When I say bot, I don’t mean those cute little creatures from my childhood. I’m talking about malicious software – or malware for short – that gets onto our computers without us knowing. And as cyber security becomes more important, so does having an effective defense mechanism against these threats.
How Can I Protect Myself From Bots?
There are a lot of automated approaches to security out there, but many of them have some sort of catch. They assume that you’re always on your computer, or that you’ll never need to access the internet from someone else’s network. And a lot of them don’t work with Chrome.
So what can the average user do to protect themselves from bots? Let’s take a look.
1. Simple Security Tricks
There are a lot of simple things that you can do to keep yourself safe from bots. The first of these is to stay up to date with your browser. Many viruses and other malicious software use the latest vulnerabilities in Chrome and other browsers to gain access to your computer. So it’s important to keep your browser up to date so that you won’t be vulnerable when they strike.
You should also use a unique password for every site you go to, and make sure that you don’t reuse the same password you use for any of your other accounts (I’m guilty of doing this occasionally, but I’m trying to be better about it).
2. Getting A VPN
Any time that you connect to the internet through an open network (like at a local coffee shop or hotel), you run the risk of transmitting sensitive information through that network without encryption.
This means that anyone with half a brain could read any information that passes through that network without getting caught. And unfortunately for us, there are a lot of people out there who have half a brain or less when it comes to computers.
A VPN helps prevent this by encrypting all of your data before passing it back and forth between your computer and their servers – which essentially makes it impossible for anyone else but you and the VPN provider to see what’s going on inside the network.
What Are Some Common Bots?
There are a lot of bots out there, and most of them are extremely difficult to combat. This is because they’re designed to run on the computers of unsuspecting users in order to steal information or otherwise wreak havoc on the system.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common bots on the market today.
Botnet
This is one of the oldest types of botnets around. These programs were originally designed for legitimate purposes, such as helping different computers communicate with each other over Wi-Fi or creating virtual networks in order to keep track of all computers in a certain area (like on a corporate campus).
But unfortunately, many people were able to figure out how to use this software for malicious purposes – which made it much easier for them to create botnets out of infected computers. And once these botnets get large enough, they can wreak havoc on their targets with almost no warning.
Packet Sniffer
This is similar to a botnet in that it allows people far away from their target machines to attack them remotely (and often without detection). However, unlike a botnet, a packet sniffer isn’t even capable of running by itself.
It relies on other programs in order to work properly (such as malware or viruses). This is why packet sniffers are so dangerous – because they allow someone who isn’t even able to get into your computer remotely to access all sorts of information about you and your activities online.
Ransomware
Ransomware is quickly becoming one of the most popular types of malware available today. This type of malware locks up your computer and prevents you from doing anything on it unless you pay a certain amount of money.
This is a great way for hackers to make a lot of money with very little risk since the ransom money usually goes into an untraceable account that’s almost impossible to find. And if the victim chooses not to pay, the hacker can simply keep your information locked up forever.
These are just some of the most common types of botnets around these days. If you’re looking for a new job, consider a career in cyber security.