The world has become a global village, and almost everything has gone online. As most of your information is stored online, there are lots of attackers there as well who are looking for a chance to rob you of your data. In order to deal with these cyber security vulnerabilities, you need to know about them first and then figure out how to deal with them.
This blog will discuss commonly occurring notorious cyber security threats and their solutions.
Let's talk about some of the most common cyber security vulnerabilities online.
One of the most common cyber security threats is malware. If you're an avid internet user, you must have heard about it. You may have been through the phase of dealing with it, as it is quite common.
Malware is malicious software installed within your device, be it your computer, laptop or mobile. It messes up the functions of various programs present on your device. From inhibiting your access to important data to deleting your much-needed information, from stealing your secrets to spreading like a weed inside your device, it can destroy everything within hours.
Since every problem comes with a solution, so does this one. The most effective way to deal with malware is by installing anti-malware software or applications on your device.
These software come with built-in features to deal with such malicious attacks effectively. They recognize the threats beforehand by making sense of the pattern and protect your data safety. If somehow, malware manages to enter your device, these softwares mitigates the risk of higher influence on your system.
Ransomware is an updated version of malware. However, it's far more dangerous and stronger than the common malware. Once this virus installs itself on your device, you cannot get rid of it. It keeps certain functions or files of your device as bait and only allows you to access them once you pay the ransom to the party that has released them into your device.
You can protect yourself against ransomware somehow, the same way you do with malware. You need to have an anti-virus on your device that receives frequent updates. What's more, you need to be vigilant enough to recognize malicious links and sites that can give way to ransomware. Hiding your IP is also a sure solution to protect yourself against ransomware.
Have you heard a friend or someone you know screaming around you, "Oh my God, My account has been hacked?" Password Theft is also one of the most widely found cybersecurity vulnerabilities around the globe.
In this attack, the attacker somehow manages to find your password. It could be because of their excellent guessing game or because your password was so weak that anybody could have guessed it. Now that third party has control over your information and can use it to blackmail you or simply bring your world down the drain.
Preventing your account from cyber security vulnerabilities and getting hacked is relatively easy. All you need to do is make use of your brain wisely. First, when creating an account, set it with an alphanumeric password, not just your lover's date of birth.
Second, never set the same password for more than one account. And last but not least, always go for a two-factor authentication process. You can save yourself from trouble if you follow these steps. Along with this, you can also use password managers but ensure that you are not linking your primary email or banking accounts with it.
You may not be familiar with phishing, but you must be aware of the process as it's super popular among attackers. In these types of threats, the attacker lures the victims by impersonating an important institution such as a bank.
In the next phase, the attacker convinces the victims to provide them with sensitive information such as login ids, passwords, credit card numbers, and much more. The attacker requests in such a way that naive users cannot refuse. These attacks usually come your way in the form of emails or messages.
To save yourself from phishing attacks, you need a bit of common sense tactics. Whenever you receive an email, don't just give away your information within an instant. Take time to identify the content of the email. Phishing emails often have grammatical and syntax errors that you can easily remember.
Plus, official institutions never ask for sensitive details through emails or calls. So, if you receive any such emails or calls, the best approach is to put them in the trash.
Have you ever been through a situation where you've shared something important with someone, but suddenly the whole world knows about it? Later you realize that a third party was eavesdropping on your conversation, and now the information that was supposed to be a secret isn't a secret anymore.
Traffic interception works exactly like that. When information is exchanged between the user and the host and some third party manages to eavesdrop, it becomes a problem. In most cases, traffic interception is done to steal your significant data.
Using a reliable VPN for encrypting can be one of the most effective prevention methods. Also, you need to avoid websites that don't use html5, as they're mostly compromised.
XSS is also a cross-site attack; this cyber security threat occurs through a vulnerable and weak website. Those sites that don't use encryption tools are often the targets of such attackers. It happens when a third party introduces malicious code on the site. When you enter this website, this code loads itself into your system or, in other words, gains access to your browser, and that's when the nightmare begins. Like other attacks, this one is also done to steal private or sensitive information.
For this matter, you'll need a VPN that can help encrypt your website. This way, you can shield your website against such attackers. You can also turn off the page scripts to save yourself from these XSS attacks.
As they say, with every hardship comes ease, so is the case with cyber security vulnerabilities. With every threat that can compromise your data comes a prevention method to eliminate the mess. You can save yourself from trouble if you follow the above-mentioned prevention methods to keep malicious online attackers away.
Author Bio:
Anas Hassan is a tech geek and cybersecurity enthusiast at PureVPN. He has vast experience in the field of digital transformation industry. When Anas isn’t blogging, he watches football games.
