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Trustworthy Security Solutions and Why a Complete Approach Is Necessary

Opinion & Analysis
Having adequate security solutions in place is no longer a luxury but rather a necessity. Whether you work from home or at a large company, your data and security may be at risk. Hackers, cybercriminals, and the like are all becoming smarter, which means that you have to stay a step ahead when it comes […]

Having adequate security solutions in place is no longer a luxury but rather a necessity. Whether you work from home or at a large company, your data and security may be at risk. Hackers, cybercriminals, and the like are all becoming smarter, which means that you have to stay a step ahead when it comes to your security. The only way to do this is to have many layers of security in place.

In this article, we will be looking at why a complete approach is necessary and how some security solutions may not be as effective as you think. We will be comparing residential vs. datacenter proxies and VPNs so you can see the difference. Finally, we’ll also give you a few solutions that, when used together, can increase your security.

Why Is a Complete Approach Necessary?

Hackers are becoming more sophisticated as technology advances. With the release of each new state-of-the-art security solution, hackers face a new challenge and soon find ways to bypass the security. Because of this, you must put in place many security measures. That way, even if hackers get through one, they’ll still be faced with more which will give you time to fight back.

Security Solutions That, on Their Own, May Decrease Security

Most security solutions on their own are not enough to keep out persistent cybercriminals. For example, if you consider residential vs. datacenter proxies, you’ll see that each has its strengths and weaknesses. If you were to only rely on a single source of protection for your data, you might be at risk of an attack exposing that weakness. Let’s look at a few more examples you would expect to keep you and your data safe, but may actually decrease security.

Home Security Cameras

Many people rely on home security cameras to protect their homes and valuables, including data stored on devices such as computers. Technology has come so far that you can install cameras that you can track from your phone via a live stream. These cameras will also send a notification to your phone if they detect any movement so that you can check it out to see if you need to notify the authorities. Sounds great, right?

Although these security cameras do a good job, they may put you at risk. An international study conducted by researchers at the Queen Mary University of London and the Chinese Academy of Science aimed to determine how effective these IP (Internet Protocol) security cameras were.

Their study concluded that someone with some tech knowledge could track the cameras to see how much data is being uploaded. Since these cameras upload more unencrypted data when it detects movement, it could give these intruders a clear guideline of when the home is empty. With enough monitoring, they can establish a pattern and plan their attack for a time when nobody will be home.

Face Recognition Software

Face recognition is being implemented in many high-security areas such as airports, hospitals, and more. This sophisticated and expensive technology can identify and interpret who they are looking at. In the case of airports, this identification can be checked against passport information to see if the person is on the ‘no-fly list.

However, a team at the McAfee Security Firm discovered that it was possible to trick this software. They were able to create an image that looked like one person to the naked eye but a completely different person to the face recognition algorithm.

While this takes a lot of time and precision planning, the security firm believes it’s only a matter of time before someone comes up with a program that automatically does this and sells it online as a way for people to trick these security measures.

VPNs

Many individuals rely on VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to keep their browsing data private and secure. VPNs are growing in popularity. More people are working remotely and companies need a secure connection to protect communications between employees.

However, VPNs can also be ineffective on their own. VPNs can be susceptible to hijacking, man-in-the-middle attacks, weak user authentication, and split tunneling. All of these can put the user and the company’s data at risk.

What Are Some of the Most Trustworthy Security Solutions?

To provide a genuinely secure solution, you will need to combine different elements to create a complete protection plan. To do this, we recommend using a combination of solutions. Proxies, physical security, cloud security, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and antivirus software are all effective when used together.

 

Before getting a proxy, consider what you need most. There are differences between residential vs. datacenter proxies that you should consider. Datacenter proxies are usually more cost-effective; but, the IP addresses used are not linked to ISPs. Residential proxies are slightly more expensive, but each IP address is linked to an actual device with an ISP. When it comes to residential vs. datacenter proxies, a residential one will be better as a security solution.

Physical security can include any measures taken to protect your data assets. These can include locks on electronic devices, password-protecting your BIOS, and more. When used in conjunction with other measures, these can be useful.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes when it comes to security, less is more. If you build a moat, those wishing to pass will learn to swim or build boats. You don’t always need fancy cameras and facial recognition if you have a few essential items. These include proxies, antivirus, and some physical security measures in place. Stick to what has been tried and tested. It’s also a good idea to never replace your security solution completely with something new, but rather integrate it with your current system for a complete solution.