Let’s face it, it is 2020, and the online world just isn’t safe anymore. The thing is, you and I both know how dependant we are on the digital life, whether it comes to needing online classes, looking up recipes, making online bank transactions, streaming on Netflix, or posting a bunch of selfies on social media and much more!

 It just doesn’t stop! We’re hooked! Even children today can’t seem to get their eyes of the screen. Am I right, parents? However, this isn’t a lecture, nor a stunt trying to get you to hate the internet world. Trust me, can’t live without it either. But, that doesn’t mean you can remain on the internet daily, while maintaining safe and secure ways to go about it.

What am I going on about? Cyber-security, that’s what! The majority of us spend around; say a minimum of 4-5 hours a day online? Either way, even if it’s as little as half an hour, you’re still at risk. 

Meshing cyber-security measures together with your daily online routine is important for so many reasons, with the biggest reasons revolved around keeping your device, your data and your identity safe.  

But again, how does one do that? If you continue to read on, you’ll find a number of reasons why you need to add a little bit of online security, even while being at home, and ways you can inculcate it. 

As the new saying goes, “A little bit of cyber-security a day, keeps the hackers at bay”.

Reasons why you need cyber-security measures in your life 

Since most of us are spending quite a lot of time at home, given the circumstances of the corona virus breakout, you’re bound to notice a lot of things around you. Things that you may or may not have noticed before, because you were just so busy! Like, changes in the weather, having the full family around you or even that 2-week old pasta that you left in the fridge. 

When you finally come to terms and notice all the things around you, all the ways you could get caught amidst a silent cyber-attack, you’ll then understand how important cybersecurity measures are in your life. 

Here are all the possible cyber-attacks that could take place in your daily life, which highlight all the reasons why you could possibly need cyber-security measures amid your daily routines. They are:

 

• Phishing attacks

 

Have you ever received a call from someone asking you to transfer a certain amount of funds to an organization that you may or may not have been a part of? Well, in times like these, it’s best you remember very well, because you’re about to have your money stolen right in front of your eyes.

 There are so many cases like these, where the phisher, scams you into providing extremely sensitive information, money or account details without you even knowing you’re about to be scammed or robbed. There are a couple of renowned software available that block off any malicious or deceiving phishing emails, links, etc. 

 

• Trying to access Copyrighted or geo-blocked content 

 

While at home or at work, if you’re just trying to take it easy and catch up with some movies or series, you might want to access streaming services like Netflix, or Amazon Prime. Services like these are available let alone accessible to only certain countries outside the US. Other times, you might be authorized to access these services, but your country is among the list of geo-restricted regions. 

Either way, if you’re going to try to access these services, you may get in trouble or blocked out of your accounts for trying. This can be while traveling or within your country. Plus, do you want your ISP or the government on your tail? To avoid this, there are tools for premium security and privacy features, to help give you access to these services, while anonymizing your physical location and identity. 

 

• Man-in-the-middle Attack 

 

This kind of cyber-attack is precisely what it stands for; the man in the middle between you and your destiny. This is how it works; let’s say you’re trying to contact your bank or business client. A hacker will infiltrate your device and replace his device with your IP address or account details. The client on the other end will continue coordinating with the hacker, thinking or assuming it’s you they’re talking to. 

And yes, you completely avoid that b securing your devices with the best software like a VPN, have strong password for your router, or something known as public key pair based authentication, however, first you should know about a VPN.

 

• Malware

 

This is a tough one. Malware attacks can occur with or without your consent. You won’t even know the difference. Let’s say you visit a website or download an app you have no previous knowledge of. Once that website link is clicked on or once that app is downloaded, it will send out malware viruses which will latch on to other important files, programs, or make modifications to your system. You’ll learn how to avoid that further on. 

 

• DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)

 

This is for the hacker who doesn’t care what they’re achieving out of hacking a system but rather solely for the purpose of initiating an attack. It’s done from a source that is already infected with viruses or malware, spread through other systems. The hacker itself cannot sneak into your system, but only is successful through spreading malicious content through your device. 

 

• Password hacks

 

If you think that a password that includes your birth date or the name of your favorite pet, is secure enough, then think again! Yes, you can try adding a lot of numbers or symbols, but it’s what you do to protect your password that truly matters. A secure password is only step-one to personalize access to an account. But, that’s not all it takes. You have to set up traps for the person who’s trying to hack your password, by locking them out after just 3 wrong attempts. 

In case you’re wondering if that could backfire and lock you out instead, there’s another way around that. It’s called two-factor authorization, which I’ll discuss later on. 

 

• Online banking scams and attacks

 

There are situations where you’re going to have to just stay at home, like we’re doing now, due to the COVID-19. So, physically going to the bank is just no option. That’s where online transactions come in. However, it’s still not safe. If you don’t take proper measures to secure the path to online banking, you could end up bankrupt. 

Using either a multi-purposeful VPN will help you attain all the privacy and security you need in order to make online banking safe again. Plus, just in case you accidentally connect to a public Wifi while trying access your online accounts, this might make you vulnerable to cyber attacks. A VPN encrypts your connection, and makes it secure enough to block of prying eyes. 

To conclude 

Again, this is a choice you’re going to have to make sooner or later. Cyber-security is important for everyone regardless of whether you’re the president, or a sit-at-home parent. Of course all the tools or software available to help prevent cyber-attacks aren’t a 100% accurate. But, it’s still a way to secure your connection, your devices, your privacy and saves you from losing a whole lot more in cash or kind. There are so many means of inculcating cyber-security measure to your daily lives. Even something as small as two-factor authentication, can take you a long way!