Computer Security Threats Can Be Easily Avoided Through VPN and Proxy Services

       Idcloak has published a new article addressing computer security threats and the ways which netizens can keep themselves safe while browsing the web.

The article, titled 'Computer Security Protection - Avoiding Electronic Identity Theft', aims to expose some of the methods used to carry out identity theft and internet fraud.

Connor Mills, web researcher at idcloak, said of identity theft and cyber crime, “Cyber crime is adapting and changing, and the list of vulnerabilities that make these attacks possible is long.

Hackers have more methods and tools at their disposal than ever before, and that is not something that is soon to change. The good news is that there are a number of countermeasures to hackers available, but people must first become aware of how easily their financial and personal information can be compromised.

“There are a few widespread forms of cyber attack which are worth mentioning; the first being phishing. Essentially, hackers will infect legitimate sites with malicious software in order to 'phish' out information about those who access it. Another method is sidejacking; hackers will invade an active web session in order to gain access to someone's personal data. Sidejacking is the result of network sniffing more widely, which is very dangerous itself, as the average user relays much of their data in an unencrypted form; lastly, we have Remote Keyloggers: insidious spyware used to capture victims' data as they type it into their keyboard.”

Several of these hacking threats rely on the interception of data coming to and from the target's computer over their wifi connection. SSL proxies will give the user a degree of online protection, but they can be inconsistent in terms of performance. Some proxy sites themselves are also set up as phishing scams. The best defense for user data is a quality VPN service, which will send the data through an encrypted tunnel to a secure inhouse server, hiding sensitive information from potential data thieves.

Mills had this to say about the future of internet crime, “The larger the role that the internet and technology begin to play in our lives, which is increasing exponentially, the more threats we are beginning to see. Within numerous aspects of our existence, we are growing more dependent on the web. The more dependent we become the more of a feeding frenzy the online world will be for tech savvy criminals seeking monetary or personal gain.”