New-Age Threats to Your Online Privacy and Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity seems like a never-ending journey: you patch one flaw, another appears. You download one top-notch security tool, and soon realize that it is no longer enough.

With so many discussions, recommendations, instructions, and plain-old threats, you are very likely to get confused and discouraged from trying. However, instead of going with the flow, you should try not to get overwhelmed by the extensive media coverage on breaches, dangers, and hackers.

The first thing in every journey is making a plan (unless you are a very spontaneous adventurer). So, the baseline you create gives you comfort. Sound quite nice, right? You can get the same motivation when it comes to cybersecurity.

By creating a strong foundation for your privacy and security, the future threats won’t be as intimidating. Ok, what is the foundation that you should lay? To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the top 2020 cybersecurity issues and how to tackle them.

Botnets

Botnet is a combination of net and robot. Cybercriminals often use botnets to attack servers, dispense ransomware, steal passwords, or just send spam. They leverage already automatically connected devices and use them to source their attacks. You, as an average user, will less likely suffer from this attack directly.

Nevertheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry. You should be aware of its
existence and what you can do to protect yourself.

Software companies are aware of the vulnerabilities that enable these attacks in the first place. Make sure to keep all your devices up-to-date and use a solid antivirus program to keep malicious botnets at bay.

Crypto-jacking

With the explosion of cryptocurrencies came crypto-jacking. So, what is it? The term is used to describe a process of the unauthorized use of your computing power. Cybercriminals managed to come up with a code that hijacks your CPU and GPU power and uses it to mine cryptocurrency.

There are several ways hackers manage to do it. They can infect a website with a malicious code that executes the moment you arrive. Also, they can send you an email with a malicious link that automatically loads the crypto hijacking code the moment you click it.

To avoid falling victim to crypto hackers, you should never open emails from unknown sources nor click any suspicious links. You can also install an ad-blocker and a simple Java-Script block plugin for your web browser and stay away from the suspicious website, especially the torrent directories.

Online Privacy

The threat to your online privacy is real: consider the biggest Facebook scandal. So, it is not only the hackers that want to get hold of your private data. It is up for whoever grabs it first.

Popular search engines and social media platforms take quite questionable tactics to learn more about their users to offer more personalized deals. As a result, your digital activity and data become an inspiration for ads that you see.

The best way to protect your online privacy is to hide your identity and encrypt web traffic. Of course, you cannot do this on your own. You need some advanced tools that are all about making sure that your data transactions and browsing remain private.

For instance, Google gets exclusive access to the majority of the content on all users’ accounts. Even Gmail emails are up for grabs: no wonder Google introduced Smart Reply system. To ensure that entities would no longer be able to read your correspondence, it is recommended to use Pretty Good Privacy protocol or switch to a more privacy-oriented emailing
system.   

Another solution to improve your digital privacy is a VPN. It is a seamless app that encrypts all web traffic, modifies your location, and opens doors to geo-restricted content. With internet freedom and privacy being taken away in many regions around the globe, a VPN became the salvation for thousands of people.

However, VPN subscriptions can be too pricy for users with limited resources. Dedicated enterprises continue to battle this issue as well. So, pick Atlas VPN which suits your wallet and gives you control over your digital privacy.

Viruses

Computer viruses are as old as operating systems. They are designed to leverage a system’s vulnerability to perform a pre-programmed action. They can mess with your hardware, affect resource allocation, and slow down your computer. There are also those built to steal or delete your data.

You can “catch” a virus by clicking a link in your inbox, visiting suspicious websites, installing modified software, or inserting an already-infected USB drive into your computer. The sad truth is that you won’t notice anything wrong until it is too late.

Often, you’ll have to reinstall your entire system to get it virus-free. There are a number of antivirus solutions on the market. Most of the premium antivirus suites come with all kinds of perks to help you keep your computer and smartphone free from malicious apps. They also work on autopilot, so you don’t have to do anything. Your only job, as an end-user, is to keep them updated.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a malicious program that infects your computer and encrypts all your data. The attack works like this: hackers infect your computer, encrypt your files, and demand ransoms for decryption.

Crooks usually require payments in various cryptocurrencies to make sure that the transactions are untraceable. Try to stay away from suspicious emails, have robust antivirus software, and regularly update your system and software to protect yourself from ransomware.

These are the trending cybersecurity concerns in 2020. However, the landscape is constantly changing. Adding several security layers can help you minimize cybersecurity threats. Keep in mind that no solution can keep you 100% safe.

Read up, stay informed, and follow the best practices. This is an ongoing struggle, and you have to keep up if you want to keep your assets safe and sound.