Select Your Shield: How to Choose the Right Security & Privacy App

security device

It’s estimated that in 2018, nearly 22 million records were exposed as a result of a data breaches.

Hackers are after your data, and if you’re not careful, they’ll get their hands on it.

Thankfully, with the help of security and privacy apps, you can stay one step ahead of the hackers and keep yourself out of harm’s way.

This post will teach you how to choose a security & privacy app that’ll provide you with the protection you need. If you currently feel powerless against the hackers, these apps will help put the power back in your hands. 

Let’s begin!

What Do You Want the App to Do?

It’s important to note there are many things you can do to protect your security and privacy. Because of this, you’ll tend to find there isn’t a one size fits all app that’ll meet every one of your needs.

If you have the budget to invest in many solutions, then this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. But if you’re short on cash, you’ll need to pick the most pressing problem, for your given situation.

It’s worth noting that sometimes you might not be able to find an app that meets your needs. In this situation, you might need to be a pioneer and use an app maker to help you build a solution. 

In any case, let’s review some of the various privacy and security goals you might have, and how certain apps can help you achieve these goals.

Do You Want Help Remembering Your Passwords?

If you use any kind of online service, you’ll need to provide a password of some sort. But, in the name of security, you need to make sure this password isn’t simple. So it can’t be something like ‘abcd1234.’

But that’s not all.

You also need to make sure you use a different password for each of your ‘logins.’ If you don’t do this, someone might be able to access all your accounts if they manage to crack just one of your accounts.

But remembering many unique, complex passwords is far from easy. Luckily, with the help of a password manager, the task becomes a lot more manageable.

Such a tool will record all the passwords you use, across each of your various accounts. The benefit of a tool like this is you can now use complex passwords, without having to worry about forgetting them.

LastPass is an excellent example of a password manager that can help you with this task.

This app works across many devices, and it also has a sync feature. This means that if you create a new login on your desktop, the login data will also be available on your smartphone or tablet.

Do You Want to Hide Internet Activity?

You might feel as though you have nothing to hide. Following this, you might not think it’s worth hiding your internet activity.

This is a fair thing to say, but it’s crucial you reconsider this if you use any public WiFi services.

That’s because hackers can use tools to capture the data that’s transmitted across public internet connections. This could include login information, but it could also relate to confidential documents, such as those related to banking.

Thankfully, there’s a way to protect yourself from this problem, and it comes in the form of something known as a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN service will help you encrypt your data so that no one can interpret it. This means that if a hacker captures data packets from your computer, they won’t have access to anything that’s ‘usable.’ 

Choosing a VPN service isn’t easy, and they all seem to promise the same thing. This can make it even more challenging to figure out which one deserves your dollars.

If you’re having trouble picking one, you may want to take a look at ExpressVpn. This company is often ranked highly by review sites, and it’s affordably priced.

Another good thing about this VPN platform is that it won’t log your data, thereby increasing the level of privacy on offer. 

Do You Want to Improve Browser Privacy?

Without advertising, a lot of the online services we use daily wouldn’t exist. Yet knowing this doesn’t make it any easier to deal with an ad that follows you around, popping up on every site you visit.

If you want to prevent that kind of thing from happening, you may want to look into improving browser privacy.

That’s because certain browsers will block things known as cookies.

By blocking cookies, it becomes harder for advertisers to track your online behavior. This then makes it less likely that you’ll see recurrent ads. It also limits the odds of you seeing ads related to your browsing behavior.

Brave is a great example of a ‘privacy-focused’ browser that’ll help you limit your online footprint.

This browser is free to use, and it’s available on all devices. The browser has a straightforward user interface, so you don’t need to worry about having to learn how to use it.

Do You Know How to Choose the Right Security & Privacy App?

Protecting yourself from hackers is anything but easy. But with the right security & privacy app, you can stop yourself from being an easy target for hackers.

Remember that the world of technology is always changing and so the apps that work today, won’t necessarily work tomorrow. You need to continually review your security protocols and see if everything is up to scratch. If you notice any vulnerabilities, consider how you can eliminate them.

It’s not easy, sure. But if you don’t do this, just imagine the costs you might face if someone does steal your data.

Are you also worried about the security of your office network? Check out this post to learn how you can improve office network security.