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Cybercrime is on the rise, which is unfortunate for all of us as we鈥檙e spending much more time online. Not only is the world embroiled in a global pandemic, which has seen a boom of remote working and people staying at home, but it鈥檚 also meant everybody鈥檚 using the internet for work and for leisure. As well as that, we鈥檙e also on a march towards a digital world, with old communication technology soon becoming obsolete.

While it can help streamline the way we live and work, it鈥檚 also a goldmine for the increasing number of cybercriminals.

Looking at the Stats

We鈥檝e actually got some startling facts gathered from reliable sources when it comes to cybercrimes. Some of them might be no surprise considering the current state while others may truly catch you off guard. This is just from 2020:

• 80% of firms experienced an attempted cyberattack
• 56% of US citizens don鈥檛 know what to do if they鈥檙e a victim, while 64% don鈥檛 even check to see if they鈥檙e affected by a data breach. Which is worrying as in 58% of breaches, personal data was involved
• A twitter breach targeted 130 accounts, including big names such as Elon Musk, with the hackers attaining $121,000 in Bitcoin
• Marriott discovered a security breach which affected over 5.2 million guests
• Internet of Things (IoT) devices experience 5,200 attacks per month on average
• 60% of the most malicious domains are spam campaigns

We could spend all day rattling off facts, but that should be enough to demonstrate the severity of cybercrime against business and individuals. It also goes to show that even new technologies, such as IoT, serves itself up for cyberattacks. That鈥檚 why as technology and online usage advances, it鈥檚 important to take the right steps and make sure you don鈥檛 become one of those stats, and it鈥檚 easy to do.

You can avoid becoming a victim by making sure you鈥檙e savvy with all the goings-on in the online world. We鈥檙e not saying you have to sign up to trade press, blogs and every cyber news story under the sun. Although if you do then you鈥檒l definitely expand your knowledge base. No, all you need to do is make sure you鈥檙e aware of the most common online threats and how to combat them. This way you鈥檒l be able to identify any potential threat so it should stop you from visiting a bad website or downloading anything malicious onto your device.

One of the best measures you can take is to use a VPN, or virtual private network if you like it spelled out in full. They鈥檝e become very popular in recent years due to the level of online privacy, protection and anonymity they give. Just check out the yourself and you鈥檒l see why they鈥檙e so popular. They work by masking your IP address so you can go online completely under the radar. This means that you won鈥檛 be tracked by your internet service provider, nor any other websites or online services. By selecting a different server, your IP address will be completely different, coming from somewhere else in the world, giving you the safety and security you need. Extra safe when you use a VPN which has solid security measures in place. That way, your personal details and information will be kept protected and hidden from cybercriminals.

Other easy steps to take include making sure your passwords are always updated. And that they鈥檙e extra strong too. The longer the better and make sure you have a good mixture of letters, numbers and special characters. Avoid using birthdays or the names of your family and make sure you change them once in a while. You can find various password generators online which can serve as inspiration for getting the best password possible.

鈥淜eeping it private鈥� should be three worlds that resonate when you鈥檙e online. That means no sharing your passwords with anyone, you never know who might end up with them. It鈥檚 also a good mantra when it comes to using public computers or public wi-fi. If you really need to use a public computer, which should be a rare occurrence seeing as everyone has a connected device these days, only use it for its task, don鈥檛 go onto your regular sites where your details could be compromised. With public wi-fi, it鈥檚 always advised to steer clear. However, if you have a VPN installed on your device, you can actually use the internet without the worry.

It鈥檚 a sad state of affairs that cybercrime is rife these days. But by arming yourself with the knowledge and tools to keep yourself protected, you鈥檒l reduce the chance of becoming a cybercrime stat.