How to Avoid Hackers and Malware During World Cup 2018

Nothing brings out the competitive spirit from sports fans better than soccer, doubly so when it comes to the World Cup. However, scouring the internet looking for cheap ticket deals or unrestricted streams could easily land you in trouble. Security experts are warning netizens about the dangers of hacker attacks, spyware infestation and cryptojacking. Shady con artists in great numbers are also creating fake websites in hopes of stealing your credit card information or duping you into sending them money. If you aren’t cautious enough, the whole event will be soured; luckily, there are a number of things that can be done to both take care of your privacy and make the most of streaming the international soccer.

All that glitters is not gold

Look-alike domains are a popular trick in a con artist’s arsenal. Let’s say a website with an URL www.wordcup2O18.com – note the replacement of a zero with a capital ‘O’ – is selling official merchandise with bargain bin prices. Seems legitimate, right? Well it’s actually a clever scam in which the criminals attempt to fool people thinking the site is accredited. But soon after the event ends – in this case the World Cup – these sites vanish into thin air with the money of their duped customers. There’s also the potential for virus-infected websites, too, promising guaranteed gifts and rewards that are also expected to boom during the World Cup.

Beware the information vultures

Bear in mind that losing a few bucks on a fake purchase might be the better end of the scale as hackers can also trick you out of your personal information and use it to commit credit card fraud or identity theft. It’s highly likely that the internet will be flooded with soccer-themed quizzes, spam mail, and contests all intending to collect data from you under the guise of sharing exclusive soccer info with you.

Last but not least there are the cryptojackers. Sites plagued with this mining tool secretly tap your device’s hardware power to generate cryptocurrency. Since the longer someone stays on the site the more money these hackers make, streaming sites are ideal places for cryptojacking. In this regard it’s important to never, ever download smartphone apps from websites rather than the official App Store or Play Store. Unless they’ve been vetted via these marketplaces, the chances are high that there is malware hidden inside them that could tap into your system to collect data or leverage your hardware for cryptojacking.

Avoidance is the best protection

If you intend to venture onto foreign sites, be sure to arm yourself with a VPN like CyberGhost, which has made sure its VPN is ready for the World Cup 2018. On one hand, the encrypted data channel fends off clingy malware and stops tracking apps from following you. And if you have made it to Russia to watch the games live, then it cannot be pressed enough to have a VPN active when connecting to a public Wi-Fi hotspot in the country. Without encryption hackers will be able to compromise your system, gain control of your accounts and steal your passwords. VPNs also come in handy for expats and fans of live streams, since masking your IP provides the benefit of unblocking geo-restricted sites and can therefore grant easy access to any broadcast you want.