SELF PROTECTION 101 WITH A VPN

THE COST OF BEING HACKED

If you haven’t already been hacked, you probably know somebody who has. Again, if you haven’t had your credit card info stolen, you probably know someone who has. If you, or someone you know, has had their ID stolen, you know about the aggravation and misery this will put you through. This week’s tip will show you a simple program that will go a long way to prevent this from ever happening to you.
The US economy loses over 100 billion dollars every year due to cybercrime. While it takes a company, on average, 66 days to rectify a data breach, for an individual, it can cost a lifetime of pain and misery. Medical records, private information, credit card numbers, piggybacking your ISP to surf illegal sites, etc., are all options available to a cybercriminal.
As an FYI, if you want to see how easy it is for a hacker to do this, there is an awesome TED talk where an ethical hacker shows how, in a hotel room, he hacked into every unsecured computer in the hotel. He could see money transfers, read emails, and see what you were watching—pretty much unlimited access to everything on your computer.

COFFEE SHOPS, BOOKSTORES, AND AIRPORTS

Another common scam is that the hacker launches a site that looks like the online login to Starbucks or Barnes & Noble’s wi-fi hotspot. You, the unsuspecting consumer, open your wi-fi to log on, see what looks like the coffee shop’s hotspot, and sign in. The only problem is that it’s not their site. You’ve just given the hacker access to everything on your phone and laptop again. Surf on Amazon and buy something while sipping your latte, and he just got your credit card and password. To make matters worse,e they can install malware on your phone or laptop while you’re logged in.

YOU NEED A VPN

A VPN is a Virtual Privacy Network. It blocks your surfing from whoever is providing your Wi-Fi hotspot and your internet service provider. A good VPN will also camouflage where you’re posting from, so you could be in the US and set it up to look like you’re in Europe.

FREEDOME IS WHO I USE

I have a buddy who was one of, if not the first people to create anti-virus software. Involved in creating programs in the web’s infancy, Roger thought about how easy it would be for a criminal to access confidential info. He set about writing programs that would prevent that. Since then, he’s worked for governments and corporations providing this type of service. He’s at the cutting edge of all things cyber-security. It was him who told me about Freedome and the necessity, from a security standpoint, of using them. He personally knows some of the owners of the company and said they’re the real deal. I’m passing that knowledge onto you.

DISCLOSURE

Just for the record, I have no financial interest in Freedome, and nor do I make any money from providing you this recommendation. If you’ve read my book (you have haven’t you?) you know that I think self-protection is far more encompassing than self-defense. What’s the point in learning how to win a bar fight to come home and find out a cybercriminal has stolen your stuff? I’m not sure what Freedome currently charges, but I know it’s not much, and the setup I have covers my home PC, my phone, and my laptop. Knowing I can safely log in to my bank accounts, pay bills, and buy stuff online while I’m on the road is worth its weight in gold.