of our life, and the digital world is becoming the second space we’re building together. As in real life, the Internet is full of cybercrime. The fact is that many users don’t think about protecting themselves because they don’t know how hackers can brick their devices. Fortunately we have prepared some reasons why cybersecurity is important for every user now. Also, we’ll tell you in a nutshell how you can protect yourself.
Brute-Force Attacks
Some users don’t believe it’s worth spending time setting different and difficult passwords for each social media account and service. But this opinion can play a malicious joke with you because hackers developed specialized programs that can divine your passcode. And the procedure when software tries to guess your password is called a brute-force attack.
The essence of such programs is that they iterate through the combinations of symbols by using specialized algorithms. And if your password is short and too simple as admin or hi1234567, it’s as easy as ABC to steal your data.
And if you have the same passwords for each account, you’ve guessed what will happen if hackers get access to your passcode. They get access to all your accounts too. Hence, take your time to come up with complex passwords. The good news is that some websites help you create such combinations of symbols. The best example is WordPress. This CMS system creates a password for you if you try to sign up in your workspace. And you decide for yourself whether to pick this passcode or come up with your own one.
Services Stalk Us
Maybe you’ve heard that Google eavesdrops on its users. And it can be easily proved. For example, you tell your buddy that you need to ask a writing service for assistance. And after several days or even hours, you see ads about fast essay writer or other services.
Unfortunately, we can’t get rid of such stalking. The only thing we can do is to delete our accounts from social media. But, as you know, it’s impossible in the high-tech era. In general, such stalking isn’t bad because such information doesn’t become widespread by any Big Data specialists. So if you’re not a crime that has to hide from the police, there are no reasons to be anxious about stalking. On the contrary, there is more sense to be worried about the next problem.
There are Data Leaks
Maybe you’ve heard about the data leak of Facebook and Whatsapp users in 2021. Agree that it isn’t a pleasure to get up and realize that your account’s data is public, and hackers can use it for their purposes.
Hence, it’s better to know some tricks that help you when this accident happen:
- Change your password immediately once you learn about data breaches;
- Manage a two-factor authentication (2FA);
- Change the password regularly.
The basic recommendation is to change your passcode every six months. However, you can do it regularly.
Cybercrime is Increasing
The level of cybercrime is increasing every year. For example, it isn’t difficult to insert malware into a program or hack an operating system.
Every year, hackers come up with new ideas and algorithms that enable them to get access to people’s devices. And a powerful demonstration of it is that black hats hack Windows and insert a virus into this operating system. Then, they share this hacked OS ‘for free,’ and users who install it fall into a trap.
VPNs Aren’t Safe
Maybe the most popular type of hacking is getting access to users’ devices via a VPN. The deal is that hackers make some free VPN services; therefore, when you use a free VPN, black hats obtain your data. They can watch media files on your PC or even do crypto mining via your device. Therefore, be very careful when choosing to use a free VPN service.
Apart from it, almost all VPN services don’t provide you with anonymity, as they keep logs. It means that they know what you do and where. So, for instance, if you’re searching for audition essay examples, VPN services track what websites you’ve visited.
What to Do With It?
The best bet for you, in this case, is to use proxy services. This is because they don’t track your activity on the Internet. But, of course, it’s a bad idea to consider free proxies. Only paid ones because they’re safe.
Or another option — launch your own VPN server. Yes, it’s much more difficult than buying a proxy, but you’re sure that only you know what you do and on which websites.
The Bottom Line
So you know why you should care about your security in the digital world. Follow the tips we gave you in this article, and you’ll protect yourself from hackers. Be careful!