Whether you are an internet user or a website owner, you must know some privacy tools to keep hackers and bad actors at bay.
Cyberspace is by far one of the biggest inventions in human history. It bridges the gap between countries and promotes ease of doing businesses across continents.
But, like every country or continent, law enforcement is important to keep things running smoothly, and that is where cyberspace lags.
Cyberspace is an open space where anybody can venture, thrive, and trade. Nobody is bound to anything, which is why if you don’t know these seven essential privacy tactics that we will be talking about, you are a vulnerable entity in cyberspace.
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7 essential privacy tools to stay protected in the cyberspace
- Get a password manager
Passwords are the last line of defense. If a hacker successfully breaches your password, then your account is compromised.
So, it is important to have a credible password manager that can encrypt your database through AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) technology and not let the bots guess your keys.
There are many free as well as paid options out there to choose from.
- Get an antivirus installed.
Antivirus software can protect a system from a malicious bot that can crawl into it through unsolicited downloads and links.
Antiviruses scan the system and quarantine threats and, in some cases, remove them.
However, installing an antivirus does not mean that you can click on any link you desire. In addition, you must avoid visiting and clicking on suspicious websites.
Moreover, keep your antivirus always updated so that it can become capable of fighting advanced threats.
- Website security is a must.
Everything from a good web design to an effective content strategy goes for a toss when your website is unsecure.
An unsecure or HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) encrypted website is always vulnerable to suspicion because the information transferred from such websites is in a plain text format that can be easily intercepted.
But the same information transfer over an HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) website is much more secure because it is passed in an encrypted format so that hackers cannot see what is getting transferred.
The “S” in HTTPS stands for “Secure,” which it gets by adding an SSL or Secure Socket Layer certificate.
SSL certificate is a security protocol that uses Public Key Infrastructure (Public, Private, and Sessions keys) to encrypt data and pass it over a secure network.
SSL certificates come with three levels of validation, namely, domain validation (DV), Organizational Validation (OV), and Extended Validation (EV).
Out of all three, EV is the highest form of validation. On the other hand, DV requires minimum information to validate a user, whereas OV requires a moderate verification level to obtain validation.
There are various brands ssl certificate available in market like Comodo SSL Certificate, RapidSSL, GeoTrust, DigiCert and more. Choose any brand as per your site requirements.
- Get a VPN
A VPN or Virtual Private Network acts as an added layer of security between your device and the webserver.
Through VPN, you can hide your IP address and location from outsiders allowing you to browse securely.
Moreover, a VPN makes you connect to its own server rather than a third-party server which can be catastrophic.
Much like an SSL certificate, a VPN helps you steer clear from the wrath of cybercriminals.
It hides your actions from the ISP so that it does not detect or keep track of your activity.
Thus, getting a VPN installed is a must in today’s world.
- Switch to a secure browser
Google chrome is one of the most widely used web browsers. It blocks cross-site trafficking but, it does track its user’s data.
We are not here to tell which browser to drop and which one to use, but you must know each browser’s ins and outs before using them.
>However, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge provide extensive protection by offering global protection levels and tracker blocking.
Safari is another good browser that blocks malicious popups and ads, but it uses Google as its default search engine.
All the browsers mentioned above are safe for daily use, but some browsers do track you, which can be a bit worrying. So, choose wisely.
- Use end-to-end encrypted communication channels.
End-to-end encryption ensures that a message once sent from one inbox will be passed to the receiver’s inbox in an encrypted format.
Later, the message gets decrypted as soon as it reaches the receiver.
>This process makes end-to-end encrypted applications much safer than non-encrypted ones.
Data shared across apps without end-to-end encryption will pass in a plain text format and be vulnerable to theft and espionage.
- Use JavaScript blocking tools.
Whenever you visit a website, a programming language called JavaScript runs in the background.
JS is essential to enhance your experience because it helps load all website functions, but the problem arises when malicious codes are inserted in the JS.
When you visit websites with malicious JS codes then, the malware automatically gets installed in the system.
You don’t even have to click any link to get compromised. To remedy that, you can install a JS blocking tool.
These tools will not block all sites by default, but those listed in them won’t be allowed to interfere with your connection.
To Conclude
Unfortunately, we must invest ample time, money, and effort because 1% of the internet users have malicious intentions for all.
But truth be told. If you must survive as an internet user or a website owner in 2021, you must comply with these seven tips mentioned above.
So, follow them and give yourself a safe space to work with.
