Online Vulnerability: How To Protect Yourself With Mobile Proxies

Browsing on the internet is so much fun until it’s not. While you’re there to improve yourself, your work or business and have fun, some are there to take advantage of your vulnerability and rip you off.
Now, before you start thinking of how to protect yourself, it’s only wise to know what makes you so vulnerable in the first place. Here are three actions you take that increase your online vulnerability.

1. Using public Wi-Fi networks
Surely, there can't be any harm in using free Wi-Fi? Sorry to puncture your ball, but there can be. In fact, there is. Public Wi-Fis are among the most common ways hackers can access your login details and other confidential data. According to a survey by Forbes, 43% of correspondents have had their online security compromised as a result of using public Wi-Fi.
Apart from deliberate onslaughts by the Wi-Fi owners, public Wi-Fis are very vulnerable and easy to hack into. So, the next time you feel tempted to use the Wi-Fi in your favorite coffee shop, think twice about the possible repercussions.

2. Not checking email addresses well before following embedded instructions
Email lesson 101 – check the email address well before following the instructions in it. Phishers can trick you by sending an email with an address similar to that of one of your contacts. Often, these phishing emails contain requests for confidential information like your bank account or login details. Ensure you check the email address properly and verify it’s from the right contact before following any instructions in the email.

3. Using the same password for many accounts
Using the same password for all your accounts is less stressful, right? Wrong. When you use the same password for multiple accounts, you render all your accounts vulnerable. If a hacker can access one, they automatically can access all.
So, you can avoid a little stress now but face a much larger one in the future. Vary passwords for your accounts, even if it’s slightly. Only you will know it’s a little different but you’ll have made it less accessible to hackers.

What exactly are the consequences of being vulnerable online? Why do you need better online security measures? Here are common cybersecurity threats you risk facing when you’re vulnerable online.

Malware is one of the most common cyberattacks. It is any program designed to harm or endanger your computer, network or server. Bots, spyware, keyloggers, ransomware, adware, worms, rootkits, trojans and viruses are all forms of malware.

If you’ve been using the internet for a while, you would have encountered at least one type of phishing threat. Phishing is a cyber attack that entices you to share sensitive information through emails, text messages, social media and social engineering formats.
Once you share such sensitive information, the cyber crooks will then use the info to download a malicious file that can infect your computer, phone or network with viruses. Common phishing attacks are smishing, spear phishing, whale phishing and vishing.

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is designed to disrupt your business operations. It works by flooding your network with fake requests. When your network is flooded this way, users cannot carry out regular routines like checking emails and other online accounts or accessing websites.
The three attacks mentioned are not the only risks you face when you're vulnerable online. Other cyber threats include spoofing, supply chain attacks, insider threats, IoT-based attacks, code injection attacks, identity-based attacks and DNS tunneling.

Proxies are systems or routers that serve as a gateway between you and the internet. They’re seen as intermediaries or middlemen because they stand between users and the websites they visit. Proxies help protect your data from ransomware and other forms of online threats.
Here’s how proxies work. When you use the internet, you use an IP address. This IP address is your identity online, or, let’s say it's your online home. So, to protect your house online, you don't use your house address; you instead use the address of a proxy. This action makes it difficult for you to be traced and attacked.

There are many types of proxies and the list varies from source to source. Here are some types of proxies.

• Public proxies
• Residential proxies
• Mobile proxies
• Forward proxies
• Anonymous proxies
• Caching proxies
• SSL proxies
• Shared proxies

The list above is not exhaustive and the type of proxy you choose will depend on your needs. However, all proxies have basically one major job – to give you a different IP address to perform your online activities.

Aside from using proxies to protect your business online and stop DDoS attacks, there are other uses like the following:

• They improve employees’ online privacy
• They balance online traffic to stop your computer programs from failing
• They help manage the sites your employees access in the work environment
• By compressing traffic and caching files, they reduce bandwidth
• They help with content filtering
• They let you bypass filters
• They help you filter encrypted data

As seen above, proxies go beyond playing middlemen roles. They have many other uses and can make your work easier. Knowing how to leverage them will determine how much benefits you get from them.

When you’re advised to buy a mobile proxy, you want to know why. So, what is a mobile proxy and how is it different from other types of proxies? A mobile proxy is just a proxy that assigns a mobile Internet Protocol (IP) address instead of a residential one or a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A mobile proxy masks your real IP address and makes it look like you’re using the internet from a mobile data network and device. This action not only protects your identity and lets you achieve business goals, it also shields your online activities from cyber criminals.

The ability to bypass the cookie consent banner is why many people are excited when using mobile proxies. However, you must understand that cookies are not harmful. In fact, using them helps improve your browsing experience as they remember your login details and other convenient user settings.
The only times you should be scared about cookies is when they’re from websites with deficient or non-transparent cookie consent policies. When a website's cookie consent banner is intelligently designed and offers clear, convenient options, cookies become less of a concern as they play a part in tailoring the website to the user's needs.

Now that you understand what makes you vulnerable online, what mobile proxies are and how they work, it's time to find out the benefits they bring to your business. Here are five benefits of using mobile proxies in your organization.

1. Data security
This is the most important value you get from using a mobile proxy. You don't want to expose sensitive data in your company to internet prowlers and crooks. These criminals need your IP address to gain access to these data. Mobile proxies give you an extra layer of security as it masks your real IP address, shielding you from cyber attacks.

2. Product data scraping
One sweet benefit of using a mobile proxy is the ability to extract data from websites, also known as web scraping. As a business, you need insights to grow your products and being able to access competitors’ websites helps you get product data.

3. Targeted ads
A mobile proxy gives you more freedom to advertise your business to targeted audiences. Your ad campaigns become more effective as you can target and reach customers in specific regions. Also, you can create many ad accounts using these proxies, thereby increasing your reach

4. Mobile app testing
If you’re into mobile apps, you need mobile proxies to help you test your apps in different countries and regions without restrictions. This access lets you know if your apps are working in these countries or not and allows you to make the necessary adjustments before rolling out the products.

5. Unrestricted market research
Market research is crucial to business success and a mobile proxy makes this easier. It expands your reach and lets you monitor customer trends and identify potential new markets. You can more effectively decide on new products and services you can offer your clients.

Being vulnerable is not necessarily bad. However, one place you don't wish to be vulnerable at all is on the internet. Online vulnerability exposes your business to cyber threats like malware, phishing and DOS. These attacks could cost you sensitive information, money and other valuable resources.
Mobile proxies are lifesavers in this regard. They let you have a separate IP address that can't be linked to you. This feature gives you the freedom to achieve vital business goals without being unduly exposed to cyber attacks.
With these proxies, your data is secure and you can perform essential business tasks like product data scraping, targeted ads, mobile app testing and market research. So, rest easy, get to work and crush your corporate goals, knowing your mobile proxy has your back.