Experts have been harping on about how everyone should be taking cybersecurity seriously. There are real reasons behind these warnings. To start, cyberattacks are relentless. A University of Maryland study found that computers connected to the Internet are attacked every 39 seconds on average. That’s a lot.
Despite the fact that most of the hacks that hit mainstream news are focused on large enterprises, everyone is fair game to hackers, including SMEs and SMBs, or even the average joe.
As ordinary users, we often think that we don’t have to fuss as much about our security compared to big businesses. We often assume that hackers won’t target individuals because they can gain by attacking and targeting large multinational enterprise. However, this is where we’re often wrong.
Hackers are also finding new ways to profit from our carelessness. Each stolen credit card record can fetch somewhere from $10 to $20. Multiply that with a few thousand careless users and hackers can earn a pretty decent pay.
Other attacks such as camera spying are now also possible. Hackers can remotely turn on webcams to record private moments. They can then sell these recordings or use them to extort their victims. Attackers can also implant ransomware – a type of malware that is designed to encrypt your personal documents and make them inaccessible to you. A ransom must be paid in order to regain access to these files.
Getting hit by any one of these attacks, at the very least, can cause great inconvenience to anyone. Worse, victims could be exposed to issues such as lost personal and work files, identity theft, and fraud.
Reason Cybersecurity to the Rescue
These new vulnerabilities and advent of hackers and their new arsenal of tools mean that private individuals must also beef up their own security. Relying on out-of-the-box security tools like an operating system’s default antivirus might not be enough since it may not offer protection from modern threats such as remote access tools and ransomware.
As such, we should be better off looking for security solutions that cover these bases. Reason Cybersecurity appears to be one such solution. Let’s take a look at what it offers.
Upsides
Real-time Protection. Reason features real-time protection that detects malicious software and other threats whenever you are using your PC. Since the process is automated, you don’t have to conduct manual scans for every file to check if they are safe to access. Thanks to its extensive database of malware samples, Reason has a high detection rate and can also avoid marking uninfected files as false positives.
Microphone and Webcam Protection.Aside from the standard antivirus protection, Reason also has privacy-oriented features such as microphone and webcam protection. Microphones and webcams, which are standard equipment with most computers today, are frequently the target of hacking. Reason monitors and safeguards you from remote access tools that attempt to invade your privacy, and immediately notifies you if such an attempt occurs.
Ransomware Protection. Ransomware has exploded in recent years. The ransomeware, WannaCry, for example, was even able to cripple businesses and government offices all over the world in an outbreak in 2017. Other ransomware variants like Bad Rabbit and Cerber continue to run rampant today. To protect you from these attacks, Reason blocks computing processes that attempt to encrypt documents, and prevents the processes from successfully executing.
Safe Browsing. Reason provides a free Chrome plugin that identifies which links are safe to click. This allows you to navigate the web safely and keep you away from sites that expose you to malware and dupe you into providing your personal and financial information.
Download Defender.Reason also recently released another free Chrome plugin that automatically checks downloaded files to see if they are malicious.
Downsides
Coming Soon Features. Reason promises to include features such as an Unwanted App Blocker and Internet-of-Things Protection in the future. However, no specific launch date has been announced. So, if you require these features, you might have to look at other antivirus software products.
Gated Features.If you’re not looking to pay for protection, you may be disappointed to know that many of Reason’s defining features are only available in the paid Premium version. The free Essentials version only includes standard virus scanning and removal and real-time protection. Camera and ransomware protection have to be unlocked through the paid subscription.
The Final Take
As ordinary users, we can’t be too complacent when it comes to security, especially now that attackers are employing different kinds of methods to compromise our privacy. Ordinary antiviruses can’t prevent many of these new attacks. Currently being offered at a discounted price of $30 a year (originally $60), Reason is one of the more affordable options that offer privacy-focused features.