Finding the Best Online Protection
A cyber attack happens when an individual or a group of underhanded people try their best to gain access to another person’s or company’s pertinent information. They will then use the data for financial gains, blackmail or to make someone’s life a living hell.
And this doesn’t just happen to individuals or smaller companies.
- The web giant Yahoo was hacked in 2014, leading to information from over 500 million accounts being stolen. It cost Yahoo an estimated $1.3 billion in losses in the marketplace. To make matters worse, they didn’t share with the public that they had been breached until 2016.
- The Marriott Hotel chain was also compromised from 2014 to 2018. It affected almost 340 million of their guests, with the culprits coming away with credit card information and passport details.
- Everyone enjoys playing video games, except when it can cost you your private data. Sony’s PlayStation Network was attacked in 2011, and 77 million of their users’ personal data was stolen; this meant names, email addresses, usernames and passwords and even payment information.
Most Common Cyber Attacks
As mentioned above, a data breach is one of the most common cyber attacks; this happens when the security is bypassed through weak passwords or insufficient protection from security software. It can be on a small scale or a large scale, depending on the information broached and the number of people involved. But this is simply the tip of the iceberg.
- A phishing attack happens when deceiving emails are sent in an attempt to trick someone into sharing their information. The information the criminals usually attempt to gather is credit card or banking data, usernames and passwords and other things that can cause turmoil in a person’s life.
- Malware attacks, unfortunately, are common. It is when malicious software (malware) gains access to a computer system and causes havoc. It could result in a ransomware attack in which they will threaten to publish a person’s personal data or even block access to it unless a ransom is paid in full. Another type of malware attack would encompass using spyware which would gather a person’s info and even allow them to constantly view websites being visited, pictures being taken or have control of a computer’s webcam.
Impressive Cybersecurity Software that Can Prevent Attacks
Cybersecurity software is a computer program that amplifies the amount of security protecting your individual computer, system or whole network. A solid cybersecurity software program can prevent intrusion, hacker attempts, email scams and more.
With so much cybersecurity software available, it can be overwhelming to decide on one. After sifting through countless cybersecurity software programs, here are five to heavily consider, in no particular order, to protect your information (and life from turmoil).
WebTitan
A cloud-based internet security option, WebTitan is used mainly for mid to large businesses. It monitors malware, viruses, ransomware, content filtering, phishing scams, blocks spam and more. At a dollar-a-month price per user, WebTitan provides security support to more than 8,000 users. This software is quite beneficial to businesses as they can create a whitelist (allowing websites to visit) and a blacklist (blocking out questionable websites that could derail work or worse). WebTitan has plenty of security software tools to choose from, so a business can customize it to their needs.
Avast One
Avast One is a security suite, or all-in-one, software program for personal computers. It has multiple security tools that can handle antivirus needs (for both a phone and computer), data protection, ransomware, blocking fake sites trying to get your information, spy protection and even notifying you when someone is trying to access your webcam. Avast One has “military-grade security” with the VPN Secure Connection at a great price. Depending upon your needs, the free version of Avast One should be able to keep you safe. However, if you have been burned before, the paid version with extra security tools is about $50 a year for an individual and $70 a year for an entire family.
Avira
Avira is another all-in-one cybersecurity software program and it can be used for a single individual or for a small business. One subscription to Avira Prime, which has all of its cybersecurity tools, can be used for up to five devices for the price of $60 a year.
Avira Prime has malware protection, ransomware protection, website protection, email protection, password manager and device optimization to speed up your computer devices, and will protect your data to boot. They also offer a free version that might have enough protection for your home devices without much worry.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender comes for $30 per year for three devices. It protects against malware attacks, has threat detection, a firewall, secure VPNs, advanced parental controls (perfect for children and the elderly) and multiple-layer ransomware. In addition, Bitdefender has a feature that will predict and prevent cyber threats from around the world with network threat prevention, vulnerability assessment, anti-fraud, anti-spam and real-time data protection. It will secure and monitor your webcam, microphone, Wi-Fi, online banking and social network apps.
Norton 360
Norton 360 is considered one of the very best cybersecurity software programs, with more than 80 million users around the world. It offers a comprehensive collection of security tools such as antivirus software, VPN protection by hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet surfing, a smart firewall, a password manager, ID theft protection, cloud backup and webcam safety. Norton 360 also offers dark web protection and will monitor if your information is being shopped or placed into devious hands. There is no free version for Norton 360 as you have to pay for one of the best security software programs available. At $40 per year, it could provide peace of mind that would be invaluable.
Learn more about the best home security systems.