Financial data is the most popular target among cybercriminals in the information space. The criminal business, as well as the legal one, is aimed at obtaining and maximizing cash profits, and the most profitable data is at the financial organizations’ disposal. Unlike cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, attacks on banks, credit, and financial cooperatives are carried out without any ideological background, so banks are always under attack.
Bank information security and information protection should be at a high enough level to reflect any attacks and intrusion attempts by attackers, including employees of the organization. To minimize financial and reputational risks, it is necessary to protect not only the databases and staff workstations. At Cooltechzone, you can learn how to protect computer networks, terminals of front-office workers, and even ATMs from malicious code and insider actions.
Bank Confidentiality
It is important to remember that only one vulnerability used by an attacker can lead to a successful cyberattack since financial services are interconnected and form a chain of single attacks that do not pose an immediate danger in each particular case.
The bank information security system should not protect only the bank IT perimeter, it should protect the software environment from unauthorized modifications in principle, and carry out detailed logging of all actions within the system to respond to intrusion attempts promptly.
The number of devices capable of being infected with malicious code that steals financial data or takes control of the system is extremely large, and it is not enough to protect only the ATMs and bank payment terminals. For example, all retail outlets where your bank card can be used are potential threats until their POS terminals are protected by specialized security software.
The Importance of Personal Privacy
In the modern world, few people think about their safety on the network. It is not surprising, because technology corporations often give rise to this — all these accusations around Facebook and Microsoft in collecting and selling data make every user a little paranoid. Cybercrime is also developing rapidly, and you unwittingly start developing ways to protect yourself.
Many have seen the news that US major telecommunications companies are accused of selling their users’ data. The truth is that the more time we spend on the Internet, the higher the likelihood of becoming a victim. Cybercriminals are well motivated and often ahead of technological progress. Seeking to steal personal data, correspondence, and money from bank cards, they use very sophisticated tools to collect user data.
The worst thing about this is that you probably won’t even know that you have become a victim of cybercriminals until strange transactions appear on your bank account or your card is blocked.
Significance of VPN
The Internet is not only a storehouse of incredible resources but also a crime place. However, there are many ways to protect yourself from malicious activity. A virtual private network or, as it is also called, VPN is one of the most popular ways to do that. Whether you are looking for the best VPN for your smartphone or a free VPN for your laptop, a virtual private network will help you in any kind of situation.
There are people online who want to steal your money, and some of them can do it easily. It’s time to start monitoring your financial data. All you need to protect your banking transactions is VPN software. A virtual private network redirects your Internet traffic through its servers. This also hides your IP address, and your outgoing traffic becomes anonymous. Moreover, all data transmitted through the connection is encrypted. This means that no one will be able to track your digital transactions.
- Security when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks
Public Wi-Fi networks are notorious for their security concerns, outdated software, and vulnerability. The networks you use in cafes, hotels, and airports often do not have any protection or even a password. Even if you use banking applications when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, your financial data is at risk. Although these applications provide better security than a browser, if someone intercepts your Internet traffic, there will be a possibility to access your bank account information.
No doubt some Wi-Fi hotspots are safe, but most of them are not. Public Wi-Fi networks can be created by hackers to gain access to logins and passwords from their user accounts. When you connect to a public Wi-Fi access point through a VPN service, then your data is protected from intruders.
VPN is secure, so no one can see your personal information or intercept it. No one, including network operators, as well as any cybercriminals or bots.
- When someone spies on you
There are many government organizations and large private offices (including even your provider) that have formal authority (or unofficial) to access your data. Regardless of whether they use their tools to sell your data to advertisers or scan mail, you are monitored every time you go online.
A huge number of random people or devices can see or record your data without you being aware of it: an Internet provider, an employer, a public Wi-Fi router, any intermediate server and indeed anyone who has the right tools.
Using a VPN connection, you can stop being worried knowing that your data is encrypted and the IP address is hidden. Your ISP can no longer see which websites you visit because all your activities are performed through the VPN server. As a result, they can neither collect your metadata on the Internet nor record history. Even better, they cannot share any data with anyone.
Turn the VPN on and you will get an extra layer of protection from third parties. Of course, a professional spy can gain access to your data in this case too, but you will definitely minimize the possibility of different organizations to spy on you. We all want to be able to be incognito online even if we have nothing to hide.