VPNs and proxies can be a big help in anonymizing and securing your online activity. While you can download a VPN app to your device, you can also install a browser add-on and encrypt your traffic in seconds. CyberGhost, a popular VPN service, offers such an add-on. But what can this do for you, and is it worth downloading?

CyberGhost is a Romanian company founded in 2011 by Robert Knapp. It was bought by Kape in 2017, a conglomerate that has also acquired ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and ZenMate.

CyberGhost's VPN service is currently used by more than 38 million people worldwide, making it one of the most popular VPN services out there today.

CyberGhost uses AES-256 encryption to secure users' internet traffic and keep it from prying eyes. AES-256 is a particularly secure encryption cipher used by many VPN services and even governments to keep data safe. This cipher is incredibly difficult to hack, which means you can rest easy using CyberGhost knowing that your traffic is being fully protected.

CyberGhost also has a no-log policy. This means that the company doesn't keep VPN logs, which are records of your activity or personal information that can be sold onto third parties. VPN logs can put your data at risk, so it's best to stick to no-log providers. In this respect, CyberGhost's VPN is a great choice.

According to the CyberGhost website, the company has over 6,000 servers in 88 countries around the globe. So, if it's a wide array of servers you're looking for, CyberGhost may very well be the right choice for you, as the provider has a considerably higher server number than many other VPN services (including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and SurfShark).

But CyberGhost isn't just a premium app. It also offers a free browser extension. So, what does this provide users, and is it worth using?

CyberGhost's free browser add-on is available to download for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Importantly, the CyberGhost browser extension is super simple to use.

This extension only has one page, which consists of an on/off VPN activation button, and a list of server locations you can connect to. There are no settings, no sign-in options, or anything else. You don't even need a CyberGhost account to use this add-on. Simply download the extension, activate the VPN, and you're good to go!

You can also opt to sign up for the premium version of CyberGhost's VPN app at the bottom of the extension window.

Because this browser extension is entirely free, there are limitations set on what you can do. For example, there are only four server locations available to free extension users: the US, Romania, the Netherlands, and Germany.

If you're looking to bypass geo-blocking and access content in a wide range of countries, CyberGhost's free extension likely won't suit you well. While you can access geo-blocked content in the limited number of countries listed, all other regions will be off-limits to you.

You should also note that the CyberGhost VPN browser extension does not encrypt all of your outgoing online traffic. Rather, it just encrypts what's coming from your browser, as well as your IP address. This means that other internet-connected applications on your device will not have their data encrypted by CyberGhost via the browser extension. For this, you'll need to sign up to the premium version of the app.

If you already have a VPN app that encrypts all your outgoing online traffic, there's likely no need to use CyberGhost's extension. But, if you want to encrypt your browser data and don't want to spend money on a premium app, this free extension might be the way to go.

Download: CyberGhost VPN Free Proxy for Chrome | Firefox (Free)

There's no denying that the free CyberGhost extension is basic, and won't suit you if you're looking for an extended range of servers and features. But if you're simply looking to encrypt your browser traffic to keep your data safe, the free extension is by no means a bad option. After all, who wants to pay for a premium VPN service if you're not looking to make use of the premium features?

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Should You Download the CyberGhost VPN Free Proxy Browser ... - MUO - MakeUseOf

In recent years, online shopping and electronic payments have become increasingly popular, leading to a rise in payment fraud. Cybersecurity has become a top priority in the payments industry, as fraudsters use new schemes to exploit the growing e-commerce industry.

Faster non-cash payments and the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies have also brought new challenges to the field of anti-fraud tactics. As the digital economy plays an increasing part in our lives, businesses must prioritize secure electronic payments that are convenient and accessible to all.

In the world of online payments, security is particularly important because there is a higher risk that sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and bank account details, could be accessed by unauthorized parties.

Fraud is expected to cost the card industry over $400 billion in the next decade.

Recommended Security Measures

To combat payment fraud, businesses can implement strong security measures such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and tokenization.

When you regularly monitor for suspicious activity, you are able to respond quickly to any potential threats. The use of digital IDs can also be helpful in verifying users' identities and preventing fraud.

It's also important to protect your customers by maintaining a proper level of security over cardholder data. A business that is PCI compliant assures customers that the security of their data and sensitive information is taken seriously.

Not only does it help build trust with clients, but being PCI compliant also safeguards the company against malignant online scammers and fraud attempts.

PCI compliance is divided into four levels that are assigned depending on the annual number of card transactions of a company. Each level has its own criteria that a business must follow in order to remain compliant.

Do you know which level of PCI compliance your business falls into, and what regulations you must follow based on your level? See our handyPCI compliance guide to learn more, including how to stay compliant with the new 2022 PCI compliance standard update.

Additionally, you can rely on a technology partner to help you clearly understand exactly which PCI requirements are applicable to your business. This avoids wasting time and money associated with filling out the wrong assessment. Plus, the cost of being non-PCI compliant is way too high to risk, in terms of reputation, loss of customers, lawsuits, and fines.

Security & Fraud Prevention Use Cases

A company with award-winning fraud prevention measures is Revolut. They use a combination of facial recognition and other biometrics, PIN codes, and SMS for login, as well as utilizing payment security, such as single-use virtual disposable cards, temporary card freezes, and an automated security system.

In addition to traditional security measures, new fraud management tools are emerging that use advanced technologies such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI).

By analyzing past data and developing a mathematical model to determine normal user behavior, ML helps financial institutions monitor customer spending habits and detect any unusual activity, without inconveniencing the customer with additional verification steps.

The use of ML and AI is expected to grow in the fintech industry, with more companies implementing these technologies to prevent payment fraud.

In 2023, we will see more specialized AI models that transform processes like expense and spend management. For example, one type of AI model might provide the full rationale of any transaction based on emails, calendars, sales call notes, and CRMs so a companys finance department doesn't have to ask individual employees to justify expenses.

One company that is working on new fraud management tools is the Ireland-based Encryption-as-a-service company, Vaultree. They recently raised $12.8 million in funding to create the first fully functional data-in-use encryption.

Vaultree's end-to-end encryption allows users to work with fully encrypted data without needing to decrypt the information or surrender security keys. Unlike traditional data-at-rest or data-in-transit security controls, Vaultree's technology protects data all the time, whether in use, at rest, or in transit.

Keep Your Business Protected

Payment fraud is a serious threat to the payments industry, and businesses must stay ahead of payment trends and implement strong security measures to protect their customers' financial information.

Additionally, partnering with payment service providers and other partners who have experience in preventing and detecting payment fraud can be helpful in identifying and mitigating potential risks.

As technology advances, the use of advanced technologies such as ML and AI will become increasingly important in preventing payment fraud and ensuring the security of electronic payments.

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Up-and-Coming Payments Security and Fraud Prevention Tools - Finextra

As cyber threats and data breaches continue to pose a serious risk, DevOps/DevSecOps teams are focusing on implementing more effective security measures and strategies to protect their systems and data at every stage of the software development process.

The zero trust security model is one such strategy that has attracted a significant amount of attention.

Zero trust is a security model that assumes that whether a cloud infrastructure is on-premises, or both inside and outside an organisation's network, there is a potential threat for resources, configurations, users data, management tools, devices, etc, to be compromised. To address this, security leaders and product teams should eliminate assumed trust of all third-party tools, team members and services and instead validate every step of every interaction.

Hence this model/framework requires continuous authentication and authorisations of users, devices and applications, regardless of their location or network.

In this article, we'll discuss three ways to achieve zero trust security in your infrastructure.

Having a solid identity and access management (IAM) strategy in place is the first step in putting a zero trust security paradigm into practice.

In order to do this, user and workload identities and their access rights must be identified and verified prior to every interaction. To guarantee that only authorised people and machines have access to critical data, the IAM policy should also contain strong password policies, multi-factor authentication (MFA) and regular access reviews.

IAM automates this process while also providing administrators with auditing features and more precise control over access across the entire organisation. It is timely, given the recent advances in IOT devices and zero trust models, which have increased the requirements for cyber security stringency.

For instance, if we talk about cloud infrastructure, whether its on GCP, Azure or AWS, using the providers built-in IAM policies and roles allows us to restrict access to resources so that one service wont be aware and open to other resources. Leaving the production environment exposed can lead to a scenario where one system that became vulnerable to an attack or malicious activity would likely harm other resources as well.

More specifically, consider a web app hosted on an EC2 instance in AWS. Now lets say the app has a feature that requires regular data upload to an S3 bucket. In order to use AWS keys, we can directly attach a role to that EC2 instance with a specific bucket access that allows GET, PUT, LIST methods so that the access will indeed be specific.

This can be controlled by RBAC and network policies in Kubernetes clusters. A tool called Akeyless can integrate with your cloud provider and Kubernetes cluster to make authentication and authorisation more secure.

For Kubernetes, the JWT token is used by the Akeyless Kubernetes Auth Method to verify the Kubernetes application. This JWT is only ever shared with the Gateway, which is managed and runs in the users environment and never with Akeyless or any other third party during the process. As a result, it is authenticated in a truly zero trust-complaint manner. While there are many services that help with IAM, Akeylesss centralised SaaS structure is optimised for multicloud development environments.

The second step to implementing a zero trust security model is to segment your network. This involves creating smaller sub-networks within the larger enterprise cluster, with strict controls on the communication between them, ensuring that if one sub-network is compromised, the others remain secure.

In addition to this, there are also external tools that ensure the observability and traceability of the network, such as Hashicorps Consul, Cilium and Isitios Service Mesh.

These tools help with the implementation of network policies between different services deployed on the cluster, their flow and the monitoring of it.

SaaS extensions based on stateless gateways, with transparency to internal operations, allow for service continuity and recovery. You dont need to change any network infrastructure in order for them to work with your internal resources.

The third methodology to implement zero trust is to encrypt all sensitive data, both in transit and at rest. To achieve this, it is recommended to use industry-standard encryption algorithms such as AES-256and RSA.

Encrypting data at rest involves using encryption techniques to protect data stored in databases, servers and other storage devices. To achieve this, Akeyless uses proprietary encryption algorithms to protect secrets stored in their vault at rest, while also providing key management services. As an added layer of security, only parts of your keys are encrypted in the Akeyless vaults storage, while other parts are stored by your own infrastructure.

There are several features available when you are using cloud services, where you can enable encryption at REST. In S3 buckets, RDS and other AWS cloud services, you can enable encryption at REST, and in K8s clusters, you can enable REST encryption for your etcd so that your request is end-to-end encrypted.

To achieve encryption of data in transit, you can use tools such as secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS) to encrypt your data as it travels between different devices, networks and systems.

Using the three above-mentioned pillars, you can implement the zero trust model in your infrastructure. Making sure it is being used in your production environment supercharges your security stance and is essential for compliance.

But most importantly, it helps developers and DevOps teams to build more secure products, ensuring that once a project has been deployed, it will be less exposed to external threats.

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The righteous path to zero trust in software development process - ITWeb

Encryption is an important privacy tool when you are sendingsensitive, confidential, or personal information across the Internet.

Encryption scrambles plain text into a type of secret code thathackers, cybercriminals, and other online snoops can't read, even if theyintercept it before it reaches its intended recipients. When the message doesget to its recipients, they have their own key to unscramble the informationback into plain, readable text.

Encryption, then, can help protect the data you send, receive andstore using a device. That can include text messages stored on your smartphone, running logs saved on your fitness watch, and banking information sent throughyour online account.

Encryption is a process that scrambles readable text so it canonly be read by the person who has the secret code, or decryption key. It helpsprovide data security for sensitive information.

Vast amounts of personal information are managed online and storedin thecloud or on servers with an ongoing connection to the web. Its nearlyimpossible to do business of any kind without your personal data ending up inan organizations networked computer system, which is why its important to knowhow to help keep that data private.

Encryption plays an essential role in this task.

Encryption takes plain text, like a text message or email, andscrambles it into an unreadable format called cipher text. This helpsprotect the confidentiality of digital data either stored on computer systemsor transmitted through a network like the Internet.

When the intended recipient accesses the message, the informationis translated back to its original form. This is called decryption.

To unlock the message, both the sender and the recipient have touse a secret encryption key a collection of algorithms that scramble andunscramble data back to a readable format.

An encryption key is a series of numbers used to encrypt anddecrypt data. Encryption keys are created with algorithms. Each key is randomand unique.

There are two main types of encryption systems: symmetricencryption and asymmetric encryption. Heres how theyre different.

An encryption algorithm is the set of rules, usually governing acomputer or other tech device such as a smart phone, that turns readable datainto scrambled cipher text.

The data scrambled by these algorithms look like randomized code.But the algorithms configure this scrambled data in a purposeful way so that itcan easily be turned back into a readable format by a decryption key.

There are several types of encryption, some stronger than others.Here are the most common examples of encryption.

Data Encryption Standard is considered a low-level encryptionstandard. The U.S. government established the standard in 1977. Because ofadvances in technology and decreases in the cost of hardware, DES isessentially obsolete for protecting sensitive data.

Triple DES runs DES encryption three times. It encrypts, decryptsand encrypts data thus, triple. It strengthens the original DES standard,which is now viewed by security experts as being too weak for sensitive data.

RSA takes its name from the familial initials of three computerscientists. It uses a strong and popular algorithm for encryption. RSA ispopular because of its key length and, therefore, widely used for secure datatransmission.

Advanced Encryption Standard is the U.S. government standard as of2002. AES is used worldwide.

TwoFish is considered one of the fastest encryption algorithms andis free for anyone to use. Its used in hardware and software.

Most legitimate websites use the encryption protection calledsecure sockets layer (SSL), which is a form of encrypting data that is sentto and from a website. This keeps attackers from accessing that data while itis in transit.

Want to make sure a site is using this technology? Look for thepadlock icon in the URL bar, and the s in the https://. If you see thesesigns, you'll know that you are conducting secure, encrypted transactionsonline.

Its a good idea to access sites using SSL when:

Why is encryption important? Here are three reasons:

Encryption helps protect your online privacy by turning personalinformation into for your eyes only messages intended only for the partiesthat need them and no one else.

You should make sure that your emails are being sent over anencrypted connection, or that you are encrypting each message.

Most email clients come with the option for encryption in theirSettings menu. If you check your email with a web browser, take a moment toensure that SSL encryption is available.

Cybercrime is a global business, often run by multinationaloutfits.

Many of the large-scale data breaches that you may have heardabout in the news demonstrate that cybercriminals are often out to stealpersonal information for financial gain.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)requires healthcare providers to implement security features that help protectpatients sensitive health information online.

Institutions of higher learning must take similar steps under theFamily Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to protect student records.

Retailers must contend with the Fair Credit Practices Act (FCPA)and similar laws that help protect consumers.

Encryption helps businesses stay compliant with regulatoryrequirements and standards. It also helps protect the valuable data of theircustomers.

Encryption is designed to protect your data, but encryption canalso be used against you.

Targeted ransomware is a cybercrime that can impact organizations of all sizes,including government offices. Ransomware can also target individual computerusers.

How do ransomware attacks occur? Attackers deploy ransomware toencrypt the various devices, including computers and servers, of victims. Theattackers often demand a ransom before they will provide a key to decrypt theencrypted data. The goal is to persuade victims to pay out as a way to recoveraccess to their important files, data, video and images.

Ransomware attacks against government agencies can shut downservices, making it hard to get a permit, obtain a marriage license, or pay atax bill, for instance.

Ransomware attacks aimed at large organizations and governmentagencies tend to generate the biggest headlines. But ransomware attacks canalso happen to you.

Here are some tips to help protect your devices against ransomwareattacks and the risk of having your data encrypted andinaccessible.

Encryption is essential to help protect your sensitive personalinformation. But in the case of ransomware attacks, it can be used against you.Its smart to take steps to help you gain the benefits and avoid the harm.

Its important to encrypt the messages,files and data that you send whenever they are personal, sensitive orclassified. You dont want hackers intercepting your emails to your doctor ifyou are sending information about an illness. You dont want criminals toccess your financial information after you log into your online bank account.And you dont want scammers to snag that confidential report you are reviewingfor your employer. Its important to encrypt all this data to keep it secret.

There are several encryption methods that are consideredeffective. Advanced Encryption Standard, better known as AES, though, is apopular choice among those who want to protect their data and messages. Thisform of encryption has been the U.S. government standard as of 2002. AES isused worldwide.

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What Is Encryption? | Definition + How It Works | Norton

Encryption ensures effective security where information cannot be intercepted and used to hinder emergency response or endanger responders and the public. The public safety community increasingly needs to protect critical information and sensitive data, particularly within land mobile radio (LMR) communications, and encryption is the best available tool to achieve that security. The resources below provide best practices and considerations for planning, implementing, and securely operating encryption with public safety communications.

Encryption in Three Minutes VideoDrawn from interviews with emergency communications practitioners nationwide, Encryption in Three Minutes presents an overview of LMR encryption in public safety operations. The video outlines encryptions role in protecting sensitive tactical and operational communications as well as the personal identifiable information and medical status of civilian patients during emergencies. Discussion focuses on implementing a practical, reliable encryption system while preserving interoperability with mutual aid partners and outside agencies. Special attention is given to selecting the most secure encryption algorithm. It is an ideal brief overview of LMR encryption aimed at community leaders and public safety administrators, officials, and responders.

Guidelines for Encryption in Land Mobile Radio SystemsAs a result from a number of security risk and vulnerability assessments, the public safety community has recognized the increasing effort to protect sensitive information transmitted over its wireless communications systems. The purpose of this document is to provide information that should be considered when evaluating encryption solutions to minimize the possibility of sensitive information being monitored, but are concerned with the cost of standards compliant encryption.

Best Practices for Encryption in P25 Public Safety Land Mobile Radio SystemsThis document addresses methods to improve cross-agency coordination and emphasizes the use of standards-based encryption to enhance secure interoperability and minimize the risk of compromising sensitive information.

Best Practices for Encryption in P25 Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Systems - Developing Methods to Improve Encrypted Interoperability in Public Safety (Fact Sheet)This document highlights best practices of key management necessary to allow encrypted operability and interoperability. These best practices are important in developing system security where encrypted interoperability is realizable. Additionally, significant planning and coordination must be undertaken to achieve encrypted interoperability on a national scale.

Considerations for Encryption in Public Safety Radio SystemsThis document examines the complex issues of why encryption may be needed during critical operations of an urgent or time-sensitive nature or when open communications may not be sufficient to protect personally identifiable and/or sensitive information. This document provides guidance to public safety users through a process to assess the need for encryption as well as the questions that must be considered.

Considerations for Encryption in Public Safety Radio Systems - Determining the Need for Encryption in Public Safety Radios (Fact Sheet)This document provides a high-level overview of all the factors public safety agencies and departments should thoroughly discuss and carefully considered before reaching a decision to encrypt their public safety radio systems.

Encryption Key Management Fact SheetDeveloped by SAFECOM and NCSWIC, in collaboration with the Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC), this fact sheet educates public safety organizations on how to effectively manage cryptographic keys for their radio systems.The ability for unauthorized persons to listen in on confidential and tactical information in radio transmissions has led many of these agencies to encrypt some or all radio transmissions. The document provides an overview of the various considerations for agencies desiring to encrypt their radios; summarizes what is involved in encryption and encryption key management; specifies which types of encryption are safest for use; and outlines why encryption key management is important.

Guidelines for Encryption in Land Mobile Radio Systems - Determining what Encryption Method to Use for Public Safety RadiosThis document discusses methods that may be used to ensure the privacy of sensitive public safety LMR communications. These methods mainly involve the use of a variety of encryption techniques.

Operational Best Practices for Encryption Key ManagementDeveloped by the FPIC, in collaboration with SAFECOM and NCSWIC, this document provides public safety organizations that have chosen to encrypt their radio transmissions with information on how to effectively obtain, distribute, and manage cryptographic keys. The document discusses the various types of encryption, how to obtain encryption keys, how to store them, and why it is important to periodically change encryption keys while still maintaining interoperability with partner agencies. This document, and the accompanying Encryption Key Management Fact Sheet, were published to guide public safety communications professionals on effectively managing encryption keys.

Communications Security Protecting Critical Information, Personnel, and Operations White PaperCommunications Security (COMSEC) is an integrated set of policies, procedures, and technologies for protecting sensitive and confidential information, which, if compromised, could put responders and citizens safety and privacy at risk. This white paper summarizes the threats and draws on established COMSEC principles to describe reliable approaches to secure information. It highlights encryption of message traffic, with special emphasis on maintaining interoperability through careful planning, coordination, and selection of a standard encryption algorithm.

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Encryption | CISA