When it comes to security, my style is to toddle along, minding my own business, taking the easy route, until something finally snaps me out of my ignorant bliss. I used to use the same password for every website, until I read about this poor Wired writer. I didn’t cover my webcam with tape until I watched this show called Mr. Robot.
And I didn’t use a VPN until I read about a USA Today reporter who got off a plane, was approached by a stranger, and learned that all the emails he’d been sending the whole flight had been easily hacked and read by a random dude sitting behind him.
I read this story from a coffee shop, which, like in-flight WiFi, uses a very insecure network. Just earlier that day, I’d been accessing something called the dark web. It finally clicked for me: as someone who works in coffee shops day in and day out, I was being an idiot for not making my work safer.
Luckily, you can make yourself infinitely less hackable by installing a simple VPN.
I chose Hola because it’s a browser extension, which means it’s easy to install; a lot of people I know use it, so I know it works; and it’s free.
Unlike some other privacy software, like Tor, Hola doesn’t slow down your computer – you just install it, make sure the little fireball is turned on, and there you go.
You’re not invincible now – technically, everyone is vulnerable to hacking – but at least you’re decently safe. It’s like walking around with your cash safely in your wallet instead of sticking up temptingly out of your pocket.