But as technology has developed, so did hackers. If you do not protect your computer while surfing the internet, it may be hacked. We already know that data about what we do online is collected all the time. This is how you get personalized discounts and offers to things you only spoke about with your friends.

The developments of technology also enabled people to work from wherever they like doing it. You see cafes such as Starbucks full of people working on their laptops. This is something students also do. Connecting to a public Wi-Fi network comes with a lot of disadvantages.

Hackers create networks with similar names so that they can trick users into connecting to them. Once they are connected, hackers have access to all the information sent on that computer. Sometimes, it may be plain conversations about exams or romance. But other times, it may be important personal information, such as bank account numbers, passwords, and so on.

These are the vulnerabilities every internet user has when connecting to the internet. Cybersecurity is a domain that is continuously developing, but so do the hacking methods. So, why use VPN while working from home? Which are the benefits?

• Mask Your IP Address

One of the things that happen behind websites is a collection of data. You have probably come across a few websites that restrict your access to them. If you have wondered how they do this, it is because they have access to your IP address.

Your IP address indicates your location or country, and even though most websites do not restrict your access, they have it. One of the great benefits of using a VPN while working from home is that it helps you mask your IP address.

VPNs allow anyone to generate a different IP address to use. You can change your country and location. At the same time, as your real IP is masked, no one will have access to it. So, it is a plus of cybersecurity. This is essential for people whose jobs involve surfing the internet and accessing a lot of websites.

You are connected to your personal network, and it can easily be hacked. This is essential especially for those who have smart homes and all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

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  Ensure You Keep Your Online Anonymity

As we have mentioned above, some websites do not allow you to access them. There are specific websites such as BBC iTunes, that allow only specific countries to have access to it. This is valid both for websites and apps. They can have access to your IP and this is how they restrict specific locations and countries.

VPN helps you mask your IP address and keep your online anonymity. It also helps you connect to a server in a specific location and have access to websites that blocked your real IP address. Of course, when you access websites, they will see your fake IP address, so your anonymity is secure online.

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  Wi-Fi Protection

Besides the protection VPN gives to your IP address, it can also help you protect your Wi-Fi. Sometimes, remote workers are traveling and working while being on the road. This means that you might usually connect to public Wi-Fi networks that leave you exposed to threats. Hackers can easily track your activity and steal important information, which can cause huge damage afterward.

Using a VPN connection helps you ensure your protection while doing all these. VPN encrypts your data, which is a great extra layer of protection from hacks, says a security business owner and professional Public relations company in Pretoria, who have both move some of their resources to remote work.

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  No Price Differences

Have you wondered why the same product on the same website has different prices depending on your location? It is indeed a good strategy many brands are adopting to get more clients, but how do they do it? They identify your location based on your IP address. And they give you discounts and offers based on that. It is for these reasons that some locations have higher prices.

VPN connection helps you eliminate these differences by changing your IP address on the store location. Remote workers might often need to order tools to help them in their job, so this is a good way to make sure you pay the right price for the products you want to order.

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  Increased Productivity and Efficiency

One of the things remote workers struggle with the most is lack of productivity and efficiency. Many of them try different things and environmental changes to find their flow. But productivity might be harder to achieve because you might be distracted. Cybersecurity is a real problem many people struggle with, especially during these times when more and more people are using the internet. This means that the number of cyber-attacks has increased too, and this fact can bring a toll on your productivity level.

Thinking about your security online can be a huge distractor you might not be aware of. Using a VPN when working, no matter if it is from the comfort of your own home or your favorite cafe, can increase your productivity. You will feel safe to work from any place because your real IP address is masked, so your focus and attention will be on your tasks.

Conclusion

Even though VPN might seem something odd for some people that are working from home, it really comes with benefits. VPN helps you add an extra layer of cybersecurity, which in these times is so essential. As the pandemic forced more people to spend time inside, the number of cyber-attacks has increased considerably.

Protecting yourself and your personal data from cyber-attacks is important, especially when working remotely. You might work from the comfort of your own home, a park, or a cafe and you will surely connect to public networks. VPN helps you mask your IP address, change the location and country, and get access to websites that previously restricted it. It also helps you keep your online anonymity and increase your productivity and efficiency.

Author Bio

Thomas Lanigan has work experience for 4 years as a marketing specialist, social media manager, writer, journalist, and editor. Also, he is a professional content writer in such topics as blogging, marketing features, cybersecurity, technology.

Unfortunately, that’s not really practical for most people. So instead, we snooped around for what measures computer security professionals use to secure their own machines. (Obviously, one of the best measures is not to release all of your security methods, so we got the cream of the crop.) The skills and knowledge of being an expert computer security professional can take years to learn, but it’s always possible to glean a few tidbits of knowledge from the pros.

Take online security seriously and respond quickly

News outlets were buzzing after an article published on medium.com nailed Panera Bread to the wall for failing to address a massive user data breach for eight months. That breach allowed anyone to view customers’ full names, addresses, dietary preferences, and email addresses. Their IT team didn’t fix it and their leadership didn’t handle it when it was brought to their attention. That’s not exactly the example to follow.

Whether you’re speaking in terms of public relations, data security, or loss of productivity, there’s never been a more important time to take digital security seriously. You wouldn’t leave your car running in a parking lot while you went inside for half an hour, so don’t leave your (and potentially your customers’) data vulnerable online.

Update your software — now, not later!

We were actually surprised by this consensus opinion. It’s so simple, yet, we’ve all been guilty of clicking “Remind me Later” when some program wants to update. There’s a reason that software is updating: Its team of dedicated, expert programmers have patched something. Many times, it’s a security loophole or some part of the program that allows a vulnerability into your system.

With that said, do something you might never have done — read the release notes. Figure out exactly what the update intends to fix, and then head to the forums. See what other people are saying about the risks involved with the update. If you’re already behind a version, then take a moment to weigh whether or not to update to, yes, yet, another version that might also have holes. That’s what the pros do.

Remember when security experts found a flaw in High Sierra? That’s the perfect example. You might have dodged a bullet by not updating, but not without checking the news.

It may be hard to believe that one of the most important lessons of online and network security is performing software updates as soon as possible, but it’s one of the best ways to keep your computer and network safe. It’s almost always a hassle, but it’s definitely always worth it.

Be miserly with your permissions!

Every CompSec pro is privy to the basic, fundamental rule of network security: The Principle of Least Privilege, which basically asks “how few permissions can you give each user?” Yeah, needing to ask your IT team to turn on your speakers because of insufficient permissions is incredibly annoying — no one knows better than the IT team. But by keeping everyone’s permissions as restricted as possible, you minimize potential problems, including your own.

Imagine your network like a house and a hack like a break-in.

Example 1: You have valuables in every room of the house, but there are no doors to those rooms. Whether a thief breaks in through the window, the garage, or by picking the front door, they can get at everything by breaking in once.

Example 2: Every room in the house has a locked door, and all valuables are placed inside safes. If our thief gets into one room, they can’t get to the hallway and into another room, and they might not even get anything out of that room.

Obviously, it seems a little paranoid to live that way. But, let’s face it, CompSec pros are a little paranoid. Keep your “rooms” locked, put your valuables in a safe place, and when you throw a party, close it all up. In other words, administer your network with multiple user permission levels and restrict accesses carefully, based on how few permissions can be doled out.

Prepare for the worst: Do your backups

You know what the scariest part of working in 2018 is? It’s entirely possible that next time you turn on your computer, every file on it could be lost. There are hacks that hold your hard drive irretrievably hostage, there are environmental disasters that ruin your servers… even a simple burglary can make accessing your data impossible. Are you prepared for that?

Performing a backup of essential files and storing that backup somewhere geographically different from your hard drive could mitigate most security failures. There’s a lot to learn about how to keep computers and networks safe, but knowing how to retrieve stolen, lost or hacked files could be a lot easier and maybe just as important.

Update software, backup your data, and restrict user accesses – those three steps alone could potentially save you and your company hundreds of hours and millions of dollars. But in all of these examples, what you and your network security team should be asking is, “Do we even know what our company’s policy is?” These tips don’t even scratch the surface of everything there is to learn about computer and network security, but good security starts by asking questions and finding out the answers.

Last tip: With all that said, don’t feel bad if you’re doubting your company or team is doing enough with security measures. When asked, “What do security professionals do to secure their personal computers?,” almost all network security professionals have the same answer: Not enough. You can always do more, so get started today!

Via: CBTNuggets