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It's more important than ever to continue learning about the latest online attacks and how to protect yourself against them. To get you started, here are the 3 major cyber risks facing the public in 2020:
Phishing/Social Engineering Attacks
This is an email-borne attack where cybercriminals attempt to gain personal or sensitive data by posing as a trustworthy contact. This attack usually comes as a fraudulent email, text, or website to trick you (the recipient) into disclosing personal/confidential information or even downloading malware by clicking on a hyperlink.The Internet of Things (IoT)-Based Attacks
The number of internet-connected devices is increasing with each passing day. Cybercriminals have designed malware that can attack your PC, smartphone, home router, and other countless smart devices you might not even consider to be at risk like Wi-Fi enabled thermostats, speakers, coffee makers, baby monitor, gaming console, etc. Since these devices are usually integrated, one can be compromised to drive largescale attacks on all of your smart devices like the DDoS attacks.Ransomware
This is where cybercriminals infect a user's system or network with a nasty form of malware that encrypts their data. You will then be demanded to either pay ransom and gain access to your functionalities again or lose your data forever. This attacks target businesses and more influential people than common citizens as they have more money and motivation to pay ransoms.Effective Security Tools to Protect Yourself
Having antivirus software is as important as ever but as the threat landscape increases, it alone may not be enough. In fact, no single solution, no matter how rock-solid they claim to be, can prevent all cyber threats. Here are other effective security tools you can add to your antivirus software for increased protection:Firewall
A firewall is undoubtedly the core of online security tools. It offers the first line of defense against cyber risks by checking data going in and out of your system. It will block any unauthorized access to your network or device and alert you of any suspicious activity.Virtual Private Network (VPN)
It’s good to know that you can use a VPN to encrypt traffic. Therefore, even if cybercriminals manage to hack your online communication, they'd still be unable to harm you since they will only find encrypted data. In addition, a VPN can alter your IP address so you appear to be browsing from another location, thus offering additional privacy protection.Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Services
This security tool allows for the distribution and identification of public encryption keys. Computer systems and users are, therefore, able to securely exchange data online while confirming the identity of the other party. Many people associate this tool with SSL or TLS but it can also be used to enable multi-factor authentication and access control, digitally sign and protect code, encrypt email communications while authenticating the sender's identity, and so on.Managed Detection and Response Service (MDR)
It's not enough to have security tools that react to threats; instead, you also need a solution that can detect potential security issues and respond to them as quickly as possible before they can occur and cause problems. MDR is an advanced security tool that hunts for threats and provides intelligence, incidence analysis and response, as well as security monitoring. It also uses AI to orchestrate a faster response.All kinds of cyber risks have come and gone since the discovery of the internet. The severity of these attacks ranges from a minor nuisance to something devastating that could cost you your identity and/or a lot of money to recover from. So, take note of the above and many other risks and combine as many security tools as possible for maximum protection.
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