Anyone running a business or who works through digital means these days should take cybersecurity seriously. That’s because business communications often contain sensitive information that any seasoned hacker can get into, compromising your and your customers’ data. That’s where privacy apps and tools come in.
Privacy apps and tools keep all your information, such as your email content or IP address, safe from cybercriminals. All modern-day businesses, from lending firms, medical facilities to bad credit dealerships, use these to ensure all digital business connections are protected.
Here are some of the best privacy apps and tools to try.
Email Privacy Apps
One of the most common forms of business communication you probably use every day is email, which is very prone to security breaches. One of the best ways to protect all your business emails is by encrypting them. The best privacy apps that can ensure optimal security are ones using the technique called public-key cryptography. Apps that use the method, such as Private-Mail and ProtonMail, generate a pair of keys, one public and the other private, allowing you to receive messages via the public key and decrypt them with your private one.
Disposable Emails
Although encrypting emails provide robust security to your business emails, people can still expose your email address anytime you use social media networks or buy products online for work. Having one email for all these gives hackers a gateway to your accounts, and it invites spam.
A great way to avoid this while still being able to communicate with your peers at work is by using a disposable email address (DEA). Burner Mail and Abine Blur are among the many apps offering DEA management that helps you manage these email addresses, ensuring that all mail sent to them gets in your actual inbox.
VPN
Having your internet traffic encrypted and your IP address hidden are efficient ways of protecting your business communications and overall privacy—and you can achieve all these through a virtual private network (VPN). Apps like ZenMate and NordVPN provide top-level encryption to secure passwords and other sensitive data from hackers and other unlawful individuals, helping you communicate more freely.
Password Managers
It’s common knowledge that one needs a different non-guessable or ‘strong’ password for every app or website you use. However, memorizing all of them can be a bit of a chore. You can simplify the process by using password managers, which generates unique passwords for every password you have, saving your accounts from security breaches. The best ones to try are LastPass and Keeper.
Two-factor Authentication Tools
Even if you set up encrypted email systems or use disposable email address managers, your password is still a potential weakness for your account. If you have a ‘guessable’ password or a stranger accidentally sees your login credentials, you can lose all control of your privacy protection—and this is where two-factor authentication (2FA) comes in.
This feature requires you to enter an additional password that only you would know, send you a code from your mobile number or fingerprint. Although most email apps and social media networks use these, you can still use separate 2FA tools, such as Authy or Steganos Privacy Suite.
It’s common to feel that personal privacy is a thing of the past. After all, once you go online, your every action gets exposed, which can be dangerous, especially to your business communications. Luckily, there are several ways you can ensure your security—and trying any of the privacy apps mentioned can give you a great start.