Tag Archive for: VPNs

Can VPNs protect you from data breaches? – Forbes Advisor Australia


Concern about our individual cyber security is growing among Australians in the wake of numerous data breaches, including two significant attacks on Australian companies.

The Optus data breach impacted nearly 10 million customers, many of whom were required to replace vital documents, including their driver’s license. Not long after, Medibank Private revealed that all of its nearly four million customers have had their data hacked—some of which included detail medical information.

These two high-profile debacles have understandably prompted many Australians to contemplate how they can keep their data safe. Many have been wondering whether a VPN can help secure their data in an era of increased susceptibility to cyber hacks. Here’s the lowdown. 

Related: Guide to using VPNs in Australia

What Is A VPN?

VPN stands for ‘virtual private network—a service that protects your internet connection and privacy online. It does this by creating an encrypted digital tunnel between your computer and the internet, protecting your online identity and hiding your IP address (which is a series of numbers that identifies a device or network). 

Another way to understand a VPN is to picture it as an outer packet that ensures your data stays secure inside the packet. This keeps the data safe during transfer.

A VPN also allows you to use public Wifi hotspots safely.

How VPNs May Help

A VPN can quite literally block your IP address from everyone. Governments, hackers, or anyone else spying on you as you navigate the web, explains Australian cyber security expert, Stephen Kho. 

“For example, connecting to public Wi-Fi networks, such as those found in coffee shops, airports, and other public areas, is incredibly risky,” says Kho, of digital security company, Avast

“All it takes is one hacker connected on the same network and they can easily spy on all your activity. A VPN acts like an invisibility cloak, hiding everything you do on your phone or computer.

A VPN can protect you from prying eyes such as Google and other websites that track your browsing habits, Kho adds.

“If you’ve ever used the private browsing feature in your…

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Karakurt warning. Clipminer in the wild. GootLoader evolves. Cyber ops in Russia’s hybrid war. Russian agencies buy VPNs.


Dateline Moscow, Kyiv, Washington: Gray zone operations.

Ukraine at D+98: Friction in the gray zone. (The CyberWire) Advancing into the rubble it’s created, Russia’s army tries to come to grips with combat refusals. The White House says that the cyber operations NSA Director Nakasone alluded to this week are entirely consistent with the US policy of avoiding direct combat with Russia. Observers work to understand the state of the cyber phase of the hybrid war. And Russian censorship seems to be producing friction in some Russian government operations. (That’s why agencies in Moscow are buying VPNs.)

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 99 (Al Jazeera) As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 99th day, we take a look at the main developments.

Exclusive: Ukraine troops retreating in Donbas have a plan, Luhansk governor says (Newsweek) Serhiy Haidai told Newsweek the defenders remain defiant despite the intense Russian attacks, which included a strike on a chemical plant.

Russia-Ukraine latest news: Kyiv may switch off Europe’s largest nuclear powerplant (The Telegraph) Ukraine would consider switching off its Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that lies in Russian-occupied territory if Kyiv loses control of operations at the site, an aide to the prime minister has said, Interfax news agency reports.

Documents Reveal Hundreds of Russian Troops Broke Ranks Over Ukraine Orders (Wall Street Journal) Desertions and refusal to engage in the invasion have put Moscow in a bind over how to punish service members without drawing more attention to the problem. “So many people don’t want to fight.”

The Russian Military’s People Problem (Foreign Affairs) It’s hard for Moscow to win while mistreating its soldiers.

Zelensky will be tried as war criminal if Russia captures him (Newsweek) A lawmaker in the self-declared, Russia-backed Donetsk People’s Republic accused Ukraine’s president of sending “neo-Nazis to Donbas to kill civilians.”

Six lessons the Ukraine conflict has taught us about modern warfare (The Telegraph) From drones to the use of tanks, we dissect the masterstrokes and miscalculations of military tactics after three months of fighting

Some see cyberwar in Ukraine. Others see…

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The 10 Best VPNs To Shore Up Your Internet Security in 2022


Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

This day and age, every entrepreneur should use a VPN. With so many nefarious actors on the internet, you don’t want to get targeted and risk your valuable data being leaked on the web. Protecting your information is paramount in the digital age and with these VPNs, you’ll be well set up to protect yourself.

FastestVPN

1. Disconnect VPN Premium: Lifetime Subscription

The New York Times writes, “We researched and tested four tracker blockers and found their results varied widely. In the end, the app Disconnect became our anti-tracking tool of choice.” That glowing review shines a light on Disconnect’s extra value prop. It blocks trackers and malware to help you browse faster, use less bandwidth, and improve battery life.

Get Disconnect for $15.99 (reg. $300) with promo code CYBER20.

2. AdGuard VPN: 1-Yr Subscription

Featured in Newsweek, Macworld, and more top publications, AdGuard VPN is a budget-friendly VPN that packs a lot of security features. An advanced encryption algorithm keeps your browsing data safe while a strict zero-logging policy ensures your data never gets leaked in a breach.

Get AdGuard VPN for $15.99 (reg. $71) with promo code CYBER20.

3. FastestVPN: Lifetime Subscription (5 Devices)

FastestVPN goes above and beyond other VPNs. Not only is it faster than most VPNs with 99.9% uptime on more than 350 high-speed servers worldwide, but it also offers a NAT firewall, an ad blocker, anti-malware software, and more.

Get FastestVPN for $19.99 (reg. $600) for a limited time.

4. BulletVPN: Lifetime Subscription

Take your browsing, streaming, and gaming experience up a notch with this fast security solution. BulletVPN offers high-quality connections and premium-grade carrier lines to give you fast, secure connections on all your devices.

Get BulletVPN for $31.19 (reg. $540) with promo code CYBER20.

5. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited: Lifetime Subscription

Named PC Mag’s Top VPN, VPN Unlimited is one of the top VPNs on the market….

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Company That Buys Zero-Day Hacks Now Wants Exploits for Popular VPNs


Uh oh. An infamous company that pays thousands of dollars for iOS and Android hacking techniques is now out to acquire zero-day exploits for three popular VPN services. 

Zerodium today sent out a tweet calling for “zero-days” or publicly unknown attacks that work against ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or Surfshark. The attacks must be capable of leaking information from the VPNs, such as a computer’s IP address. Zerodium will also pay for exploits that can trigger a VPN to remotely execute computer code.

Zerodium didn’t say how much it’s willing to pay for the hacking techniques. But its bounties can range from $100,000 up to $2.5 million for the most powerful zero-day exploits against Android and iOS. For now, Zerodium is merely calling on hackers and security researchers to submit “pre-offers” for the zero-day exploits via its website.  

Zerodium’s tweet is unsettling, given that ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark are highly rated and popular VPN services. But it’s also true that hackers and fraudsters rely on VPN services too.

The technology works by rerouting your internet activity to the VPN provider’s servers and encrypting the connection, which can prevent an internet service provider from learning what you’ve been browsing. However, the zero-day exploits Zerodium is asking for could unravel the encryption and even hijack your PC or smartphone. 

The bounty from Zerodium also suggests the company’s clients are looking to spy on some users of the three VPN apps. Those customers include government institutions in the US and Europe “in need of advanced zero-day exploits and cybersecurity capabilities,” according to Zerodium’s website. 

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“At Zerodium we take ethics very seriously and we choose our customers very carefully through a very strict due diligence and vetting process,” the site adds. “Access to acquired zero-day research is highly restricted and is limited to a very small number of government clients.”

Zerodium—along with ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark—didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. However, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer bug bounties, which means they’ll pay you for…

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