Internet Security Solutions Against DDoS Attacks

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack involves the use of one computer and an Internet connection to make a service unavailable to a targeted resource or system. On the other hand, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack can be defined as a type of Denial of Service (DoS) attack wherein many compromised systems (often infected with a Trojan) are made use of to target the Internet security of one system so that an online service becomes unavailable to it. Both the targeted system and all of the systems maliciously deployed and controlled by the hacker become victims of a DDoS attack.

Internet Security – How Does a DDoS Attack Work
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When a DDoS attack occurs, an online service becomes unavailable to a system because the incoming traffic from multiple sources overwhelms the victim. As a result, blocking of an IP address alone may not be enough to contain an attack. Moreover, it is often very difficult to differentiate between legitimate user traffic and attack traffic, especially when it is spread across many points of origin.

Perpetrators of DDoS attacks target sites as well as services that are hosted on high-profile servers such as that of banks, news websites, credit card payment gateways, etc.

Internet Security – Types of DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks are of different types. They commonly include the following:

Traffic attacks

In these attacks, huge volumes of TCP, ICPM and UDP packets are sent to the target system. This results in a loss of legitimate requests. Often malware exploitation forms part of these attacks.

Bandwidth attacks

This type of a DDoS attack involves overloading of the target system with a large amount of junk data. This leads to a loss of network bandwidth.

Application attacks

These attacks lead to a depletion of application resources layer and this in turn leads to non-availability of services to the victim.

Internet Security – DDoS Attacks Are Turning Out to be Increasingly Problematic

Internet Security Solutions Against DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks are becoming increasingly problematic as they have the ability to take a person or business offline. Hackers make use of such attacks to render sites inaccessible and as a ploy extort money from the users of target systems. Victims of a DDoS attack often suffer serious losses as it becomes difficult to process online transactions. This also results in prospective customers moving over to the victim’s competitors.

Further, the bot technology used by hackers for executing these attacks continues to improve as many of them have been able to overcome different forms of bot-detection techniques that have been employed.

Though the average duration of DDoS attacks have reduced, they are being used more frequently now. Hackers are adopting a hit-and-run approach to DDoS attacks (multiple short attacks are launched instead of prolonged single attacks) so that detecting and defending an attack becomes difficult.

Internet Security – How Can Businesses Protect Themselves against DDoS Attacks

In the recent times, there has been a surge in cyber-attacks and Internet security breaches. Cyber-gangs like DD4BC and Lizard Squad have been instrumental in bringing down bank, media and gaming networks through DDoS attacks. As these Internet security attacks become more complex, some of the steps that organizations can take to mitigate threats and protect assets include the following:

The black-holing or sinkholing approach involves blocking all traffic and diverting it to a black hole for discarding it. Further, the routers can be configured in order to prevent simple ping attacks. This is achieved by filtering out protocols that are not essential and blocking invalid IP addresses. Firewalls can be made use of to shut off a specific flow related to an attack.

Intrusion-detection systems that work in conjunction with firewalls have also been found to be useful in protecting businesses against DDoS attacks. Moreover, configuring server applications in a proper manner helps to minimize the effect of an attack. Further, use of DDoS mitigation appliances or redundant network devices and buying excess bandwidth can be of help in handling DDoS attacks.

All these approaches may be helpful, but are not fool-proof. Therefore, a better approach, as far as Internet security is concerned, would be to make use of a managed DNS service that is cloud based. This is because such a service is manned by dedicated experts with networks around the globe. This ensures web presence of the business and the availability of its critical web services at all times. Creating a backup also improves availability and performance of websites. For example, deploying websites at additional leased data centers or cloud services located across the globe improves the global reach of businesses.

Government Websites Converting To HTTPS For Internet Security

The American government through the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has finalized its strategy for the adoption of HTTPs-Only Standard for all its publicly accessible web services and federal sites. This strategy is meant to bring in a new robust baseline for Internet security and user privacy across all APIs and government websites. This step is a new formal memorandum to all executive agencies. The OMB passed this proposal to the public for comments and so far received a tremendous lot of it. The US government is not the sole proposer of this new strategy as other internet bodies are calling for a default encrypted internet. In fact, Firefox and Chrome browsers which carry the highest amounts of traffic also support the idea of migrating to HTTPs from plain HTTP. This is how the US government is changing to HTTPS for improved Internet security.

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The US government has come up with a memorandum that requires all the federal agencies to deploy their domains using a variety of guidelines. These guidelines are practical and reasonable for efficient deployment of HTTPs. For the newly developed sites and web services, the memorandum requires that all their federal agency domains and sub-domains adhere to the policy. Existing sites have an obligation to make priorities based on the risk analysis. Sites that involve the exchange of personal information, those that experience high traffic levels, identity, and other sensitive data should migrate immediately.

The unencrypted HTTP protocol subjects data to interception, alteration, modification, tracking and eavesdropping of user data. A majority of the federal sites in the US use the open HTTP protocol hence creating privacy vulnerability through exposure to Internet security threats. To address this, the US government wants such websites to adopt HTTPS-Only policies to protect the privacy of all visitors to their sites. The conversion is expected to begin now for them to adapt to the fast-paced Internet security landscape. This proactive strategy of the government will support the broad Internet adoption as well as promote better adoption of privacy standards by the federal sites.

The US government also require federal agencies to make all the existing sites as well as web services accessible via secure Internet connection i.e. HTTPs by December 31, 2016. Intranets are also being encouraged to use the HTTPs service. So far, the government comes up with a public dashboard that will aid in monitoring the progress of how these sites adopt the use of HTTPS. According to the recent reports, about a third of the sites have adopted the use of HTTPS although the degrees of Internet security vary. The existence of dashboard and grading in security suggests that federal sites looking forward to upgrading to HTTPS should go for the top level security. The OMB expects that the move will eradicate the common pitfalls of inconsistencies in deciding the type of content to be secured and that which should not.

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The OMB affirms that though the adoption of HTTPS-Only standard comes with a cost, it is going to be outweighed by the Internet security benefits that come with it. The cost of procuring a certificate coupled with admin and maintenance cost will vary based on the technical infrastructure and size of a site. The timeline that the OMB has provided in the memorandum is enough for the responsible parties to adjust and adopt it.

All browsing activities by Internet users will be considered sensitive and private. This step is going to foster stronger privacy and improve the confidence of the people in their government. Perhaps, there has not been any virtue of consistency in most federal sites that use HTTPS as it leaves most American vulnerable to online threats. This step of providing private browsing experience to the people will therefore will position the government as the trusted leader in Internet security.

Internet Security Threats Other Than Cyber-Attacks

Cyber-attacks have been on the rise and it has negatively affected many big companies. TalkTalk is one of the recent victims whereby personal data of about 4 million of its customers was stolen. However, studies were conducted regarding online security and the results showed that there is a bigger risk to online security apart from cyber crime.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct a survey on incidents of cyber security across companies in the UK. The survey was aimed at creating awareness among UK businesses of the risks and key trends. PwC released a report which showed that security breaches that are staff related has risen to 75%. The previous year, only 58% of large companies were affected. Small businesses were not left out as 31% also suffered security breaches that were staff related. This is an increase from the previous year where only 22% of small businesses were affected.

Businesses that took part in the survey were questioned about the worst breach they had suffered and 50% of them said their worst breaches were caused by human error. This is an increase from the 31% that was recorded the previous year. The cost of these incidents has also doubled causing some to change the nature of their businesses. The report also stated that incidents of human error were “near certainty.” They advised businesses to ensure their defenses kept pace with the Internet security threats.

Cyber Attack
Apart from PwC, CheckRecipient also conducted its own research. CheckRecipient is a cyber security company and it works with law firms in the UK to ensure sensitive information is not emailed to the wrong person. The report showed that in 2014, 9% of the data security incidents reported was as a result of human error. This is higher than intentional cyber espionage that accounts for 0.8% of the data security incidents. The CEO of CheckRecipient, Tim Sadler, was surprised that not much attention was being given to the inside Internet security threat faced by most companies.

Security breaches caused by human error can be categorized into 3 parts and PwC reported on how each part was affected. They include:

1.Breach of laws and regulations that govern data protection. In 2014, 45% of such incidents occurred while in 2015, the incidents increased to 57%.

2.Unauthorized access to systems or data. 57% of such incidents occurred in 2014 but in 2015, they rose to 65%.

3.Loss or leakage of financial information. These incidents rose from 55% in 2014 to 66% in 2015.

Morrisons is one of the companies that suffered an incident related to personal data loss of its customers. Andrew Skelton who was a senior internal auditor in the head office at Bradford, received discipline for conducting eBay deals using the company’s postroom. Due to this, he got through company controls, obtained and leaked data that contained dates of birth, national insurance numbers, bank account details and salaries of nearly 100,000 employees. The information was sent to various newspapers. He was later sentenced to 8 years in jail. It costs Morrisons more than 2 million pounds to deal with the problem.

Internet Security
Despite the company’s efforts and Andrew Skelton being jailed, some 2000 current and former employees of the company have sued the company due to the leaked information claiming that the company had the responsibility of keeping such information confidential. Morrisons refused to accept liability for the actions of Andrew Skelton. The spokesman of the company also said the company was not aware of anyone who suffered financial loss from the breach.

In PwC’s report, it was noted that some of the Internet security incidents were as a result of giving low priority to security, poorly understood Internet security policies and lack of briefing company boards of security risks. Companies that had faced such problems suffered more security breaches compared to those that gave Internet security high priority, trained their staff on Internet security and briefed the board of the company about any security risks the company faces.

As Internet security threats increase due to human error, both small and large companies should focus on dealing with this Internet security threat first as it costs a lot of money to control the damage. After that, other Internet security threats can be focused on.

Some Types Of Internet Security Threats

The world we are living in is making a fast evolution to digitize everything. Books, weight loss programs, music, even parties and classes are all now available online in digital form. Indeed, the technology for all these applications continues to innovate and grow exponentially fast.

Needless to say, with this raging growth in the online industry follows a rapidly increasing number of cyber security threats. As every aspect of our lives turns digital, we are in turn becoming more and more open to having our files compromised, our privacy violated, and our information stolen. Government and hackers alike are to blame, because Internet surveillance is now pervasive in almost every country, despite public protest over such bad measures.

There is a host of obvious threats to your Internet security and here’s what online users should watch out for.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a sickening form of malicious software, which infects victims’ computers, locks up all, or some documents and asks for payment in exchange for them to regain access. Cryptolocker – the most infamous example of ransomware – was earlier this year dealt as huge blow when several people were arrested by federal officials for allegedly being involved in the scam.

And, although that crackdown was a great step, Internet security experts say the software is still spreading and it is now moving to new soft targets. Intel’s McAfee Labs, has managed to track a rapidly rising number of ransomware attacks, especially on mobile devices.

Ransomware

Possibly scarier: Internet security experts generally recommend that people back up their data in order to avoid the pain of losing access to their documents and files, however, McAfee has warned that new ransomware strains might attempt to target securely stored login info for cloud backup service and lock up the files too.

Consider backing up your documents to external hard drives to avoid ransomware threats. Just like with many other kinds of malware, this one is also often unknowingly downloaded when consumers click on links or open email attachments.

However, if you at any one time you become a victim of ransomware attacks, please avoid the temptation of paying up. There is absolutely no guarantee the villains will actually free up your files, and funding Internet security crooks’ activities only worsens up the matter.

Malicious messages that certainly seem like the real thing

Cybercriminals mostly deliver malicious software or obtain personal information by tricking their victims with messages that really seem as legitimate. Download the attachment or click the link, and you have unintentionally infected your mobile device or computer.

Such malicious e-mails were once unsophisticatedly done: poor grammar, broken images, or other hints that the messages were not really coming from your mom or the bank. However, cybercriminals now have advanced increasingly and are now using toolkits’ at their disposal to help them build very truthful-looking malware and messages.

They can direct a tool at any website, say a school, and it scrapes the actual school site’s language, logo, language, everything. Internet security experts used to tell consumers to stay clear of things that look suspicious, but these advanced toolkits’ can trick even sensitive customers. It is all turning out to be a more professional game that is likely to hurt many Internet users globally.

It is a highly sophisticated spin on old attacks, and it’s worrying that consumers are always wrongfully assuming they shall be able to know any malicious e-mail. The best thing you can to do remain safe from this type of Internet security threat is by simply not clicking on links coming from any e-mail.

If that is really too extreme for you, then be sure to hover your mouse over hyperlinks ensure they are taking you to the site they claim to be. And, if it appears even remotely wrong or strange, do not click the link. Try to exercise extreme caution whenever you are dealing with any attachments as well.

Targeting the “one percent”

Although cybercriminals may target a particular government or company entity, they generally don’t spend much time targeting a single person because the possible financial pay-off is not worth their time. Nonetheless, wealthy consumers are the exception, according to a recent Internet security research carried out.

Cyber Crime

It is highly expected that cybercriminals will have a more active eye towards the wealthy – the one percent. If a criminal thinks he/she can get a serious amount of money from a victim, he/she can decide to spend a lot of time on a personalized attack.

Even if you are part of the 99%, Internet security experts warn that consumers must desist from giving out information like employers, birthdays, as well as other bio details on Facebook , Twitter, and other sites. Crooks can be devious about leveraging this info.

Cyberwar and Espionageware

What Internet security experts have been terming as a “Cyber Cold War” for quite some time is now ramping up very quickly. Indeed, many nations and states both strong and weak see cyber-attacks, as the best weapon to counter United States’ global influence.

Therefore expect an increase in malicious software being used by governments to spy on the activities of certain individuals. Amnesty International recently released an antispyware tool, which scans devices for surveillance software belonging to governments.

Overall, Internet security experts predict the number of cyber-attacks will go up in 2015 and beyond. It is scary stuff, but there is hope that public awareness and conversation will as well increase. Of course, that will not happen overnight, but in order to make changes a conversation will have to be started.

In the meantime, there are a handful of best practices that can protect average persons from a host of vulnerabilities likely to face them. First, ensure to keep your antivirus software always updated, never store sensitive personal info online or on e-mails, use strong passwords, never sign into accounts when using Wi-Fi networks that are public and exercise extreme caution when downloading attachments or clicking links.

Atlanta-Based Bitcoin Payment Processor Hit By Internet Security Attack

An Atlanta-based Bitcoin payment processing company, BitPay, has reportedly been hit by a costly phishing scam with loses estimated to be around $1.8 million. The hacker, who pretended to be BitPay’s CFO Mr. Bryan Krohn, sent dummy email messages from his account in the month of December. Sanctioning transfer of approximately 5,000 bitcoins in 3 separate transactions to the SecondMarket platform, he bypassed Internet security systems where in any normal situation such advanced payments would not be necessary.

BitPay’s CFO Mr. Bryan Krohn
The first victim of this elaborate scam touching on Internet security was David Bailey, founder of quarterly trading magazine yBitcoin. His email account had been hacked and an alleged message sent to Krohn, requesting that he reviews certain modifications published on a Google document. During this time, they were coincidentally in consultations about purchase of the company’s online magazine by yBitcoin. As shown by documents from BitPay.

Krohn suspects that his login details were breached when he tried accessing the alleged document. Thereafter, the fraudster didn’t just impersonate him, but also hacked into the company’s Internet security details to acquire details concerning procedures used to make transactions with customers.

On Dec 11th, somebody pretending to be Mr. Krohn sent an email to BitPay’s CEO Stephen Pair, demanding immediate transfer of about 1,000 bitcoins to the SecondMarket platform at an undisclosed wallet address. The request was processed within an hour’s time, then shortly afterwards another email was sent for 1,000 more bitcoins to the same account. Transactions were made directly from the firm’s official wallet on Bitstamp.

Phishing Scam
The next day, the hacker requested 3,000 more bitcoins to be transferred to SecondMarket but at a different wallet account. After these funds were sent, Pair confirmed them by relaying an email to both Krohn and SecondMarket’s executive Gina Guarnaccia, with the latter immediately denying that her firm was involved in purchase of any bitcoins. That’s when the victims discovered their Internet security protocols had been tampered with.

A few days later, BitPay filed an insurance claim seeking compensation from its coverer the Massachusetts Bay Insurance Company. However, on Sept 15th BitPay filed suit against MBIC for failing to meet the contract stipulations, having not paid statutory damages as requested. They are seeking $950,000 as fine including necessary court fees.

Internet Security Vulnerability In Facebook Discovered

A potential security flaw has been discovered on popular social networking site Facebook, apparently hackers can access any user’s account provided they registered with their phone number and not email. The vulnerability was first discovered by software engineer Reza Moaiandin, it’s an Internet security loophole which allows hackers to access an individual’s user profile, photos and location data which can be harvested to perform other wrongs against the victim.

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All it takes for the Internet security breach to work is a phone number and a few simple number-generation algorithms, which anyone with basic IT skills can perform with ease. While doing his research, Moaiandin managed to generate 1000s of positive matches which after being fed into the Facebook API system, gave him unlimited access to multiple accounts without the owners ever knowing what happened.

He blames the Internet security issue on Facebook’s default “Who Can Find Me?” setting, which allows anyone to find another person’s profile by using a mobile number only. This setting is characteristically left accessible to everybody on the net even strangers, so felons with number generating software can find it easier to gobble up swathes of random user details without getting detected. Those who have accounts with this site are advised to be vigilant and make appropriate changes on their settings every so often; it shall help in guaranteeing Internet security each time you log into your profile.

Internet Security Vulnerability

While some details about a person are already being accessible to the public, the most worrying trend is the ability to directly link an individual to their phone number. This may lead to identity theft and harassment, and as for celebrities the crooks may engage in trolling and posting negative messages on walls to dent their image. Writing on his company’s blog, Reza says that he discovered the vulnerability by mistake and that if used by hackers it can harvest “millions” of innocent people’s details. Moaiandin has already brought the Internet security flaw to Facebook’s attention in April. One Facebook representative said that they don’t actually consider it an Internet security flaw, but that settings are also in place on each user’s account to gauge and mitigate any form of abuse.

VPN And Tor Will Double Your Internet Security

Not too long ago, the internet was primarily used by most of us to do simple tasks such as checking our email. Now, it’s used for so much more. More complex and dedicate tasks can be carried out online and this of course requires much more sophisticated security.

It doesn’t matter whether you want to protect yourself from identity thefts, credit card fraud, or even government “spy agencies” – proper Internet security is a must.

Throughout the next few sections we’re going to expand on why Internet security is so important, we’ll then talk about Tor, VPN systems, and how they can help you stay protected online.

Why Is Internet Security so Important?

Identity theft, credit card fraud, and government “spy agencies” are all very real threats that could occur when you’re doing something as simple as browsing the web. Having proper Internet security measures in place will protect you from all of the above threats and much more

The need for Internet security has become more apparent with the rise of companies that help us protect ourselves when we’re browsing the web. If there wasn’t a need for these services then all of these companies wouldn’t be in business.

A Quick Introduction to Tor

Tor is a very complex network system that helps you stay anonymous when you’re conducting your online activities, whether you’re just doing general browsing or work that requires the utmost in anonymity. Every byte of information that you send through Tor is encrypted with the help of several servers.

Setting-up Tor on your computer is as simple as downloading Google Chrome or another other browser. Simply head over to the Tor’s download page and install the right browser for your operating system.

You can download or here: https://www.torproject.org/download/download

Tor is a great way to keep yourself anonymous online, but using Tor’s network is not the only step that you should take. It would also be a wise decision to pair Tor with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

An excellent resource I found on Tor, that every noobie should read, lists the 11 Do’s and Don’ts while using Tor.

It can be found here: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/do-donts-tor-network/

Finding the Right VPN

If you’ve ever logged onto a public Wi-Fi network, you would have seen a message along the lines of “any information sent over this network is not secure”. This means that your credit card information, social media passwords, anything and everything, can be intercepted and placed into the wrong hands.

Even your home Wi-Fi network can be hacked; it doesn’t just stop at public networks. A VPN encrypts your data and provides you with a secure way of connecting to the internet. All the information you send through the internet is first sent through a private server, before going to its destination.

There are numerous myths surrounding the whole VPN industry. For example, many people believe that all VPN’s are the same as they do the same thing. However, this could not be further from the truth. Different providers offer different levels of security, different encryption standards and most importantly different policies on keeping logs. You see some providers log your usage while using the VPN which makes the use of the VPN pointless if you are concerned with anonymity as you are when using it with Tor. There have been cases where VPN companies where subpoenaed for user data that was suspected of doing illegal activity. In one such case, the biggest VPN comapany in the world “Hide My Ass” handed over the user logs to the authorities and the user was then prosecuted.

Luckily there are companies out there with strict “No Logs” policies, so it means that they keep no logs on users usage what so ever. This gives you the added security and peace of mind that you are truly anonymous while online and you are getting what you pay for. To even go one step further I would highly recommend you do your due diligence and find a VPN provider that owns and manages their own network. These such VPN providers are called Tier 1 VPN’s. Most people don’t know but almost all of the VPN providers out there just rent rack space and the servers from 3rd party hosting companies and manage it remotely from a computer.  How would they know if the company they are renting the hardware from is not logging info or tampering with things? They wouldn’t. At least if the VPN company own and run the servers then if they say there are no logs then they can 100% prove it.

A great resource about combining a VPN with Tor is Jolly Rogers Security Guide For Beginners.

It can be found here: http://darkwebnews.com/help-advice/dark-web-beginners-security-guide/

And the VPN part here: http://darkwebnews.com/security-guide/combining-tor-vpn/

Closing Notes

As mentioned above, Internet security is extremely important and fortunately there are many ways that you can protect yourself online. One of the two most popular and most effective ways to do this is by using the Tor network, accompanied with a VPN.

If you want to check some VPN’s out then I have found a site here they review VPN’s and they are the only one on the net I could find that actually test them out with Tor.

You can find it here: http://topvpnsoftware.com/best-vpn-for-tor/

The advice and guidance provided above should help you get started with both Tor and a VPN.

Precautions When Using Public Wi-Fi Networks

Wi-Fi has revolutionized the way we communicate, play and work and public Wi-Fi networks are on the increase. But, if you are not careful about using public WiFi networks strangers can snoop on your e-mails and social network conversations or even hack into your credit card account and bank account. Follow the Internet security safety precautions that are listed below and you’ll be able to surf more securely on public Wi-Fi networks.

Internet Security Precautions:

Signal Lock Icon1. Don’t Share Anything

Sharing files and devices in your home WiFi network is safe, but it’s a liability on public WiFi networks. If you don’t have Internet security password protection on all the files in your computer, literally anybody in the public WiFi network you’re connected to can be able to browse through your device.

2. Never Disable Your Firewall

The firewall will help prevent other people or malware on the wireless network from connecting to your computer. Most operating systems have built-in personal firewalls and you can also install a third party firewall from different providers.

3. Know What Wi-Fi Network You Want to Use

You must always know the name of the Wi-Fi network that you’re planning to use and take the necessary Internet security precautions. Hackers can easily set up “fake” Wi-Fi networks in public spaces. These WiFi networks go directly to their hardware, and this gives them the opportunity to browse all your information freely.

4. Only Use HTTPS Sites

When using a public WiFi network, send personal information or log in only to sites that you know are fully encrypted. Look for HTTPS in the web address, which stands for – (HTTP over SSL or HTTP Secure) so that you can find fully encrypted websites. Additionally, always ensure that it appears before providing potentially compromising information. The same goes for e-mail, only this time, search for SSL. When you’re using a desktop email client, you should always make sure that it has SSL encryption in the client’s settings.

5. Consider Using a VPN

Lock with the Key IconA VPN (Virtual Private Network) ensures your Internet security by basically creating a tunnel between your computer, tablet or smartphone and a third party server. All the data that goes through this secure tunnel is encrypted and as a result hidden from the WiFi provider and anybody trying to sniff the Wi-Fi network.

Protect Your Smartphone Against Security Threats

As a smartphone user, you should take care of your device more than physically. It is of great importance to keep it from any concrete damage; however, what most users forget is, there are much more serious threats that they have to protect their smartphone from: hackers.

laptops and tabletsLike your wallet, your device contains private information including credit card and bank account numbers or other financial details. Due to the lack of internet security and anti-virus app installed on your smartphone, it is a vulnerable target for hackers other than computers, laptops and tablets. Once you’ve been caught off guard and your device has been infiltrated by hackers, they can either steal your personal information or infect your smartphone with viruses like malicious software or malware, which slows down any devices’ system and speed.

For you to effectively protect your smartphone as well as your personal data from the biggest internet security threats like hackers and scammers, you could carry out yourself the preventive measures below.

1. Get Internet Access through a Secure Wi-Fi Network

If you are one of those smartphone users who enjoy surfing the net while connected to a public Wi-Fi network, you’d better quit it because you put your device and its data at high risk of being hacked every time you do that. Wi-Fi networks that are not password-protected let hackers around your area snatch your data fast and easily whenever you get connected to them.

If you’re connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, it’s best you avoid doing any online shopping and banking transactions. Those data thieves can obtain any of your financial information once transactions have been completed while you get internet connection from a public Wi-Fi network. You should therefore make sure that your connection comes from a secure Wi-Fi network to avoid data theft and other internet security threats.

2. Install an Anti-virus AppSmartphone security

Whether you’re using an iPhone or an android phone, you can easily find an anti-virus app to protect your data upon checking your device’s app store. As a matter of fact, a simple free anti-virus app can be of great help to alert you to viruses that might be a gateway of hackers to collect private information. But if you really want to be complacent about the absolute internet security of your smartphone and data, you could find a lot of paid anti-virus apps at very reasonable prices.

3. Install Apps from Trusted Sources Only

A number of apps from untrusted sources carry viruses with them. And as stated earlier, viruses can be a means of hackers to infiltrate your phone and its data. To avoid these internet security threats, just simply get rid of apps that came from suspicious sources. You can easily identify whether an app is legit through reading reviews left by users, verifying its store’s legitimacy, or checking out the app creator’s official website.

4. Trash Text Messages from Unknown Senders

One of hackers’ ways to get into your smartphone is by sending text messages containing links. For instance, these data thieves write messages as if they’re from your bank that needs confirmation by clicking on links. Be very careful of this modus. Don’t open or click on the links as it’s possible that they might lead you to websites filled with viruses and internet security threats. Trash them immediately before you accidently open them.

Hack Attacks Are Growing

Every time that you are connected to the Internet, you are potentially exposing yourself to a wide plethora of Internet security risks for your devices and the information that you share via them. These days, Internet security is a growing concern as the number of cyber-attacks keeps on increasing. More and more malicious attackers are out there and target all kinds of people. From the ordinary Internet user to huge corporations, these attackers will stop at nothing that gets in their way. Their aim is usually to steal important data that they can later use for other crimes such as impersonation and bank fraud. In some cases, the attackers may make compromise your device and use it to launch attacks on other suitable targets. This may get you into even greater trouble as you may be the subject of a criminal investigation for cyber-attacks that were carried out using your compromised device.

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Internet security attacks happen every day at all times. Even as you are reading this, there is an attack taking place near you. Given the anonymity that cyber attackers have when perpetrating their attacks, it is very important that you stay safe at all times. There are several things that you can do in order to ensure that you stay safe when browsing the Internet. For starters, always make sure that you are connected to a secured network. Most free networks are usually the target of cyber criminals who use the weak Internet security of these networks to steal data from the people using the network. The number of attacks is increasing each day and as a general rule of thumb, you should not perform sensitive transactions over unsecured Wi-Fi networks. You should also install a trusted firewall or antivirus software on your devices or the router in order to keep all incidental attacks at bay.