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3 Types of Video Game Consoles

As technology is constantly evolving, the way we do things also have rapidly changed. Instead of enjoying outdoor activities and outdoor games as we once did, we are now having fun playing with video game consoles at the comforts of our homes. This craze started in the 1970 and continues up to this very da. As a matter of fact, there has already been 8 generations of video game consoles throughout the years.  This is the reason why we need to be familiar with the latest types of home video game consoles that we can paly around with.

Video Game Console #1: Xbox

Xbox is a video game console developed and launched by Microsoft as early as November of 2001. It is one of the most successful products in the video gaming industry at that time since Microsoft was actually able to sell more than 24 million units of the original Xbox video game console. It was later discontinued in 2006 to pave way for the launch of Xbox 360 which is considered to be the 2nd generation of Xbox game console. Microsoft was able to sell more than 84 million units of this version of the video game console. It was later in 2013, wherein Microsoft launched an updated version called the Xbox One which is considered to be the 3rd generation of the Xbox home video game console.

In order to enhance the video gaming experience, people using the Xbox and the Xbox 360 usually connects the video game console to a compatible virtual private network system. This is being done in order to prevent your local internet service provider from throttling your bandwidth whenever playing the online multiplayer version of a particular Xbox game. With the best VPN service provider, you can also access geo-restricted games and enter geo-restricted game servers of Xbox.

On top of that, you can stop any form of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on your video game console whenever connected to the internet. In the case of Xbox One, you can’t connect directly to a virtual private network system. You need to use a compatible router to share the virtual private network connection to Xbox One video game console.

Video Game Console #2: PlayStation

PlayStation is a very popular video game console that was created and later launched by Sony Interactive Entertainment in Japan. It was first introduced in 1994 and has slowly but surely dominated the market share in the video gaming industry. As a matter of fact, in less than 10 years, the original version of PlayStation has sold approximately 100 million units of the video game console throughout the entire world. Sony decided to release an updated version of the video game console in 2000 which the company called PlayStation 2. From the date of its launch up to 2012, there are approximately 155 million units of this particular version of the video game console that have been successfully sold worldwide.

On top of that, Sony decided to launch PlayStation 3 in 2006. 11 years later in 2017, it is reported that there are more than 87 million units of PlayStation 3 that has been sold in the market. Since this brand of video game console is very successful as evidenced by the volume of its sales across the entire world, Sony Interactive Entertainment approved the creation of PlayStation 4. This particular version of the video game console was released in the market in 2013 and sold approximately 112 million units across the entire world.

Just like with Xbox, you can also connect your PlayStation to reliable virtual private network platforms for better video gaming experience. This is especially true if you are connected to the internet so that you can enjoy the online multiplayer version of the games available in PlayStation.

Video Game Console #3: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch is a popular video game console developed by Nintendo itself in 2017. It is a hybrid version of a video game console in the sense that it can easily change itself from being a fixed home game console into a portable gaming device. From the date of it launch up to this day, Nintendo Switch has already sold approximately 61 million units all around the world. This is no surprise since Nintendo is already an established brand for video games since 1980s. As a matter of fact, it was in 1983 when Nintendo first launched the Family Computer game console. In 2006, the same company launched the Nintendo Wii video game console.

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Best Antivirus Software Programs You Should Consider

Hackers are still very relentless in attacking various computer systems for their own selfish motives. As a matter of fact, cyberattacks conducted are increasing as years go by. This is the reason why you should really be serious in protecting your computer systems and mobile devices against the various cyber threats that could actually hit you. You will never know when you will become a victim so it is best to be prepared and protected against all kinds of computer viruses, malware, adware, and ransomwares 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. This is the reason why in this article, I will introduce you to 2 of the best antivirus software programs that you should consider using.

Best Antivirus Software Program #1: Bitdefender

Bitdefender is one of the best antivirus software programs available in the cybersecurity industry. As a matter of fact, there are currently more than 500 million computer systems that are being protected by this particular antivirus software program in more than 150 countries worldwide. Bitdefender has been providing cybersecurity solutions since its creation and initial public release of the antivirus software program in 2001. You can be assured that customer support as well as software development is a top priority for Bitdefender since the company has more than 1,600 employees from various parts of the world. Bitdefender is currently based and has its corporate headquarters in Bucharest, Romania.

One of the notable features of Bitdefender is its real-time protection against various cyber threats such as a computer virus, malware, ransomware, computer worm, spyware, and trojan horse. It can also defend you against possible rootkit attacks as well as zero-day exploits. Bitdefender also equipped its system with Photon Technology in 2014 which basically improves the speed and performance of your computer based on the existing software and hardware configurations of your computer. This antivirus software program also launched Bitdefender Safebox in 2012 which gives you free access to 2 GB cloud storage. If you want higher amount of cloud storage space, I suggest that you get the best cloud storage provider instead.

Earlier in 2009, Bitdefender also launched an advanced protection mechanism called the Active Virus Control. If this feature is enabled, it can actively monitor each type of computer program as well as their specific processes that are currently running and are currently executing. The Active Virus Control will then immediately look for any sign of malicious codes or any possible pattern of malware-like actions. The mechanism will then create a risk-based assessment and if it the computer program or process that is being monitored has reached the threshold, it will immediately be reported as harmful. Once it does that, automatic removal or blocking of the flagged down computer program of computer process so that the cyber threat is immediately eliminated.

Best Antivirus Software Program #2: Norton

Norton is one of the best antivirus software programs out there that you should try using. It was first released for public use in 1991. This means that this antivirus software product has already undergone various improvements throughout the years. Norton uses the help of artificial intelligence to help the antivirus software program to monitor, identify, and eliminate all possible cyber threats that could eventually arise.

As a matter of fact, it has its own Intrusion Prevention System that basically assesses the network traffic whenever you are connected to the internet and searches for known cyberattack signatures. Once a threat is identified, it is automatically blocked so that it can’t be downloaded to your computer. The same feature is also equipped with a Download Intelligence capability which sends you information about the credibility of any executable file that you will be downloading from the internet.

 Norton is also equipped with machine learning capability which searches possible malicious codes and malware programs that are inside your computer and test them through emulation. Through this process Norton antivirus will be able to know what the malware files can do to your computer system without actually executing the malicious malware files.

If you paid for the Norton 360 subscription plan or if you purchased the Norton AntiVirus Plus subscription, you will also gain access to its own cloud backup platform. You just have to reminder that the additional feature will be quite limited as you can only store 10 GB worth of files in the cloud backup platform. So if you are really planning to back up and save a lot of files and other types of data, I suggest that you get the best cloud backup service provider instead.

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Top 4 Most Popular Video Streaming Services

The way we watch movies and TV shows have drastically changed through the years. As a matter of fact, we now rarely go to theaters just to watch new movies. We now also seldom buy and watch the movies stored in DVD and Blu-ray Discs. Most people are now preferring to get on-demand video services as well as subscribing to video streaming services. There are actually lots of video streaming platforms to choose from. This is why in this article we will discuss the top 4 most popular video streaming services worldwide.

Video Streaming Service #1: Netflix

Netflix is one of the most popular video streaming services worldwide. As a matter of fact, it already has at least 193 million people from different countries all over the world that have an active subscription from this video streaming platform as of 2020. On top of that, you should know that Netflix is very popular in the United States of America which accounts for approximately 37.82% of the total number of its subscriptions worldwide. This video streaming platform was originally created in 1997 in the State of California of the United States of America.

As of the moment, Netflix is accessible in more than 190 countries. However, there are geo-restricted content that can only be viewed in certain geographical regions. There are also countries such as China, Syria, and North Kore wherein Netflix is prohibited. To access this video streaming platform from these areas and in order to completely bypass all of the geo-restrictions placed by Netflix itself, you need to have to use one of the best VPN service providers available. Once you connect to one of the virtual private network servers of a VPN provider located in the USA, you will be able to unlock all of the 15 video libraries of Netflix without any problem.

Video Streaming Service #2: Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video has been recently increasingly becoming popular in the video streaming service industry. As a matter of fact, this video streaming platform claims that it has over 150 million active subscriptions worldwide which makes it the closest competitor of Netflix as of the moment. Amazon Prime Video was originally launched in September 2006 in the United States of America. It was only in 2016, when this video streaming platform decided to expand its reach globally.

However, there still other countries wherein Amazon Prime Video is forbidden. As a matter of fact, you are banned from using Amazon Prime Video in China, Syria, Iran, and even in North Korea. Of course, you can use a virtual private network platform to bypass all of the internet censorship protocols as well as geo-restrictions being implemented in the countries mentioned.

Video Streaming Service #3: Hulu

Aside from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, there are also other video streaming services such as Hulu that have gained the attention of viewers worldwide. As a matter of fact, Hulu now has more than 35 million active subscribers all over the world. The video streaming platform is currently owned by the Walt Disney Company as it holds majority of shareholdings through various corporate acquisitions. In fact, the Walt Disney Company currently holds 67% of the entire equity of Hulu video streaming service.

Moreover, Hulu was originally created in 2007. Its main corporate headquarters can be found in Santa Monica in the State of California of the United States of America. If you want to access this video streaming platform outside the USA, you need to subscribe to the best VPN for streaming services in order to spoof your location and circumvent all forms of geo-restrictions.  In case you haven’t noticed, Hulu is exclusive to people living in the United States of America. Getting a reliable virtual private network platform is the only way to access it outside the American Region.

Video Streaming Service #4: BBC iPlayer

BBC iPlayer is also a video streaming service platform that has become popular in recent years. It was originally created in December 2007 in the United Kingdom. As of 2020, BBC iPlayer has more than 356 million active subscriptions. While it may seem that all of the video streaming service subscriptions are inside the United Kingdom because of its exclusivity within the country, there is also a possibility that some of the subscriptions are from in another country. This is possible since you can also a virtual private network platform in order to spoof your location and make it appear that you are accessing BBC iPlayer inside the United Kingdom.

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Top 3 Ways To Defend Yourself From Hackers

It’s actually very important to protect yourself against possible cyberattacks launched by hackers. While you might think that to a certain degree that hackers are harmless, you should always remember that their intentions will never benefit you. They could do a lot of damage in terms of your identity and privacy. In this regard, I would like to share with you 3 of the best ways to defend yourself from the possible exploits of evil hackers.

1. Turn off the GPS tracker on your mobile devices as well as the Location History in Google and Facebook.

One way that a hacker can gain initial information about you is by accessing the records of the GPS tracker installed in your mobile devices. such as your smartphone. They can peek through your location history and see where you have been going lately. With the help of algorithms, they can even track the place where you are spending a lot of time. They can even track down your home in certain cases. I’m pretty sure that you don’t want that kind of information to be exposed. This is the reason why you need to turn of the GPS tracker on your mobile devices.

On top of that, you also need to edit the privacy settings on both Google and Facebook. You don’t want to leave that in their default settings. Be sure to also turn off the location history and the location services in both of these platforms. It will lessen the likelihood of you being a victim of surveillance as well as of illegal intelligence gathering activities. At all costs, you need to protect your privacy.

2. Use a virtual private network service provider to spoof your location.

While turning of the GPS tracker as well as turning off the location history on Facebook and Google is quite effective, you can still be vulnerable to the attacks of hackers whenever you access the internet for various purposes. They can actually peek through the records of the internet service providers and look at the I.P. address that you are using. Such action is a big breach in information since hackers can pinpoint the exact spot or location where you are accessing the internet. This is the reason why you need the help of the best VPN service providers in order to spoof your location.

Whenever connected to a virtual private network system, your internet privacy is privacy through the use of a virtual location. In this way, hackers will never be able to pinpoint your current location accurately. On top of that your internet access becomes encrypted using a virtual private network system.

3. Be sure to use a reliable cloud storage provider in order to backup your files securely.

Hackers are very creative in carrying out their exploits. This is the reason why you need to be aware on how they usually do their cyberattacks. First and foremost, they will entice you to click on pop-up ads through a certain website. Once you click on such malicious ad, a malware will be immediately executed and be downloaded to your local hard disk drive. If a computer virus is executed, it can infect and corrupt all of the files and documents stored in your hard disk drive. This will cause massive data loss on your part.

There are also instances wherein a ransomware is downloaded when you clicked on a malicious link. Banner or pop-up ad on a website. This will cause files, folders, and documents infected to be encrypted. You will not be able to access the files unless you pay ransom to the hackers. I’m sure that you don’t want that to happen.

This is the reason why you should always have a backup copy of all your important files and documents at all times. One way of doing that is by using the best cloud storage providers known in the data storage industry. You will be able to recover any file that you wish to regain access to as long as you saved a copy in the cloud. Most cloud storage providers are using 256-bit AES encryption which means that hackers won’t be able to access files that are stored securely in the cloud. Hackers can try to launch a cyberattack but no one has ever succeeded in breaking the powerful AES encryption. Information security is assured when you use the best cloud storage service provider. On top of that, sharing files with other people becomes easier with the help of reliable cloud storage platforms which are readily available.

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Top 4 Advantages of Using Virtual Private Networks

Almost everybody around the world are connecting to the internet and the world wide web for various purposes. As a matter of fact, the internet has become a reliable source of news and information. It also has become a means of communication. People are even using social media platforms to interact with other people across geographical regions. Even banking and other vital services are now performed online in today’s generation. This is the reason why you need to know more about virtual private networks and what it can do in order to improve your internet connection. Now, without further ado, I bring to you the top 4 advantages of using virtual private network systems.

1. Virtual private networks allow you to spoof your location.

One of the many advantages of using virtual private network platforms is that it gives you the opportunity to create your own virtual location. You can easily pretend that you are in another country even if you are just within your local territory. With a virtual private network system, you can change the I.P. address that you are using in order to connect to the internet and to the world wide web.

It is really important to change the original I.P. address issued by the local internet service provider so that no person or institution can identify your real exact location. In this manner, you will never become a victim of illegal surveillance and intelligence gathering. Your online identity will never be exposed whenever you use a virtual private network system.

2. Virtual private networks allow you to effectively bypass internet censorship and geo-restrictions.

Another advantage that the best VPN service provider can give you is that it permits you to efficiently and effectively bypass internet censorship as well as circumvent geo-restrictions. This actually matters since everybody wants the freedom of speech as well as net neutrality. In case you haven’t noticed, there are certain countries that limit the availability of news and information by restricting certain websites from being accessed by its citizens. Whatever news and information that might be broadcasting from the internet might be biased and completely inaccurate since freedom of information is restricted.

On top of that, there are also countries wherein social media platforms are not allowed. For example, people living and residing in China can’t access Facebook as well as other social media platforms. The Great Firewall of China automatically blocks access to the popular social media platform in order to limit free speech. However, with the use of the best virtual private network service provider, access to social media platforms can be restored even if you are in China or in any other territory that has internet restrictions.

3. Virtual private networks allow you to access video streaming platforms without limitations.

Virtual private networks can also be beneficial for you since they allow you to access video streaming platforms without restrictions. First and foremost, virtual private network platforms have the capability of defeating the bandwidth throttling procedures of the local internet service provider whenever you are streaming videos online. If you are streaming Netflix for example and you are doing it frequently for a very long time, internet service providers tend to limit your bandwidth that could ultimately lead to a slower internet connection.

Another thing that you should know is that a virtual private network system gives you the capability to bypass the geo-restrictions of video streaming services. For example, if you want to access BBC iPlayer even if your real location is outside the United Kingdom, you can use a reliable VPN service provider in order to spoof your location and ultimately bypass the geo-restriction.

In case you haven’t noticed, you can only stream videos from BBC iPlayer if you’re an inside the United Kingdom. Changing the I.P. address to a UK location through a virtual private network system will solve the problem. On top of that, if you want to access all of the 15 libraries of Netflix, then I suggest that you connect to a virtual private network server within the USA.

4. Virtual private networks allow you to encrypt your internet connection.

Through a virtual private network connection, you will be able to encrypt your internet connection. This means that even the local internet service provider will not be able to see and record all of your online activities. You will be able to experience total anonymous web browsing whenever you use a virtual private network system. Usually, most VPN service providers use 256-bit AES encryption to protect your internet connection.

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Top 3 Facts & Statistics About Cyber Attacks

We should all be aware about the various cyber threats known in the online community so that we can stop them efficiently. It is time to be vigilant since there is a surge of cyber attacks in recent years apparently. This is the reason why I’m writing an article about the top 7 facts and statistics about cyber attacks in the online industry. I’ll discuss each fact below very thoroughly.

1. There is a person trying to conduct a password attack every 39 seconds.

Based on the research study conducted by the University of Maryland, a hacking attempt is being carried out once every 39 seconds. This is being done through a combination of brute-force of passwords using supercomputers and a dictionary password attack. This means that there are at least 2,215 hacking incidents each single day. If you contextualize the situation even more, you will realize that there will be at least 66,450 hacking attempts monthly on random computers that are hooked to an internet connection.

In order to avoid becoming a victim to a brute-force password attack, I urge you to never use common words in passwords. As much as possible, the combination of letters and numbers should be random. Be sure that there are both uppercase and lowercase letters within the password in order to make it harder to guess. Another counter measure that you can implement is to make your password longer preferably more than 12 characters. In my case, I even use as much as 16 characters for my password in order to be safe from a brute-force password attack. Moreover, inserting special characters within your chosen password also helps.

2. Ransomware attacks may actually happen every 11 seconds.

According to the research study conducted by Cybersecurity Ventures, it is expected that a ransomware attack can happen once in every 11 seconds. Following such estimation, we are expecting at least 7,854 ransomware attacks every single day. If such trend continues, then we might be able to experience approximately 235, 620 ransomware attacks per month. That’s a huge amount of cyber attack so to speak.

If you want to diminish the possibility of being vulnerable to ransomware attacks, then I actually suggest that you get the best cloud storage provider that will satisfy your data storage needs. In case you are still not aware of, ransomware attacks are very dangerous and can cause serious harm over the accessibility of your document files, folders, photos, videos, as well as music files stored in your computer. A ransomware basically encrypts every file type that it is able to infect with unwantedly. It can even lock you out from your entire hard disk drive and block your access to your own computer screen.

If the ransomware attack is successful and you don’t have an extra copy of all of your important files, then you are totally screwed since you won’t be able to view, copy, share, and edit those files again without paying a ransom to the hackers. They usually tell you to send a corresponding amount of money in cryptocurrency so that the transaction will be untraceable. Once you agree to their demands, you lose a lot of money in exchange for the documents and files that are valuable to you. If you don’t want that to happen, then you should always send a copy of your files to a reliable cloud storage provider as a data redundancy measure.

3. There are approximately 4.5 billion internet users in the entire world that are potential victims to cyber attacks.

We now live in the information age and digital technology. This is the reason why it is not surprising to learn that there are approximately 4.5 billion unique individuals all over the world that are now connected to the internet and the world wide web. While this is a positive development, you should also take into consideration that these people are potential targets of hackers and criminals in the cyber space. This means that cyber criminals have unlimited number of hacking and cyber attack opportunities each and every single day of their lives. This is the reason why you should need to subscribe to a reliable virtual private network service provider.

In case you are not aware of, the best VPN service provider has the capability to protect your online identity as well as strengthen your internet privacy. When connected to a virtual private network system, your internet connection will be encrypted so that you will not be vulnerable to certain network attacks such as the denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attacks, as well as the eavesdropping attack.

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5 Ways To Increase Your Online Privacy

There are lots of reasons why you should take online privacy very seriously. First and foremost, you can become a victim of identity theft. This means that someone might probably use your private information in order to gain access to your private property without authority and communicate with your friends and family under false pretenses. The worst part is that hackers can also scam other people using your face, name, and online identity.

Aside from that, giving too much information online can become a way for someone to steal your money. This is possible since they will be able to access your bank accounts online when they are able to circumvent all of the security measures. This is the reason why in this article, we will talk about the 5 best ways to increase your online privacy and strengthen your information security.

1. Limit what you share on social media.

Many people are still unaware of the negative effects of sharing too much information on social media. They don’t know that everything they share online can be used by hackers to create and execute a social engineering attack successfully. Hackers are trying to exploit all of your vulnerabilities to gain more information about you until such time that they will be able to bypass all of the security measures on your social media accounts and even gain access to your bank accounts online. They can even steal your financial information without you knowing it.

Even just by posting your activities online on a daily basis is a breach of privacy since this can be used for illegal surveillance and intelligence gathering. Sharing your current location as well as your travel plans through social media can be very dangerous for you and for your family.

2. Use the Private Browsing or Incognito Mode whenever using the internet.

It is very important to turn on the Incognito mode in Google Chrome or the Private Browsing for other search engines as you connect to the internet. This will prevent them from recording and seeing your internet activities such as the websites you visit. This will also automatically turn off the basic location data gathering of the popular search engines. Your browsing history will never be recorded by the search engines. The websites you visit will also not be able to inject internet cookies as part of their web tracking activities.

While it is true that your information privacy is protected using this particular strategy, your local internet service provider can still track your current location and record all of the websites you visit. This is the reason why I still recommend you to use a virtual private network connection.

3. Purchase a virtual private network subscription.

In order to boost your data security and information privacy, I urge you to get a decent subscription of the best VPN service provider available. In this way, you can set up a virtual private network connection before accessing and surfing the internet. Doing so is actually advantageous on your part since your local internet service provider will not be able to see and record the websites you visit.

You can even change the I.P. address that was originally issued by the local internet service provider to identify and locate your computer. This means that you can fake your location and establish a virtual location by connecting to one of the VPN servers of the virtual private network platform. Using a virtual private network connection will efficiently and effectively allow you to achieve total anonymous web browsing. On top of that, since your internet connection will be encrypted through the VPN connection, no hacker can hijack your web session.

4. Think before you click.

One of the best ways to protect your information privacy and online identity is to be cautious in clicking links and pictures as well as downloading files online. You need to think twice first before clicking anything since this is a common trick of hackers to gain access to your local computer system to inject malware, ransomware and spyware. You need to be aware of the basic phishing attempts whenever receiving unsolicited e-mails as well.

5. Set up passwords for your computers and mobile devices.

It is important to create and set up passwords for your computers and mobile devices in order to prevent illegal access. In this manner, even if your mobile device or computer is stolen or accidentally lost, the files and data and stored in it will not be easily compromised.

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Top 4 Ways To Make Your Files & Documents Secure

Throughout the years, technology have improved drastically and very significantly. As a matter of fact, the way we store information is continuously evolving essentially. Instead of retaining physical copies of documents and pictures in offices, we now started to store these files digitally. Even the way we record and handle videos and music files are now processed through the aid of computer technology. While this is really a positive aspect of technological advancement, this pose serious risks with regards to data privacy and data security.

As we all know, most computers existing and still functioning today are being connected to the internet technology. Once they are connected to the internet, threats lurking around in the cyberspace can hit your computer badly. This is the reason why it is necessary to be equipped with the right knowledge and know more about the top 4 ways to make your files and documents secure.

1. Create a backup of your files and documents using a cloud storage service provider.

While most people still keep hard copies of their most important files in offices and at their homes, data can still be accidentally compromised. As a matter of fact, it can be physical destroyed and becomes unrecoverable. For one, accidentally spilling liquid over paper files can really be a disaster. It could even lead to data loss if you don’t have a backup copy of the same file. Moreover, fire accidents as well as floods can destroy the physical copies of the files. It could also lead to permanent loss of data and information.

Even if the files are stored digitally on your computer, there is also a possibility that your hard disk drive will malfunction that will make all of the files unrecoverable. This is the reason why I strongly advise you to have a backup copy of your files through the best cloud storage provider available. Once your files are in the cloud, the possibility of data loss is strategically minimized. Reliable cloud storage service providers are implementing various data redundancy and data partitioning measures so that files stored in the cloud can’t be compromised.

2. Encrypt your internet connection using a virtual private network service provider.

There are lots of things that can be done with the help of a functioning computer and a reliable internet connection. This is the reason why we are so fond of using the internet for various purposes. However, anything that you do online can be compromised if you don’t have an encrypted internet connection. Your own internet service provider can actually be capable of spying on you and everything that you do if you don’t encrypt your own internet connection with a virtual private network system.

Hackers can also eavesdrop on your internet activities and steal your log-in credentials if you don’t have a virtual private network connection. It could potentially destroy your internet privacy and hamper data security in the long run. If you are sending and receiving confidential files to and from the internet technology, then it is best to protect your privacy and security by encrypting your internet connection using the best VPN service provider available.

 3. Regularly install all of the available computer operating system updates.

You really need to install all of the available operating system updates as soon as possible to prevent breaches in data privacy and data security. One good way hackers can get into your computer system is by using backdoor channels that are left unchecked or by using vulnerabilities within the computer operating system program which hackers can exploit. Once hackers are successful in injecting malware to your computer system, your files can be corrupted. This can mean possible data loss can happen on your part once your most important files are corrupted by a malware or encrypted by a ransomware. Therefore, it is best if you turn on the automatic update setting on your computer so that you won’t miss any security patches that the developers of your computer operating system have developed.

4. Turn off your computer when not in use.

While this advice is very basic, it is also one of the most effective strategies that you can do in order to protect your online identity, internet privacy as well as data security. You are actually connected to the internet 24/7 unless you turn off your computer. This means that hackers have unlimited opportunities of trying to breach the security of your computer through a computer virus, malware, or ransomware. In order to prevent that from happening, I suggest that you shut down your computer once you are done using it.

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4 Different Types of Network Firewalls

Network firewalls are very important in order to protect various types of computer systems from several cyber threats and possible network intrusions. It is very essential to know each type of network firewalls so that you will know the purpose and benefit of each one. This is the reason why in this article, we will introduce you to 4 different types of network firewalls you can effectively use.

1. Packet filtering firewall

Packet filtering firewall is a type of network firewall that basically assess and inspect data packets that are entering a specific router or network switches. This kind of firewall establishes certain criteria or key performance indicators that will be used for filtering the data packets that the network receives. This include but is not limited to the I.P. address, port number, data packet type, and other relevant information.

One thing that you should know is that it can’t view and inspect the contents of the data packet. However, it compares the characteristics of the data packet received based on the criteria that was previously set. If it does not match or anomalous in any possible way, the data packet will not pass the inspection and will automatically be blocked. In this manner, the anomalous network traffic will not be able to pass through. While it is very efficient in processing data packets, it also has certain limitations such as the lack of user authentication as part of the network security process. It is also vulnerable to spoofing attacks. As a matter of fact, the best VPN service providers can easily break through a packet filtering firewall system by modifying and spoofing location through I.P. address alteration.

2. Circuit-Level Gateway Firewall

Circuit-level gateway is a type of network firewall that monitors and assesses the credibility of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) handshake of the data packet that is trying to pass through. This is a form of network firewall that also checks all forms of network protocol sessions to make sure that they are legitimate. It also verifies whether or not the remote computer system can be trusted or not. However, the circuit-level gateway firewall also has some limitations as they don’t look for the contents of the data packet. It has no capability of knowing what’s inside the data packet.

One of the advantages of this type of firewall is that it basically provides data privacy for everything that passes through the private network regardless if they are inbound or outbound network traffic. It is also easy to implement this type of network platform since it is relatively inexpensive and very affordable to build. On top of that, it is also efficient in processing all forms of network traffic.

However, you should be aware that it lacks content filtering capability. You can only protect individual network sessions rather than protecting a data packet itself. This means that the firewall can easily be bypassed by a hacker with the right TCP handshake even if he or she injected the data packet with a malware. You are not totally protected with this kind of firewall.

3. Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall

Stateful Packet Inspection is a type of network firewall that combines the verification process of the TCP handshake and the process of conducting data packet inspection. Because it has two levels of network protection, it is more powerful than just a packet filtering firewall and more powerful than just a circuit-level gateway firewall. The best aspects of the two types of network firewalls are actually combined in the stateful packet inspection.

This type of network platform constantly inspects data packet by monitoring and assessing both the packet headers and the packet footers, as well as other relevant information about the data packets. It also has the capability of determining whether the data packet is actually part of a valid network session or not. A stateful packet inspection firewall is advantageous due to the fact that it can operate even with limited amount of open ports which relatively reduces the opportunity of hackers to carry out cyberattacks on your network.

It is also very efficient in blocking all sorts of d denial-of-service attacks to your network. It is also somewhat immune to network protocol vulnerabilities. However, you still should know that it has no capability of knowing what’s inside the data packet. On top of that, this type of network firewalls consumes a lot of computer resources.

4. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) Firewall

Deep packet inspection firewall is somewhat similar to a stateful packet inspection firewall with one major differentiating factor. Unlike a stateful packet inspection firewall, a deep packet inspection firewalls has the capability to see and analyze the contents of a data packet itself.

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3 Types of Computer Viruses That You Need to Be Aware Of

Since the advent of the age of information, most people have resorted to using various technologies to help advance the civilization. While most of the technologies are quite beneficial, there are still people who wants to take advantage of the situation. Hackers for example have created various types of computer viruses in order to destroy the normal operations of a computer technology. This is the reason why you should need to be aware about the various type of computer viruses that are detrimental to a computer system. They can affect not only the operating system and the hard disk drive, but also all of the files, folders and documents that have been created using a computer. In this article, I will discuss the 3 types of computer viruses that you need to be aware of.

Computer Virus Type #1: Resident Virus

The Resident Virus is one of the most powerful computer viruses that you might actually meet. This type of computer virus initially attaches to the computer operating system and then deliberately infects the Random-Access Memory (RAM) of the same computer. From the moment that the computer is infected with this kind of virus up to the point in time wherein the computer is shut down, the Resident Virus will remain active.

During such period, this type of virus can infect lots of application programs, files and folders within the computer since it has access to the RAM. It can even infect the entire hard disk drive of the computer without you knowing since it has the capability to spread even if the original infected program has already stopped running.

The Resident Computer Virus also possess the technology to attach itself to anti-virus programs. This is very dangerous since all of the files, folders, documents scanned by the anti-virus software can be infected as well during the process. On top of that, you should also be aware that a flash drive or memory card that is attached to the computer can also be infected and spread the resident virus to another computer once inserted.

In order to be sure that the effect of this type of computer virus becomes limited, I urge you to use one of the best cloud storage service providers in order to secure all of your important files, folders, and documents that are stored on the local hard disk drive of your computer. In this way, you will have a backup copy of your most important files and documents that is stored online. Even if your entire local computer becomes infected by a computer virus, the backup copy in the cloud storage will not be affected. You can just transfer any document file, photo, video, or audio file easily from another computer in order to regain access to such kinds of files.

Computer Virus Type #2: Macro Virus

The Macro Virus is another type of the most common computer viruses known to mankind. As a matter of fact, it can usually be found in word documents and excel spreadsheets since these types of document files use a macro language in order to automate the process of running the application programs which they are connected to. Since document files are compatible with the macro programming language, a virus can easily be created and inserted to such files in order to operate the same way as opening the file. Once you click on and open an infected document file, the code of the macro virus is executed which in effect will allow the virus to infect and propagate itself to the computer being used.

This is the reason why it is very dangerous to click on file attachments on unsolicited e-mails. Without a reliable anti-virus software, you’ll never know that the document file attachment on the e-mail carries a very harmful macro computer virus in it. Whenever you are in doubt, you should not click anything suspicious to prevent macro viruses from intruding your local computer system.

Computer Virus Type #3: Web Scripting Virus

This type of computer virus can be found in the codes of malicious ads, banners, as well as links coming from untrusted sources. It can even be found in the codes of photos and videos online. You can be infected with a web scripting virus whenever you click something inside a malicious website. The virus can actually steal your private information and threatens your internet privacy using the web browser. In order to prevent this, you might need the help of the best VPN service provider in order to encrypt your internet connection.