New device? Here’s how to properly protect it

New device? Here’s how to properly protect it

christmas is the perfect time to buy (or receive) digital devices. However, it can be easy to forget to get adequate protection for them. With data theft and malware running rampant these days, it is paramount that you protect these new devices.
On top of this, piles upon piles of cookies and Other trackers are hopping onto your device daily. Even sites that may seem benign can be Home to malware and Other cyber threats.

Thankfully, Black Friday is the perfect time to upgrade your device protection suite. A VPN, antivirus, and a high-quality password manager ensure you have a safe, private browsing experience. Today, we’ll be looking at what these tools can do for you and why proper device protection is so important.

Why You Need a VPN

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an application that, once installed on your devices, routes your Internet traffic through international servers. This enables you to change your apparent location online. This means you can circumvent efforts to track your browsing history and unblock streaming sites like netflix or Hulu.

A VPN also encrypts your traffic, meaning that even if your data is intercepted by a hacker, the government, or even your ISP, they will be unable to garner any information from it. Not only does this increase your privacy, but you will also be able to reach sites that may be banned by your ISP. For example, if you live in china or Russia, you’ll be able to access sites like Google and YouTube.

If this sounds like something you need, we’ve compiled a list of the best VPNs for you.

Top 3 VPNs

1. ExpressVPN: The Best VPN – 3-Month Free Trial
   
   ExpressVPN has been dominating performance metrics across the board in 2023. You get maximum convenience with its ease of use and high success rate in unblocking streaming sites. What sets ExpressVPN apart is how this is combined with first-rate Security Features ensuring every click is saved. You can try ExpressVPN for free today with a Tom’s Guide exclusive 3-month free trial.
2. NordVPN: Quickest VPN on The Market
   
   NordVPN is likely the most popular VPN out there. It provides a robust Security suite including an ad blocker, data breach scanner, and malware protection. However, what gives NordVPN such a large presence in the industry is its consistently high speed ensuring a seamless browsing experience. NordVPN is a bit cheaper than ExpressVPN, sitting at $2.99 per month. On top of the 30-day Money-back guarantee, if you get NordVPN during its Black Friday sale, you’ll get 3 months free.
3. Surfshark: Best Budget VPN
   
   Surfshark is your best bet if you want to get a premium-quality VPN on the cheap. Despite being a budget-conscious choice, Surfshark is relatively close to NordVPN and ExpressVPN in terms of performance, excelling at streaming and day-to-day applications. Surfshark will run you just $1.99 with 3 months free, with a 30-day Money-back guarantee ensuring it’s risk-free to try it out.

At first glance, most VPNs and their offerings may seem pretty similar. After all, they all do fundamentally the same thing. However, the peripheral Features, polish, reliability, and speed of a VPN can make a dramatic difference in your experience. When picking a VPN, consider factors such as total feature-set, your use-case, peripherals, user-friendliness, and price.

Why You Need Antivirus Software

An antivirus is a program that detects and prevents malware and Other cyber threats from infecting your devices. With malicious actors becoming more sophisticated and widening their targets by the day, no operating system remains safe from the threat of viruses. malware can have a number of impacts, ranging from marginally slowing down your device to making it almost entirely unusable.

However, malware isn’t the only threat you should be concerned about. Increasingly, cyber criminals are launching phishing attacks and stealing crucial sensitive information to commit identity theft. These cyber threats can have even more devastating consequences, going as far as taking funds directly from your bank account. The best antivirus software is there to keep you safe from this.

Before committing to an antivirus, make sure you’ve determined what you need out of it, and whether or not your chosen antivirus can provide this. When picking an antivirus, consider factors such as the threat database, parental controls, virus removal, price, peripheral Features, and platform support.

Top 3 Antivirus Software Providers

1. Norton’s Antivirus Suite
   
   Norton’s Security suite includes everything you need for complete device protection. With an antivirus, VPN, password manager, parental controls, and even identity theft protection. If it’s in your budget, this clever solution provides everything you need for your digital Security and then some.
2. Bitdefender’s Antivirus Plus
   
   Bitdefender’s Antivirus Plus brings not only state-of-the-art malware protection but will also defend you from identity theft and phishing attacks. This, when combined with its intuitive user interface and a plethora of Other Features makes it’s affordable price tag hard to believe.
3. McAfee’s Antivirus Bundles
   
   McAfee’s two antivirus bundles- Antivirus Plus and Total Protection Plus can protect up to 10 devices, making it the perfect choice for families to protect all household devices under one subscription. On top of this, Total Protection Ultimate gives you every Security feature you could want.

While paid and free password managers offer comparable levels of protection, paid password managers generally offer more Features and peripherals. They may offer support for multiple devices, dark web monitoring, or alert you when you’ve been exposed to a data breach. Furthermore, you may get peripherals such as an antivirus or data storage. Finally, a big difference is that a paid option will allow you customer support access if anything goes wrong.

Why You Need a Password Manager

Many of us have made the mistake of reusing the same password for multiple accounts. Unfortunately, this can be extremely dangerous, as it means if a hacker gains access to one of your passwords, they then can potentially access any account that also uses these login credentials. While an antivirus will protect you from an attacker taking your login information directly from your device, your login credentials can also be stolen during cyber attacks against any websites or services where you have an account.

The analog alternative (that is, writing down passwords in a document or paper), carries its own risks. A piece of paper or notebook is easily misplaced and can even be stolen. Thankfully, password managers exist to not only streamline the password creation process but also generate and store secure, uncrackable passwords. To get a taste of what the best password managers have to offer, look below.

Top 3 Password Managers

1. 1Password
   
   1Password is a convenient, easy-to-use password manager with additional privacy Features. With its Travel Mode, you can protect your passwords on the go, and take advantage of “masked” email addresses to take your device protection to the next level.
2. Dashlane
   
   Dashlane is most well-known for its bulk password changer capable of resetting hundreds of passwords at the press of a button. It’s available on most major platforms and browsers and offers both family and individual plans.
3. Keeper
   
   Keeper boasts the most robust Security suite out of any password manager on the market. It allows for extensive use of biometrics and can monitor the Internet for any unauthorized usage of your data. It also offers individual and family plans.

Overall, when selecting a password manager you should look at factors such as price, OS support, intuitiveness, peripheral Features, and platform support.

Source: tomsguide