Cyber Self-Defense Is Not Complicated

Featured article by Jaime

A while ago, parents used to tell their children never to take candy from a stranger. Now, the saying needs to change. Never open emails, or download files from a stranger.

Most people have never been in a fight in their life. Since we’re all living in peaceful times, skills like BJJ, Krav Maga, boxing, and MMA won’t be of much use in real life, but they’re still important to know. Of course, they’re essential if you live in a bad neighborhood. But it’s much more likely to be on the receiving end of a cyberattack than a physical one. That’s one of the reasons why you need to master self-defense in the real and in the virtual world.

What’s the threat?

There are a few ways it can go if you’re in a fight. You can win and go your way unharmed. You can win and suffer a broken nose, a few scratches, and bruises. Or you can lose and suffer multiple injuries and get your wallet stolen. However, the best way to approach a fight is to avoid it altogether. There’s no need for more violence in the world.

The same thing is true in the digital world. You can be on the receiving end of a cyberattack but go unharmed because you have a VPN and antivirus installed. You can go unharmed because you have a strong password or suffer a breach on an email you don’t use anymore. Or you can lose and lose your money, data, and identity in a breach.

What to do if you get attacked?

In any self-defense class, the first thing they teach you about is your opponent. Your enemy can strike you with their knuckles, elbows, legs, and knees. If they’re a jiu-jitsu master, they can put you in a lock and make you pass out. Depending on the sport or the situation, you need to adjust and overcome them. Sometimes you need to dodge or block, and other times you need to counterattack. 

In the digital world, there are a few attacks that hackers will try to use. The first one is called a man-in-the-middle attack. Don’t worry. It’s not a two versus one situation. A MITM attack is only possible if you’re connecting to public Wi-Fi networks without a VPN on your phone.

Hackers can easily intercept your communication, find your device, and exploit your data. There are three ways to defend against it. The first one is never to use public Wi-Fi. This is if you like dodging. The second one is to use a VPN before you connect.

This is if you like blocking attacks. The third way is to use a burner phone, wait for the hacker to try to get control of your device, and plant malware in his device in return. This is if you’re an expert hacker.

A DDoS is another popular attack that cybercriminals love to use. In this case, they’re sending fraudulent traffic to your website, forcing you to shut it down, or making your real customers angry with you. There are a few ways you can approach this situation.

The first one is to evade the attack and never create a website or a platform on the internet. Of course, this is not a good option. The second approach is to use a VPN and make it look like you’re in another place. In this case, you’re dodging the attack. Finally, you can choose to buy more servers to handle the influx of fraudulent traffic. This is expensive.

What’s the best form of self-defense?

One of the best ways to defend against an attack in both cyber situations is to use a VPN. It’s like being invisible in a real fight. You can’t get hurt, while the other side knows it will lose if it starts attacking. In the hacker’s case, they will lose time because they won’t be able to target you.

Of course, it’s important not to let your opponent get too close to you. That’s why companies like NordVPN have enhanced Threat Protection. They block cookies, scan the sites you’re visiting to let you know if they’re safe, and check downloads for malware.

Even if you’re the best fighter in the world, if you turn your back on an opponent, they can use it to their advantage and put you in a rear-naked choke. There’s no way out from that. VPNs will never turn their back on you if you enable their kill switch feature.

Hackers will try to impersonate individuals or companies that look legitimate and send you messages, files, and emails to get your passwords or credit card details. If you fall for these scams, it will be exactly like giving your back to a professional wrestler.

You won’t be able to get out of it. Hackers will steal everything from you and maybe even use blackmail to get more money. The best way to avoid it is to never drop your guard while online. There’s no other form of defense except being alert at all times.

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