Hardly a week seems to go by without word of a company or organisation hit by a cyber-attack. In addition, we all know someone who has been the victim of a computer hack or fraud.
It is possible, however, to add a robust form of defence to your computer that will help protect you from such adverse occurrences.
A VPN is "Virtual Private Network" - a protected network connection that encrypts your internet traffic and disguises your identity. If you use a VPN on your computer then hackers and cyber criminals cannot steal this data because it is encrypted such that it is impossible for a digital ‘intruder’ to decipher. It will also disguise your whereabouts, ensuring that your location cannot be determined.
In addition, using a VPN means that you can ‘spoof’ your location. In effect, this means your computer (quite legitimately) appears to be in another location. One bonus with this is that it gives you access to services that are usually only open to use in other regions – for instance if you wanted to use your UK Netflix membership whilst you were in another country. .
A VPN keeps your web history private. Whilst most internet service providers (ISPs) can be trusted with your browsing history, some have been known to share your it with advertisers, the police or government, or other third parties.
Crooks like to create viruses that exploit weakens in particular programs. A VPN can detect outside interference and terminate these programs, reducing the likelihood that your information is leaked.
There are a great many VPNs available on the internet, some of which are free to install. For full protection, however, always choose a paid version, such as the reliable and reasonably priced Nord.