Cybersecurity: how can you protect your data online
With the expansion of social networks, of ways to share data and of the payment of services online, questions cybersecurity and data protection become more pressing.
The Snowden case, in which Edward Snowden reported the surveillance and espionage programmes of the North-American National Security Agency (NSA) brought a new scale to the issues around Internet security.
«More and more, people, companies and governments use the Internet to communicate, share information and implement processes that would otherwise be hard and even impossible to achieve. Something that two decades ago was nothing but a plan for personal computers is now going to the «cloud» which includes, for instance, search engines - Google and Bing -, social networks - Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – and services to share files - Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive», stated Jaime Dias, a researcher at the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto (INESC-TEC).
However, because information sharing and access is easier, the risks for «increasingly complex» attacks grow and Wi-Fi networks are an example of that. Moreover, using social networks such as Facebook can also put the users’ security at risk: «Oftentimes the users don’t know how a social network like Facebook can monitor their activities and what that information is used for».
But how can we browse the web safely?
«The users should always configure their Wi-Fi networks (at home or in their companies) with security (WPA2). If you go online in public hotspots, such as coffee shops or restaurants, they should use VPNs (virtual private networks). If you do not have one, you should not exchange sensitive information out in the open. And whenever possible you should use safe sessions (HTTPS)», Jaime Dias explains.
Furthermore, it is fundamental to have an updated antivirus, and to avoid using the personal or professional e-mail to register in a website. And «you should also think twice before you share personal information through social networks, or before you share any file with sensitive information through the cloud».
If you are looking for an anonymous browsing software that hides your location, Tor is the solution. This software redirects traffic «through a number of networks composed of over 500 nodes around the world» and it has been used by Edward Snowden, in June 2013, to send information to the Washington Post and to The Guardian about the PRISM espionage programme PRISM.
As far as search engines are concerned, the DuckDuckGo does not save or share personal information on the users and since the NSA scandal, the number of users has doubled. «Google receives more requests in a day that DuckDuckGo in a year. However, it is expected that search engines and other services that respect the privacy of their users will become more importance on the long term», the INESC TEC researcher stressed.
Furthermore, there are different extensions, such as the AdBlock Plus, which block adverts, scripts and cookies that screen the users’ browsing patterns.
Device by C3P will guarantee anonymous browsing
The Center of Competence in Cyber Security and Privacy (C3P) of the University of Porto is currently developing a device similar to a memory stick that will make it possible to configure from scratch a set of applications used by citizens, and install a plug-in to guarantee anonymous browsing and privacy.
«Whoever provides software is not worried about these issues, and this way the user can browse the Internet safely without having their online behaviour tracked», explained Luís Antunes, director of the C3P.
The service will be launched at the website of the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD, the Portuguese data authority), on 11 February and download is free.
