Using A VPN Can Help To Prevent Cybercrime

With the advent of the internet, there have also come risks. Increasingly we use WiFi for so many tasks and entertainment purposes but, is our connection safe? Most are not hacking has become an art form for criminals and government agencies alike. Cybercrime is estimated to cost the world economy over a trillion dollars annually and rising year on year. The latest figures suggest a 50% rise since 2018 alone. 

There are ways that can help prevent the loss to business and private internet users. For further information check this guide on some of the best VPN services available. Here are just some of the main reasons you should have a VPN running on your smartphone, PC, tablet, or for your office network.

• Preventing identity theft
• Ensuring secure public WiFi
• Having a trusted connection to use financial services
• Reducing online shopping costs
• Lowering data costs
• Secure messaging and calls

Helping To Prevent Hacking Threats

Being most vulnerable to hackers whilst being connected to a public WiFi connection a VPN is often using the same technology as an advanced military. No public connection is safe for the transfer of data, especially your financial details. By using a secured VPN your data is encrypted, sent via a secured network that even internet providers and website owners would not be able to trace or collect your information.

Working From Home And On The Move 

The previous 12 months have been very demanding for all of us, Covid-19 has changed the world but hopefully, we can get the world back on track soon. One thing many people have noticed is that working from home is possible. Forget the daily commutes to and from work when all you need is an internet connection and the same work can be done from the comfort of your home and at your leisure. 

The only problem is standard internet connections are vulnerable to prying eyes and attack. By using a secure VPN connection that is encrypted via a secure server you can still enjoy working from home and you and your company can have peace of mind that your work is protected from people who do not have a right to see sensitive data you may be working on.

An Affordable Option  

For home use or businesses, a VPN is a very affordable option to increase your level of security. Many companies now have free options that are usually adequate for home use. For small or large businesses the cost of having a large IT department monitoring all traffic over the network can be very expensive.

Having a VPN can help eliminate costs. Not only reducing the costs for tech staff but the damaging cost of data theft, which is costing industry billions of dollars each year.

Helping To Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft is something everybody should take measures to avoid. Nobody is immune from this threat, last year alone over 2 billion dollars were stolen using identity theft. Criminals have made cybercrime a full-time job, from the usual and all to common scam emails asking for information asking for log-in details and private information to taking over your mobile phone accounts and running up large bills.

A VPN can do a lot to prevent these types of crimes, reducing the vulnerability to cybercrimes and helping to combat such crimes as fraud which can often be hard to prove against, wasting your valuable time and money.

Your Medical Data

Medical records and data may come to mind first; they are inherently a personal matter which most people would like to be safe in the knowledge that the records are treated confidentially. Whilst not technically a crime your search history can have the effect of leaving a trace and you can be targeted by specific adverts. On a shared computer whether you searched at home or work anybody else using the computer or tablet will also have these adverts pop up in their internet searches.

By using a VPN you can eliminate or reduce this potentially embarrassing situation, after all, they are personal to you and should not be viewed by anybody else.

Summary

When choosing a VPN service there are some things to consider depending on the level of security you require.

• Data limits, many services offer unlimited data which is ideal for smartphone users
• Using a VPN on multiple devices, many services will allow you to use the service on multiple devices, some may not, check before downloading.
• Using a VPN will help to reduce the chances of cybercrime but is not a guarantee, check many options before you decide.

As technology improves unfortunately so does the ability of hackers but you can help to prevent cybercrime and an invasion of your privacy if you are not using a VPN it is time to consider installing one.

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