Key Tools That Can Help You Stay Safe Online

The internet has completely changed society. It has opened up new modes of communication, commerce and collaboration that only existed in the feverish minds of science fiction authors 40 years ago. All of the freedom and connection that the internet enables, however, comes along with new ways to get ripped off, exploited and unveiled.

Luckily, there are some applications that can help you stay safe as you explore the World Wide Web. Here are four of the most significant safety software solutions that you should think about investing in.

VPNs

Virtual Private Networks – or VPNs for short – allow you to hide your IP address from snoopers and hackers. They do this by routing your internet activity through remote servers. A good VPN service will have the use of multiple servers all around the globe so that you can choose where you want your IP address to originate from. A VPN is an essential download for people worried about government surveillance, stalkers and password theft.

All good VPNs also encrypt your data as it travels to and from the remote server of your choice. This article will go into more detail about encryption later on, but it suffices to say that encryption is crucial to protecting your data from hackers while it is in transit.

Password Generators

A weak password opens the door up to even the most casual hacker. Luckily, there are plenty of password generators available online. These generators create randomized strings of letters, numbers and punctuation marks. These random strings are strong passwords: they defy the verbal logic that hackers would use to guess a password.

Passwordgenerator.net allows users to choose exactly how complex they want their new randomly generated password to be.

Antivirus Software

Although antivirus software was originally developed to take care of computer viruses, the best security software can take care of all sorts of malware. Malware – or malicious software – is one of the key threats that can be encountered online. If malware is downloaded to your device after you click on a misleading link it can hold you to ransom, steal your credit card details or take your biometric data. The first malware was developed in the 1980s, and was nowhere near as dangerous as today’s complex malicious codes. Antivirus software was hot on the tails of the first malware and has been developing in parallel ever since.

Data Encryption Tools

Encryption is the process of scrambling data. Encryption tools allow you to scramble your personal data and, providing that you have a unique code in your possession, decrypt it when you see fit. This is crucial if you are planning on using a personal computer on public wireless internet and have plenty of sensitive files on your account. Public wireless networks are often targeted by hackers, who can use the Wi-Fi to gain access to your files and steal your valuable information.

Data encryption tools are constantly being upgraded to keep up with the latest hacking techniques.