Top Cybersecurity Tools You Need Now
For any privacy-oriented person out there, whether you are a regular citizen or an IT professional, premium cybersecurity tools are slowly becoming the norm for all of us. The loss of sensitive or business data can spell catastrophe for anyone involved, and sometimes the damage is irreparable. The only exception to this rule is if you do not handle digital data or connect to the internet at all (or live in a cave), which is probably a minute portion of society.
Data and digital devices are more vulnerable than ever to cybercrime due to the amount of sensitive information stored not just digitally but on networked systems and the connected devices that make up the Internet of Things (IoT). Any new piece of data and any new connected device serves up entry points of vulnerability for cybercriminals. No information is safe in the digital world, particularly when a device communicates with the internet. Security researchers have demonstrated how a hacker could infiltrate even a seemingly innocuous tea kettle to steal employee passwords to all sorts of digital networks. In 2020, the Solarwinds hack created a fake cross-site scripting attack that led to a backdoor created by hackers within vulnerable software commonly used by private and public sector organizations to monitor network activity.
Cybersecurity is important because it protects all types of information from unauthorized access and theft. When those transmitted through the Internet are given protected status, it makes it nearly impossible to adequately defend an organization from data breach campaigns. As such, you cannot possibly defend against such a threat because it makes it an easy target for cybercriminals.
Cyber threats can come from any level of an organization, such is the nature of insider threats. Since many items you may be checking on the computer include intellectual property, ransomware, and personal information, employers must include cybersecurity awareness training in their workforce development sessions. This training can educate employees on ways to avoid falling victim to common cyber threats, like social engineering scams and phishing which are designed to persuade and coerce victims into fraudulent schemes.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity, or the process of computer systems being secure, is a concept of organizations that ensures networks and data are protected from hackers. This can help protect the organization and its data from cyberassaults. Why should people who run government agencies, large companies, or individuals be concerned with cybersecurity? Then again, why should anyone using the internet be too scared to use it to its full extent? Simply put, cybersecurity helps to protect people and organizations from hackers, malware, pirates, and other related cyber-risks.
Here are some top reasons why cybersecurity is key;
- To Protect Corporate and Customer Private Data
- Rising Costs of Breaches
- Increasing Number of Cyber Threats
- Increasing Severity of Cyber Attacks
- Widely Accessible Hacking Tools
- Cybersecurity Threats Faced by Individuals
- Increase of the Remote Workforce
Top Cybersecurity Tools You Should Start Using
There are dozens of readily available cybersecurity tools out there, and some won’t even cost you a penny. Granted, if you want the premium stuff, you will need to pay a small sum each month to receive service, customer support, and a verified product from cybersecurity vendors. Some of the most commercial cybersecurity products include things like VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), anti-malware (malicious software) suites, antivirus suites, password managers, and privacy-focused browsers. Most of the time, a combination of these tools will suffice for the average user. However, there is always a way to become more anonymous and more difficult to track online, depending on who you are and what you do online.
Here are several types of commonly utilized cybersecurity tools for both personal and industrial use;
Types Of CyberSecurity Tools
CyberSecurity Software can be categorized into different types as mentioned below;
- Network Security Monitoring tools
- Encryption Tools
- Web Vulnerability Scanning tools
- Network Defense Wireless Tools
- Packet Sniffers
- Antivirus Software
- Firewall
- PKI Services
- Managed Detection Services
- Penetration Testing
How do I best protect myself, you ask? Well, as we said earlier, you will need a VPN, an antimalware suite, a good privacy browser, and a password manager. Other than that, you will need to adjust some settings on your devices as well as configure your systems as well as your main router so that your password is not easily perceivable by outsiders.
You could go with a premium VPN such as NordVPN which will allow you to be anonymous and encrypted online. Next, grab a good antimalware sweet such as offerings from Malwarebytes or Kaspersky for antivirus. You will also need a browser that does not leak data about your system, your location, and your browsing. This would be a privacy-focused browser such as Brave, Mozilla Firefox (with the uBlock Origin extension), or DuckDuckGo. You may also want to look at a password manager from reputable companies such as 1Password to store and lock all of your passwords with a master key only you have access to.
Finally, you want to set up your devices themselves (smartphone, laptop, tablet, or otherwise) for ultimate privacy and security. This means disabling any diagnostics, and location features, looking at what permissions your apps have, and activating multi-factor authentication where possible. All of your devices will have a privacy and security section in their settings, and it would be good that you make sure you scrutinize each feature there. You may also want to ensure that your software is updated at all times so that you receive the latest security fixes and updates.
Here is one last (but certainly not least) word of advice for anyone looking to be safe and private online. It is this: please use common sense when browsing the internet. This is particularly vital when inputting information such as bank card numbers or other personal information online. It is key that you do not overshare information on social networking sites, and that you do not fall victim to email scams trying to lure you to click on a link or download an attachment.
