Cybersecurity Guide

This website will teach you everything you need about data security and cybersecurity.

[cybersecurityguide]

4 Things To Consider Before Buying An Antivirus Software

There are lots of benefits than an antivirus software can give you. First and foremost, it can protect your computer systems as well as mobile devices against the harmful effects of computer viruses. It basically prevents a malware from corrupting and destroying all of your important files stored in a laptop or desktop computer. On top of that, an antivirus software can all block all sorts of spywares from stealing confidential information in a mobile device or a computer. This essentially prevents identity theft from happening. In most cases, an antivirus software also has a spam protection feature which limits the chance that you will be getting malware or computer virus from unsolicited e-mails and unsolicited ads online.

While we may enumerate all of the benefits antivirus can give, it does not remove the fact that there are lots of antivirus software available out there. It sometimes gets you confused about which one to choose. This is the reason why you should know more about the 4 things to consider before buying an antivirus software.

1. Cost of the antivirus software

It is very obvious that you need to be mindful of the price of the antivirus software before even thinking of buying it. Budget is really one of the factors that affects the selection process for an antivirus software. In most cases, the price of the antivirus protection largely depends on the credibility of the manufacturer as well as the various features the antivirus software can offer. You need to choose wisely. You must balance the credibility and affordability with the affordability.

As a matter of fact, you need to know whether the antivirus software being offered is the latest version or an older one. You also need to make sure that there is enough free trial period so that you can test the antivirus software program thoroughly before purchasing a license or a subscription. On top of that, you need to factor in all of the related expenses such as the cost of the regular updates or the cost for renewing your antivirus software license.

2. Effect on the computer speed

While using the trial version of the antivirus software, you need to check its effect on the computer speed while the antivirus protection is active. In case you haven’t noticed, the antivirus software is running in the background. This means that as long as the computer is on, the antivirus software will also be continuously running and will eat computer resources such as your RAM and CPU. This is the reason why you need to make sure that our computer is powerful enough to handle the computer resource requirements of the antivirus software. Otherwise, there will be not enough RAM and computer resources to run other important programs in your computer simultaneously. You need to make sure that the antivirus program that you will be buying is not consuming a lot of computer resources in order for it to remain active.

3. Efficiency & Effectivity of Virus Removal

You also need to research about the efficiency and effectivity of virus removal using a particular antivirus software program. You need to make sure that the chosen antivirus program is constantly and regularly updating its database of all known cyber threats such as the computer viruses, computer worms, trojan horses, malwares, spywares, and even the latest ransomwares that have been developed. The antivirus software program should also be able identify, monitor and eliminate rootkits which could destroy your files and possibly install keyloggers to your computer system. It should also must have protection against antivirus disablers.

On top of that, you should assess whether the antivirus software program has the ability to remove a computer virus without corrupting your files in the process. You should also ensure that the antivirus program must have the ability and functionality to automatically quarantine suspicious files. If the credibility of the file source and data source can’t clearly be established, it should be automatically blocked so that it won’t be able to intrude your computer system.

4. Tech support availability

You should be able to know if there is a tech support available whenever buying a software license or subscription of an antivirus software. You need to see if there is a user manual found in the website of the company selling the antivirus software. You also need to look of any sign of the availability of frequently asked questions (FAQs) as well as the availability of troubleshooting manual in the company’s website.

[cybersecurityguide]

3 Basic Types of Computer Operating Systems

Before a computer system can function, it must first have an operating system. Without it, your computer would be totally useless as it could not execute the basic commands to turn on the computer system. The computer operating system is what binds the computer hardware, computer software, as well as the application programs that you wish to run on your computer. This is the reason why you should be aware and be familiar of the different types and kinds of computer operating system that are available. So, in this article, we will introduce you to the 3 basic types of computer operating systems that you should be aware of.

Computer Operating System #1: Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is one of the most popular computer operating systems of today’s generation. The first version of this computer operating system was initially launched on November 1985. They called the software program Windows 1.0. However, based on the experts, the Windows 1.0 is not a fully operational computer operating system but rather just an extension of the MS-DOS. Windows 2.0 was then released on December 1987 and made significant improvements to the computer operating system. The user interface as well as the memory management of the computer operating system was significantly improved.  Multi-tasking of DOS program started to be allowed in this Microsoft Windows version.

Windows 3.0 was then released 3 years later in 1990. One decade later, Microsoft decided to release the millennial edition or the Windows 2000. After that, Windows XP was released a year later in 2001. Then 5 years later, Windows Vista was introduced that led to a series of major improvements to the computer operating system. Windows 7 was then publicly launched at the last quarter of 2009. As of this moment, the support for the earlier versions of Microsoft Windows has already been discontinued.

The company decided to launch Windows 8 in October 2012. It paved the way for additional enhancements such as integrations to some of the social media platforms. On top of that, integration with best cloud storage providers such as OneDrive which Microsoft actually owns has also been introduced. Moreover, it was in 2014 when Windows 10 has been rolled out commercially for public use. As of this moment, Microsoft Windows holds 87% of the total market share for the computer operating systems being used.

Computer Operating System #2: MacOS

MacOS is one of the most popular computer operating systems worldwide next to Microsoft Windows. As a matter of fact, MacOS currently holds approximately 10% of the total market share for computer operating systems being used by both laptops and desktop computers. MacOS was first released to the market in 2001. MacOS X 10. 0 version was called Cheetah and was released on March of 2001. Later that year, on September 2001, Apple Inc. decided to roll out MacOS X 10.1 which was called Puma. It actually added some useful features such as the popular DVD playback technology.

In August 2012, Apple Inc. launched MacOS X 10.2 which the company claims to have more than 150 aspects of upgrades and improvements. It is in this version of this computer operating system wherein the iChat instant messaging application program of MacOS was first introduced. Mac OS X 10.2 was later called Jaguar. In October 2003, Mac OS X 10.3 was rolled out for public used. This particular version embedded the Safari web browser on Apple devices. In subsequent years, further developments to the computer operating system has been made. As a matter of fact, in October 2019, macOS 10.15 (Catalina) was launched.

However, you should be aware that as early as 1984, Apple Inc. had actually created an earlier version of the computer operating system which the company called classic Mac OS. Apple Inc. has actually taken inspiration from the Unix computer system which Steve Jobs and his team created after he left his own company.

Computer Operating System #3: Linux

Linux is the 3rd most popular computer operating system that have been widely used next to Microsoft Windows and MacOS. As a matter of fact, it currently holds approximately 2.06% of the total market share of computer operating system usage in desktop computers and laptops globally. It was first released in 1991 by a software developer named Linus Torvalds. Linux is known for having subsystems such as the Ubuntu, Debian, as well as Fedora. While it is the 3rd most popular computer operating system, the gap in the market share of Linux to Windows is still very huge.

[cybersecurityguide]

Top 3 Ransomware That You Should Worry About

Since ransomware is one of the most prevalent cyberattacks that have been conducted over the internet, you should really be aware more about it in order to be able to prevent it. You should not only know the general characteristics of a ransomware but you should learn the ways how to avoid getting your computer infected with it. This is the reason why in this article, we will share with you the top 3 ransomware attacks that you should really worry about. Learning more about each of the attacks will bring us closer to the goal of avoiding and prevent each of the ransomware that might just be lurking around.

Ransomware #1: WannaCry

The WannaCry Ransomware is very famous since it is one of the most dangerous ransomware attacks in the history. It is also one of the ransomware attacks that spread throughout globally causing massive economic damage and data loss in May 2017. As a matter of fact, there were more than 230,000 individual computers all over the world that have been affected by the ransomware program. It is said that it started when one group of hackers found out the vulnerability and backdoor system named EternalBlue that the National Security Agency of the United States of America has secretly developed.

Hackers who control the ransomware was reportedly extorting approximately $300 for every infected computer so that all of the files and hard disk drives that were encrypted can be decoded once again. The people behind the ransomware program are pressuring the computer owners to pay in Bitcoin cryptocurrency within 7 days upon infection or else their files will be permanently be encrypted and ultimately deleted. It was estimated that

This incident could have been easily prevented if only people care about getting the services of the best cloud storage providers available. If people have constant backup of all of their important files in the cloud, they will not be pressured to pay the ransom at all. Or if they don’t have money to pay the ransom, they will not completely lose access to the most important files that they hold dear.

Ransomware #2: Petya

Petya is a ransomware that was originally created in 2016 but has been modified several times to make it stronger and more powerful than the previous versions. It does not infect the files directly unlike other ransomware programs. What it actually does is that it injects a payload within the master boot record of computer machines that utilizes the Windows operating system. It further encrypts the NTFS system to prevent the computer system from completely loading. This set of procedures makes an entire computer worthless. It was later found out that this type of ransomware infects computers using e-mails with unsolicited e-mail attachments. This could have been prevented if people and businesses are using the best VPN service providers that have its own malware and adware blockers.

Since the inception of the Petya Ransomware, it is estimated that people and businesses suffered financial loss as much as 10 billion U.S. dollars. Even after paying the $300 ransom for each of the infected computers, the hackers were unable to restore access and unlock each of the computer systems. In an independent report in 2017, it was found out that 80% of all of the Petya ransomware attacks around the world targeted various government agencies, private businesses and institutions in Ukraine. Famous businesses and institutions such as Rosneft, Merck, as well as Mondelez and the National Bank of Ukraine became victims of this nasty ransomware attack.

Ransomware #3: Ryuk

The Ryuk ransomware is notorious for targeting big businesses who can pay large amounts of money as ransom. Instead of infecting a vast number of computer systems randomly, the developers of the Ryuk ransomware decided to actually target Fortune 500 companies around the world. It also gained wide recognition since it also targeted national newspaper companies within the USA. Based on the reports, each company that have been successfully attacked is requested to pay at least $300,000 in order to restore access to all of the files and computer systems that have been previously compromised. This makes the Ryuk ransomware one of the most expensive ransomware attacks in the history.

It was also later found out that more than 100 companies have been affected by this type of ransomware. This include but is not limited to EMCOR Group, Epiq Global, as well as Fortune 500 companies and USA newspaper publishers. Apparently the Ryuk ransomware is using a combination of 4096-bit RSA encryption as well as 256-bit AES encryption to carry out the ransomware attacks.

[cybersecurityguide]

Top 4 Ways On How To Choose A VPN Service Provider Intelligently

In order to protect your online identity as well as your internet privacy, you should really get the services of a reliable virtual private network system. As you can see, there are many viable options available. There can be at least 60 different VPN service providers competing in the virtual private network industry. This is where things get complicated as you can’t easily decide which among the available options you are going to settle down for. This is the exact reason why I created this article. I want you to know the top 4 ways on how to choose a VPN service provider intelligently.

1. Choose a VPN service provider that has high affordability.

When we talk about affordability, we do not only consider the subscription price but also the number of simultaneous VPN connections the best VPN service can provide. A VPN service may look very affordable, but it might only give you access to limited VPN connections. You need to find the right balance. I strongly suggest getting a VPN service with unlimited simultaneous VPN connections. If it’s not possible, at least get a VPN service that allows 5 simultaneous VPN connections and at the same time is compatible with most routers available. In this way, you can extend the capacity of the virtual private network with regards to simultaneous VPN connections.

2. Choose a VPN service provider that has a high level of privacy and security.

When we talk about privacy and security, there are lots of things that you should consider. First and foremost, you need to know whether the virtual private network service provider is following the zero-logging policy that will ensure your online privacy. Whenever in doubt, always check the privacy policy page of the website of the VPN service provider. Read all the provisions stated and make sure that there are no contradictory statements that will disprove the claim of implementing the no-logging policy. Second, you need to know the type of data encryption the VPN service provider is using. Most of the best VPN service providers are using the 256-bit AES encryption. Third, you should also know the different VPN tunneling protocols available in a specific virtual private network system.

3. Choose a VPN service provider that has lots of advanced features.

In cases wherein the price of the VPN service subscription is higher than most of its competitors, then you really need to consider the availability of advanced features of the virtual private network platform. Most often than not, it will justify the high price. First and foremost, you need to make sure that the internet kill switch capability of the VPN service provider works efficiently. Most virtual private network systems do have this capability but not all works perfectly. This means that you need to test the feature thoroughly.

Second, you also need to look for Double VPN technology which is also sometimes referred to as Multi-Hop VPN capability. It will increase the encryption further by adding another layer of encryption on a VPN connection.  With this capability, you can connect at least 2 different VPN servers at once in a single VPN connection.

Third, you should also be aware of the presence of the split tunneling feature which will allow you let internet traffic to pass through even outside the VPN connection. Fourth, you also need to look for any signs of the availability of the Tor Over VPN technology which will allow a VPN connection to be established before entering a Tor server. Fifth, you also need to find out whether or not the VPN service provider has an adware blocker as well as malware blocker and web tracker blocker.

4. Choose a VPN service provider that is compatible to smart TVs and can unblock geo-restrictions of video streaming services.

One reason why people get a virtual private network system is that they want to be able to get access to geo-restricted content of video streaming platforms. While it is expected for VPN service providers to unblock these restrictions, the number of video streaming platforms that can be accessed varies. There are other video streaming services that have stronger DPI firewalls and tougher VPN blockers which make various virtual private network platforms unique from each other.  Aside from that, you also need to make sure that the VPN service provider is compatible with smart TVs such as Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and NVIDIA Shield TV in order for you to optimize your video streaming experience.

[cybersecurityguide]

4 Data Privacy Laws You Should know About

Information privacy as well as data security are very important in determining the best cloud storage service provider that you should get for your data storage needs. In fact, you should know the various data privacy laws that are being respected and being followed by the cloud storage providers. Depending on the type of data and information, reliable cloud storage platforms must adhere to the principles set forth in a specific data privacy law regardless of the location of their operations. This is the reason why in this article, we will discuss the 4 data privacy laws that cloud storage service providers follow that you should actually know about.

Data Privacy Law #1: GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a data privacy law that was actually created for countries within the European Union as well as for businesses and various organizations that are part of the European Economic Area. This particular data privacy law has been drafted on April 2016 but was only implemented starting May 2018. It is very extensive and is composed of 11 chapters detailing various provisions that will ensure the information privacy and data security of the people.

Even the proper handling and transfer of data and information from the European Union jurisdiction to other countries are described in the General Data Protection Regulation. As a matter of fact, it became an inspiration for other countries to draft their own local data privacy laws patterned after the provisions of the GDPR. It is no surprise that the best cloud storage providers worldwide are complying with the rules and regulations mentioned in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Data Privacy Law #2: HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a data privacy law in the United States of America that was actually created to protect the information privacy rights of people seeking medical attention. It was actually enacted as early as 1996 although the privacy and data security provisions of the law has been amended and improved in 2003. Based on the rules and regulations of this data privacy law, all of the data that can personally identify a particular person must be protected. These data include but is not limited to full name, pictures, phone numbers, e-mail address, birth date as well as geographical identifiers.

The HIPAA was also crafted in order to secure the confidentiality of other file types such as all sorts of medical information including medical diagnosis and medical test results. Based on research, there are a few cloud storage service providers that are HIPAA compliant.

Data Privacy Law #3: PIPEDA

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is a data privacy law that was created in Canada in April 2000. It has the power and authority to require various organizations to legally ask consent first whenever they are trying to collect and store personal information. Whenever organizations and institutions have the intent to use and share the information to other people and other organizations, consent must also be expressly given first. This data privacy law also allows individuals to know why an organization collects their personal information. It also gives then the right who in the organization should be liable whenever there is breach of confidential information.

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act also has a provision wherein no business organization can deny you access to products and services even if you refused to give consent to gather personal information. This provision of the law can be lifted if the information being asked is quite essential to the business transaction.

Data Privacy Law #4: California Consumer Privacy Act

The California Consumer Privacy Act is a data privacy law legislated in June 2018 in the State of California and became effective in January 2020. It is very obvious that the intention of this particular data privacy law is to ensure that the right to privacy of the citizens of the State of California is well respected.

One of the provisions set forth in the California Consumer Privacy Act is that as a consumer, you have the right and authority to say no whenever a business organization is trying to sell your information to other people or to other business organization. You can even request personal information deletion from the database of a business organization if you feel that your right to privacy is being violated. You also have the right to know what kind of personal information business organizations are collecting. Based on research, there are certain cloud storage service providers that ensure the data privacy of its users through the California Consumer Privacy Act.

[cybersecurityguide]

3 Types of Project Management Software

A manager may experience lots of work-related problems especially if he or she is supervising lots of people under his or her team. This include but is not limited to poor teamwork, poor employee performance, as well as poor time management of the individual tasks for a specific project. This is the reason why managers need to use the best project management tools out there that will be able to enhance and improve work collaboration as well as improve the overall performance of the team. This is the reason why we will discuss the 3 types of project management software programs that have been proven to be useful in solving management challenges.

Project Management Software #1: Asana

Asana is a popular project management system that was invented and launched to the public in 2012. There are millions of users that use the free version of this project management system. As early as 2018, Asana have already reached more than 50,000 business organizations that are actively paying for a subscription. With this particular project management system, you can easily create manageable tasks for a specific project and add deadlines for each of them. Assigning team members individual tasks can also be done easily with a touch of a button.

Attaching files from Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, as well as Dropbox is also possible in this particular project management system. These application programs are actually some of the best cloud storage providers in the industry. With the help of these cloud storage platform integrations, sharing files and increasing work collaboration would be easy. Asana also has lots of app integrations such as Slack, Zapier, and Tableau. Creating Gantt Charts using Asana is also possible. You can use Asana for free as long as your team members does not exceed 15 people. Otherwise, you need to pay for a premium subscription.

Project Management Software #2: Trello

If you are new to project management, I would definitely advise you to use Trello as a project management system. It is very easy to use and less complicated than most of the project management tools available out there. As a matter of fact, you can just add 3 columns to start with. One column is assigned for all of the to-do list, another column is assigned for the tasks that are currently being worked with, and the third column will be for the tasks that have been successfully done by the team. Of course, you can modify and add more columns or lists to the project management board as you wish depending on your needs.

You can easily create an individual task by clicking on the “add another card” button on one of the lists or columns in Trello. You can also assign members of the team so that everyone will know who will be responsible for accomplishing a specific task within a project. On top of that, you can add a specific schedule for accomplishing a specific task of a project. You can specify the date and time of the deadline of a task. You can also create a checklist within a specific task if you want to break down the task to smaller pieces. Sharing and attaching files from cloud storage providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive is also allowed in this project management system. This project management software was actually created and launched to the public in 2011.

Project Management Software #3: Wrike

Wrike is a very popular project management system that has been developed and released for public use since 2006. This project management tool was created by Wrike Inc., a company that is operating in San Jose, California in the United States of America. As of the moment there are more than 20,000 teams, companies, and business organizations that have trusted Wrike as a project management tool that will ultimately enhance their work collaboration and work productivity. There are also more than 2 million individual users that are actively using as a project management system.

Sharing files form cloud storage providers such as Box, Google Drive, and Dropbox is possible with the use of the Wrike project management system. There are also other app integrations available so that you can connect Adobe, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, as well as Microsoft 365 to this particular project management system. If you wish to connect other application programs, you can use Wrike’s API to create useful integrations to this project management tool. You can easily manage and visualize the progress of all of your projects with this project management software.

[cybersecurityguide]

3 Most Popular Password Managers

It is very dangerous to compile a list of your passwords both online and offline without the proper security measures being implemented. If you write down all of your passwords in a piece of paper or in a notebook, someone might be able to look at it and steal all of your log-in credentials. This could be dangerous. The same is true when you store your password for various online accounts in your computer. While you can create passwords that are hard to guess and just memorize all of them, a dictionary password attack or a brute-force password attack Is still possible.

Besides, it is very difficult to memorize a random password with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters all at once. This is the reason why you will need the help of the best password managers available out there to secure all of your log-in credentials. This is the reason why in this article, we will tell you more about the 3 most popular password managers that are readily available.

Best Password Manager #1: Dashlane

Dashlane is one of the most popular password managers available in the industry. As a matter of fact, there are more than 10 million people in this world who have trusted Dashlane to keep all of their passwords secured. This particular password manager was first released to the public on May 2012. It currently uses the 256-bit AES encryption to ensure that all of the log-in credentials you have stored in Dashlane remains confidential, private, and secured. Breach of confidential data is impossible since everything is kept private using a client-side encryption. Passwords are stored on your local devices and not on the servers of Dashlane.

As time goes by, Dashlane have kept improving its system. As of the moment, this particular password manager has a multi-factor authentication system as well as automatic form filling feature. You can also create random password easily with a touch of a button using Dashlane. Very recently, Dashlane has included a virtual private network protection on its premium service subscribers. It has actually embedded Hotspot Shield VPN which is considered to be one of the best VPN service providers in the industry.

Best Password Manager #2: LastPass

LastPass is one of the most popular passwords managers that is really worth trying. As a matter of fact, there are more than 25 million people from various parts of the world that are constantly using LastPass in order to store all of their passwords in a very secure manner. There are also more than 70,000 business organizations who have trusted LastPass for their password storage needs. You don’t have to pay for anything if you want to use this particular password manager. It’s totally free. The basic services LastPass provides include one-to-one sharing of a log-in credential as well as a random password generator. On top of that, a security dashboard as well as multi-factor authentication are available. There is also a feature wherein you can automatically save and fill password when you are logged-in to your LastPass account.

You can also get the premium service of LastPass for $3 per month. With this option, you can get additional features on top of the basic services of this particular password management system. The premium subscription plan actually allows you to share a log-in credential to multiple people all at once. Aside from that, you will gain access to tech support which is not available in the free version of LastPass. Moreover, dark web monitoring to ensure that possible breach of confidential information is prevented. The premium subscription plan of LastPass also allows you to acquire 1 GB worth of built-in cloud storage system. This cloud storage space is quite limited. So, if you really wish for it, I suggest that you get the best cloud storage provider for your data storage needs instead.

Best Password Manager #3: Keeper

Keeper is a popular password management system that has been introduced by Keeper Security Inc. as early as 2009. Just like the best password managers available in the industry, Keeper uses the 256-bit AES encryption. It is quite impossible to breach through the encryption since zero-knowledge encryption. You don’t need to worry about security whenever you share your log-in credential to another person through Keeper as the process is protected using a 2048-bit RSA encryption. Automatic filling of log-in credentials is also possible as long as you are signed-in to your Keeper password management account. Multi-factor authentication is also available.

[cybersecurityguide]

Top 3 Most Common Types of Cyber Attacks

The way we communicate with people and businesses have significantly changed over the years. As a matter of fact, we are now capable of getting in touch with other people through various social media platforms as an alternative to physical face-to-face interaction. As our technology progresses, many activities are now being done online. Even businesses have adopted to the new model of interacting with customers and clients through the world wide web. While we welcome these new technological advancements, there can still be threats that you should be aware of especially if you do lots of activities online. This is why in this article we will discuss the top 3 most common types of cyber attacks that you should be aware of.

Cyber Attack #1: Ransomware

This is one of the most common cyber attacks that have been carried out by hackers with evil intentions. This can be done by inserting malicious links within unsolicited e-mail messages or within untrusted websites. Once you clicked on the malicious link, the ransomware will automatically be downloaded from the internet and pass it on to your local computer. Once this cyber attack is successful, it will encrypt all the files and folders within the hard disk drive of the same computer that have been used and infected. It will basically render your hard disk drive useless. You can’t access all the files and folders that have been locked out.

In most cases, hackers who created the malware can even lock out your entire computer screen. As a result, your computer itself becomes virtually useless. A message will then be displayed asking you to deposit money or cryptocurrency in an untraceable account so that you can regain access to all of the files, folders as well as the computer screen that have been locked out by the cyber attack. If you don’t pay the ransom, then everything will become unrecoverable.

In order to become avoid becoming a victim of this type of financial cybercrime, I urge you to always create backups of every important file and folder that are stored in your local computer. It is therefore important to export your Word documents, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets as well photos, videos and music files to the best cloud storage provider. In this way, you will never lose access to your files since all of the important files are securely stored in the servers and data centers of a reliable cloud storage provider. Even if you accidentally erase or delete your files in the hard disk drive of your computer, you can easily download the backup copies coming from the cloud storage platform.

Cyber Attack #2: Password Attack

This form of cyber attack is very common in order to gain illegal access to social media accounts as well as gain access to the online banking account of a user. This can be done in various methods such as in the brute-force password attack wherein the hacker uses the computational capabilities of a supercomputer in order to decrypt your password. Hackers are also fond of using the dictionary password attack in order to guess your password in any online account. This form of attack relies heavily on the use of the most common words and combination of passwords that are usually being used by people online.

In order to prevent all forms of password attacks, I strongly suggest that you create a password that uses uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, as well as special characters and symbols in order to be secured. On top of that, you need to make sure that your password is more than 12 characters so that it will not be vulnerable to a brute-force attack.

Cyber Attack #3: Eavesdropping Attack

This objective of this form of cyber attack is to gain information through intercepting and infiltrating the internet traffic of a particular person. Once this attack is successful, the hacker can expose your online identity and breach your internet privacy. Through the eavesdropping attack, all the internet activities in the unsecured internet traffic can be seen by hackers. This includes but is not limited to the websites you visit. All of the web browsing history can be exposed.  In order to prevent the negative effects of a possible eavesdropping attack, I urge you to actually use the best VPN service provider available. In this way, you will be able to achieve anonymous web browsing as well as increase the encryption level of your internet connection. No hacker will be able to spy on you once you use a virtual private network system.

[cybersecurityguide]

Top 5 Best Cloud Storage Providers You Should Know About

Cloud storage service providers have lots of things to offer you. First and foremost, it makes collaboration easier since document files stored in the cloud can be shared among team members. As a result, work productivity can be increased. Second, reliable cloud storage service providers allow you to store vast amounts of data and information without building your own data centers and assembling your own servers to host all of the stored files and information. It is a more viable option since creating your own data center can be very costly. Third, cloud storage platforms allow you to store your important files without worrying about data privacy and data security. Cloud storage systems have their own encryption that protects all of the stored files perfectly. This is the reason why you should be aware about the top 5 best cloud storage providers that are available.

Best Cloud Storage Provider #1: pCloud

One of the best things that I like about pCloud is that it has lifetime cloud storage subscription plan. Instead of paying monthly or annual service fees, you can just pay €350 once to get lifetime access to 2,000 GB worth of cloud storage space. It is also very convenient to use pCloud since it has an imaginary drive system which does not consume space on your hard disk drive whenever files are stored in the cloud. This best cloud storage provider is also embedded with 256-bit AES encryption on its system so both your data security and information privacy are secured. It also has a unique feature called pCloud Crypto which allows you to activate the client-side encryption. There are currently more than 10 million pCloud users worldwide.

Best Cloud Storage Provider #2: Sync.com

Sync.com is very popular in terms of the level of data protection and data encryption in can give you. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most secure cloud storage service providers out there since it has a client-side encryption. This means that even before your files are sent to the cloud, they are already encrypted and can’t be seen by anyone else besides you. Breach of data privacy will be impossible at all. The data encryption is further increased by using the 256-bit AES encryption within the servers and data centers of Sync.com.

The Pro Basic subscription plan of this cloud storage provider gives you access to 2,000 GB cloud storage space whenever you pay $96.00 annually. The same subscription plan also allows you to enjoy 180 days to recover past file versions. Moreover, this best cloud storage provider has more than 750,000 active users in more than 180 countries worldwide.

Best Cloud Storage Provider #3: Icedrive

If you are planning to store large amounts of data in a cloud storage system for a very long time, then I suggest that you purchase the lifetime subscription plan of Icedrive. For a one-time payment of €459.00, you will be able to have 5,000 GB of cloud storage space permanently. That is actually more than enough cloud storage space for all of your data storage needs. Icedrive is known for using an imaginary drive system which actually extends the capacity of your hard disk drive. This best cloud storage service provider is using the client-side encryption capability on top of the Twofish encryption technology. Icedrive is also very popular due to its unlimited file versioning system.

Best Cloud Storage Provider #4: MEGA

MEGA cloud storage system is also an interesting option with regards to storing your files securely to the cloud. This is primarily because it is able to use the concept of zero-knowledge privacy on its cloud storage platform. You are the only one who knows about your private encryption keys which makes it impossible for someone to hack your cloud storage account. Hackers can they won’t even get pass through the 256-bit AES encryption on the data centers and servers of the cloud storage platform. By paying less than $100.00 a year, you will be able to store files in the cloud and enjoy 2 TB of cloud storage space. There are currently more than 160 million users of MEGA cloud storage worldwide.

Best Cloud Storage Provider #5: Tresorit

Tresorit is also a good cloud storage service provider when we talk about data privacy and data security. But the pricing structure of the subscription plans aren’t great which turns off lots of people in the process. It has 256-bit AES encryption on top of its client-side encryption. However, you need to pay €9.99 every month to enjoy only 500 GB cloud storage space.

[cybersecurityguide]

Top 5 Best VPN Service Providers You Shouldn't Miss

While you might be aware about virtual private network systems and all of the benefits that they can give you, you can’t still decide which one to choose. This is normal to happen since there are at least 65 different VPN service providers out there just waiting to be discovered. This is the reason why we will make it simple for you. We actually have analyzed all of the virtual private network platforms available and ranked them based on several key performance indicators. As a result, we have come up with the list of the top 5 best VPN service providers that you shouldn’t miss.

Best VPN Service Provider #1: NordVPN

Many people like NordVPN simply because it has a technology that allows you to be protected from various cyber threats such as malware, ransomware and even a computer virus from intruding to your local computer system. Aside from encrypting your internet connection using the 256-bit AES encryption, it blocks all forms of cyberattacks from happening. In this way, you are assured that all of the contents of your local hard disk drive are protected and secured. This is possible due to the embedded CyberSec feature of NordVPN.

You also have the option to enhance the encryption of your internet connection whenever sending top secret documents by using the Double VPN technology. Aside from that, you can enjoy watching video content on various video streaming platforms because of the availability of obfuscated virtual private network servers of this best VPN service provider. There are at least 12 million users worldwide that will vouch for the efficiency and reliability of this virtual private network system.

Best VPN Service Provider #2: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a VPN service provider you shouldn’t miss since it has zero-knowledge DNS system. It operates its own DNS system so that all of the website you are visiting are kept private. Anonymous web browsing experience can also easily be established especially that the internet connection literally enjoys a 256-bit AES encryption. On top of that, the split tunneling option can also be activated so that internet traffic will not be congested on the VPN connection. Moreover, access to geo-restricted content of video streaming platforms are lifted whenever connected to one of the virtual private network servers of ExpressVPN. By paying less than $100.00, you can easily enjoy one year of reliable virtual private network service from ExpressVPN.

Best VPN Service Provider #3: VeePN

VeePN is a virtual private network service provider that is a perfect fit for people who are concerned about the possibility of being a victim to various cyberattacks such as malware infection and ransomware intrusion. This kind of incident can easily be prevented by activating the malware blocker, adware blocker as well as the online tracking blocker of the VPN virtual private network platform.

Aside from that, VeePN is known for its Double VPN protection that encrypts your internet connection twice simultaneously. This on top of the 256-bit AES encryption that it is usually using. Many people are also using VeePN to unblock geo-restrictions especially those that were placed by video streaming services. By paying less than $70.00, you can enjoy unlimited virtual private network service from VeePN.

Best VPN Service Provider #4: VPNArea

VPNArea is a popular virtual private network service provider because of its implementation of the zero-logging policy. This means that whatever internet activity you are doing while connected to a VPN server will always be private. No one will be able to spy what websites you visit or what type of internet activity you are pursuing. Even your original I.P. address will not be recorded by the virtual private network platform itself.

VPNArea is also capable of warding off computer viruses, malware and ransomware even if you are connected to the internet as long as you switch on the cybersecurity features of this virtual private network system. It also has stealth VPN technology that will allow you to defeat geo-restrictions and tear down the efficiency of the VPN blockers of video streaming services. While VPNArea has Double VPN capability, it is still quite limited as of the moment.

Best VPN Service Provider #5: Avast SecureLine VPN

Avast SecureLine VPN is unique since it has its own web browser system called the Avast Secure Browser. It serves as double protection since you can connect to the virtual private network platform first before entering it own secure web browser system. It uses 256-bit AES encryption and complies with the no-logging policy as part of data privacy.