The internet is a central element of daily life. People share large amounts of data and information through various accounts and communication tools. To stay protected, one should consider using security tools to ensure that this data is transferred securely without risk of exposure or loss.
This article gives you five tools you can use now to strengthen the security of your accounts and data.
Password manager
Managing a large number of online accounts can be difficult, and people stray from safe security practices to make their lives easier. They may choose weak passwords or use the same one for multiple accounts. But strong, secure passwords are essential to keeping your accounts and data safe.
A password manager can help you manage your accounts easily without sacrificing security. Using this tool, you can generate strong passwords for accounts and save them securely in a vault that only you can access. You can even enable autofill for your devices, so you don't have to go into the vault every time you want to log into an account.
Cloud storage
To secure your data, you need to know how to store it. The cloud has become an essential data storage option for businesses and individuals. It has many advantages over traditional physical storage, including flexibility and accessibility.
You can set up cloud storage in minutes and start uploading files to an encrypted online system. You can access your files from anywhere, as long as you have the cloud login credentials. This means that your data is no longer tied to a device.
Data backups are the pinnacle of data security, and cloud storage allows you to make as many backups as you want. Plus, you can share files and collaborate over the Internet instead of relying on USB drives and other insecure data transfer options.
VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that protects your online connection and your privacy. It routes all your online activity through a third server hosted by the service, hiding your IP address and encrypting all your data transfers over the Internet.
A VPN is an excellent and inexpensive tool for overall internet security. Online services and websites are constantly trying to extract data from your online activity for marketing purposes. Hackers can find holes in your network if it is not encrypted. These are all problems that can be solved with a VPN.
A bonus is the ability to “teleport” to any location in the world. For example, if you're in Europe, you can connect to a VPN server in the United States and enjoy content only available in that new location, like Netflix shows. If you want to do some research on which provider to choose, Reddit users offer discussions on the best VPN. You will find most VPN options in the table.
Authenticator app
We've mentioned the importance of strong passwords, but that's not enough. Today's hackers are very sophisticated and have many ways to crack even the strongest passwords. This is where two-factor authentication comes in. Two-factor authentication is a security feature offered by many online services that requires additional proof that you are the person who owns the account .
One of the most common 2FA methods is using an authenticator app. The app generates a code for your account every 30 seconds, which you must enter to log in. This method is very effective in thwarting malicious login attempts because hackers will have no way of knowing the passcode unless they have physical access to your mobile device. It is also very easy to set up.
Next-generation firewall
A firewall is a network security tool that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing Internet traffic based on predefined rules. A next-generation firewall (NGFW) goes further by including features like intrusion detection, threat intelligence, and more.
An NGFW helps prevent security breaches by quickly detecting and blocking malware and other harmful inbound traffic. More advanced tools should give you a holistic view of your threat surfaces, such as vulnerable data, accounts and users. They will inform you of the origin of a threat so that you can stop it effectively.
The main advantage of NGFW over traditional firewalls is threat detection time. Threat detection time is the most important factor in protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access. NGFW can detect threats in seconds and prioritize alerts so you can take quick action to eliminate them.
Final thoughts
Keeping your accounts and data online secure has never been more difficult. Users now have dozens of accounts that they use daily, and the data size is also increasing. Fortunately, the security industry is working to keep up with evolving threats, and several tools can significantly reduce the risk to your accounts and data.
You can use a password manager and authentication app to prevent unauthorized access to accounts. Encrypt your internet traffic with a VPN and store your data securely in the cloud to maximize its security.