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You may be too preoccupied with identity theft to realise that your IP address is just as vulnerable. Also referred to as Internet Protocol address, this series of numbers is not random, it represents your online identity, and it being hacked into can cause a lot of damage.

Hacking your IP address isn’t like gaining access to your online accounts, and it doesn’t give access to your passwords. What it does do, however, is to allow a hacker to use your address as a baseline for illegal activities.  It may be anything from tracking your location with malicious intent, to using your address to upload or even access unauthorised online content, and even directly attacking your network and causing a network failure.

These are only a few of the thing’s hackers can do with your IP address, which is why it is crucial to ensure you protect it at all times.  Now there are several ways to safeguard your Internet Protocol address, one of which is to ensure you buy your private proxies from instant proxies. Other than that, here are a couple of tips you can use to keep your IP address from people with malicious intent:

Virtual private networks

While many individuals and small enterprises consider VPNs as an unnecessary expense, it is worth noting that this is the single most effective way to secure your network from unauthorised access. Virtual Private Networks are characterised by access control, user authorisation protocols and a list of other key features that ensure anyone within the network has the authorization to be there. Regarding your IP address, VPNs hide your original identity, your location and your details, making it close to impossible for someone to pinpoint your location.

A VPN also gives you the ability to access your network from a remote location without compromising your online safety, giving you a secret, password-protected pathway to all your online activities. This becomes quite useful, especially for businesses as they can secure their industry information without fear of a data breach. Considering the added safety you get, you will realize that VPNs are very cost-effective.

Password strength

It is quite common for people to use birthdays, anniversaries and even spouse information like passwords. This makes it relatively easy for hackers to access your network. These kinds of passwords are a bit obvious, and they are very easy to decode. This is why customised passwords come highly recommended. If changing your password regularly is confusing for you, then ensure you get a customized, unique password that is difficult to hack. Mix lowercase and uppercase letters add in some numbers and perhaps a character or two.  These kinds of passwords are the hardest to crack, just be sure to write it down somewhere, because a hard to hack password may also lead to the downside of being hard to remember.

Use an updated antivirus

It is quite tragic that most people have no idea how important software updates are. The effectiveness of your antivirus in protecting you from data breaches and malware all depends on if it’s up to date. Don’t keep postponing your updates, they are a very effective line of defence against cyber crime. You can also add some additional protective layers as a way to beef up security, like adding Anti-malware software to your antivirus.

All these steps are to ensure your network is as secure as possible.

Router security

Lastly, put a firewall on your router. Change the access codes. Default settings are pretty easy to hack into, so ensure you install antivirus software and keep all of these elements updated. You may not be aware, but effective security software alerts you when there is an attempted breach, so you will know if someone is trying to hack into your account.

Note that passwords from your Internet Service provider are the most vulnerable entry points for hackers, and they are easiest to find mostly because they are similar. This is why it is crucial to change them and put your custom passwords, just to be safe.

Bottom line

Cyber-criminals are constantly coming up with new ways to hack into networks and secure systems, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with them. It is for this reason that keeping your data safe should be your top-most priority.