In 2022, the level of awareness among people regarding cybersecurity is rising. The rate of digitization also accelerated as the world adopted the use of video conferencing applications. However, this also increased the rate of data generation. According to The World Bank, the total Internet traffic in 2022 will reach 4.8 Zettabytes. It can see that cybersecurity became one of the most serious issues that human being need to tackle about in the prospective future.
The pandemic also exposed the interconnection between businesses and how this increase in digitization launched the global population towards new cyber threats and attacks. One way to mitigate these new threats is to use a VPN premium service to encrypt your data stream and mask your IP address from cybercriminals. VPN is the acronym of Virtual Private Network. It's crucial to use a reliable VPN proxy to ensure your cybersecurity. The article introduces what is cybersecurity and why does it matter to you?
Why Does Cybersecurity Matter?
Recently, breaches of supposedly secure systems have sent a wave of fear into the general public regarding the security of their personal information. Business owners and executives also fear that a cyber leak could bring extensive losses and ruin their reputation. Identity theft is becoming more common, and banks, governments, lenders, and insurance companies are struggling to stem the menace of digital robbery.
At the same time, businesses are regularly targeted with phishing attacks, malware, or ransomware to steal data or block their access to their IT infrastructure. Hackers leverage data for all of their malicious intentions, like exposing trade secrets or research with consumer identification and financial records.
Cybersecurity 2022
In 2022, cybersecurity is taking technological leaps to keep up with the blossoming technological applications with comprehensive data sharing. You can enhance cybersecurity efforts through these key strategies:
Prioritize
You need to secure the most sensitive information before moving out to a large volume of data. If you try securing the larger volume first, there are chances that you compromise your cybersecurity and leave out an exploitable loophole.
Leadership
As an executive, you are responsible for your organization’s wellbeing. Since the risks of cyber attacks are increasing, leaders need to ensure that cybersecurity is an organizational priority. Also, leaders should provide the security team with the necessary resources.
Resilience
Your organization should evaluate all digital risks and prepare for future attacks by deploying safeguarding protocols for essential systems and establishing a framework to ensure cybersecurity within your organization.
Learning
Authorites should deploy the cybersecurity policies with mutual understanding among stakeholders in the industry. Also, authorities should inform people about the advancement of cybersecurity and the disadvantages of igonring the cybersecurity measurements.
Training
Leaders should teach and train their employees regarding the importance of using strong passwords, updating software, and encrypting data transmissions.
The Trends of Cryptocurrency
The trends of cyyptocurrency skyrocketed in recent years. However, there are huge potential threats of cybersecurity behind this trending. For example, earlier, there is a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline at the start of May 2021. Then, the company reluctantly shut down over 5,000 miles of pipeline until the hacker group, known as Darkside, received a total of $5 million in Bitcoin.
After restoring power, the U.S. law enforcement officials recovered $2.3 million of the ransom after identifying the cryptocurrency wallet used for ransom collection. Later, the officials discovered that the Darkside had extorted more than $90 million in Bitcoin from 47 victims.
Here are some common cryptocurrency scams:
Investment Scams
Hackers lure individuals to websites with seemingly legitimate testimonials. The fake word of mouth and forged profitability charts make it appear as if their investments are growing.
Giveaway Scams
Hackers pose as well-established investors or public figures and offer to help smaller investors and companies. Their authenticity is so compelling that the victim decides to send their crypto directly into the hands of the scammer.
Workplace Surveillance
Lockdowns imposed to contain the pandemic pushed millions of employees to work from their homes. At the same time, their managers followed suit and started monitoring their remote workers. Constant check-ins, always-on webcams, and keystroke tracking software were among the common tools used by managers.
However, many workers were already familiar with these invasive monitoring techniques, but the technological advancements allowed employers to monitor their employees in and out of their workplaces. The dangers fall heavily on workers who are vulnerable and facing economic inequalities.
Pervasive and unchecked workplace surveillance fundamentally extends power towards the employer. These techniques induce illegal discrimination within the organization by leading to constant stress for workers as they could be fired from their jobs at any time.
The Growth of Ransomware
In 2021, global cyber attacks were at an all-time high as hackers continued to take advantage of the sudden shift to remote work due to the pandemic. Various industries faced ransomware attacks, and hackers are increasing their demands significantly. Here are some recent examples:
Conti Ransomware
Hackers spread the Conti Ransomware through spear-phishing campaigns via tailored emails that contain malicious attachments. Hackers can also insert malicious links by getting hold of weak Remote Desktop Protocol credentials.
Nefilim Ransomware
Hackers spread Nefilim Ransomware through exposed Remote Desktop Protocol setups by brute force and accessing vulnerabilities for initial access, such as Citrix gateway devices.
DarkSide Ransomware
Hackers from the organization DarkSide, perform numerous brute force attacks and exploits on RDP to gain access. First seen in August 2020, the DarkSide ransomware was updated to v2.0 in March 2021. Now, it’s associated with the DarkSide group, which operates as a Ransomware-as-a-Service.
The Rise of Internet Censorship
China is the hub of internet censorship due to the authoritarian government. Previously, it was just political activity, but now censorship has reached areas of science and entrepreneurship as researchers and businesses have lost access to tools like Google Scholar or Dropbox.
Censorship limits the ability of people to search and use tools to protect themselves from hackers. The government also pays special attention to the usage of VPN Proxy Master as it may be used to access something declared as illegal by the government. Internet censorship is another tool to manipulate the residents and hide global realities.
However, numerous organizations introduce internet censorship to protect their IT infrastructure from malware. Normally, these organizations hold sensitive data that can not be exposed to any risk of data leak or brute force attacks.
Data Breaches
A data breach exposes confidential or sensitive information to unauthorized individuals. These files are shared or viewed by people without the permission of the owner. Sometimes, data breaches are traced to intentional attacks. Here are some ways that lead to a data breach:
An accidental insider
A person who views information unintentionally while using someone’s computer or mobile phone.
A malicious insider
A person who has full intentions of viewing or sharing your data. Even when the insider may have an authorization, his intentions might be to use the information in mischievous ways.
Lost or stolen devices
If you lose your external hard drive, the person who finds it might use them for malicious activities after realizing the value of data. Some people also steal devices with an intention to breach data.
Malicious criminals
Hackers leverage various techniques to gain access to sensitive information stored on computers. They use phishing, brute force attacks, or malware to gain access.
How to Protect Yourself in the Cyber World
Unencrypted data moves around the cyber world with IP addresses attached as tags. The best way you can protect yourself while surfing the Internet from your home or workplace is by using VPN Proxy Master. A VPN service encrypts your data and masks your IP address, allowing your data to roam around the cyber world anonymously. Your data will never be traced to you, but it will reach the intended recipient.
Hackers use your IP address to plant brute force attacks on your computer’s RDP service. A VPN service masks your IP and rotates it so that the hacker monitoring your internet activity has a hard time finding your real IP address and initiating the attack.
Conclusion
Staying safe from Covid-19 and cyber attacks is equally important in 2022. Therefore, you need to deploy smart cyber security techniques to keep your data safe from leaks. These techniques also assist in reducing the number of ransomware attacks and losses to your organization. To protect yourself and your data from malicious actors on the internet, you should subscribe to VPN Proxy Master. Head to their website and choose one of their affordable price plans. Begin your journey to online freedom with VPN Proxy Master.
