Online security has become more essential than ever before as cybercrime continues to rise, especially in the United Kingdom. The 2023 Cybercrime report indicated a 41% increase in these criminal activities, with over 7 million people losing their money to online fraud or hacking.
Furthermore, financial losses associated with cybercrimes were reported to surpass £4.1 billion. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey conducted by the UK government, 39% of the businesses in the UK faced cyber attacks at some point last year, with the common form being phishing attacks.
To safeguard personal information, most companies and individuals use VPNs (virtual private networks) or antivirus software. These technologies differ greatly in terms of their features and how they work, but both are designed to keep your data private.
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What Are VPNs And Antivirus Software?
A VPN is a service that works by obscuring your browsing activity by encrypting your Internet connection.
When you are using the Internet with a VPN, your information is sent to a server via a tunnel which is safe and encrypted, and the server, in turn, accesses the sites that you want to use.
By concealing your actual IP location, hackers, advertisers and third parties are unable to access your information or see your online activity.
On the other hand, antivirus software is an application that prevents, detects, and removes malware and viruses present in a computer or mobile device. They have been designed to monitor the system actively or at set periods to find and stop threats before they inflict damage.
Most of the modern anti-virus solutions available on the market include even more advanced options. These can range from firewalls to phishing protection and even the ability to clean the computer of potentially unwanted programs.
How Are VPNs And Antivirus Different?
Both are programs that are installed on your devices, but they focus on different areas when it comes to securing and protecting information online.
Range Of Protection
While VPN’s can keep your location and browsing activity unknown, it can’t protect your device from any malicious threats. It targets the data while it is being transmitted between networks, but it can’t stop a virus from entering the device’s system.
Conversely, antivirus software works to protect your device from internal threats but it isn’t able to secure the connection itself.
Main Objective
The purpose of a VPN is to safeguard your information and privacy while using the Internet. It is especially useful to have if you need to use a public Wi-Fi network. Hackers commonly use these to access personal data such as passwords and financial details.
Additionally, VPNs are also used to access content that may otherwise be restricted in certain regions. You can choose to set your location to one that supports the content that you are trying to view, and this way you can bypass geographical restrictions.
More from VPNs
Extent Of Data Security
When using a VPN, your data is encrypted which makes it inaccessible to third parties even if they attempt to intercept it between networks. If you already have a virus or malware on your device, it won’t be able to pick that up or remove it.
Antivirus programs usually run in the background of your devices to continuously scan for any suspicious activity from applications or downloads. If something unusual is detected, it will block the program or remove it entirely before it infects the device.
What If You Don’t Use Either Of Them?
If you choose not to use a VPN or antivirus software, it leaves both your devices and online activity vulnerable to unauthorised access. Without a VPN, hackers are able to intercept your information and your location is made known which third parties can use for targeted advertising.
Similarly, not having an antivirus software allows viruses and malware to infect your devices and can result in complete loss of control of it. Moreover, cybercriminals can hack into the device to access personal information and can use it for identity fraud.
Is It Necessary To Use Programs?
Even though VPNs and antivirus software are designed for different functions, they can work together to work as a strengthened security system.
Cyber threats are constantly evolving and becoming more advanced, so taking the extra measures to protect online activity and devices at the same time can add an extra layer of protection.
Having the dual protection of both programs can significantly reduce chances of cybercrime and offer a peace of mind while using the Internet or simply using your device.
