How seriously do you take your online security? Do you have proxies? VPN's? Do you use TOR? Do you use multi-encrypted mail services from Switzerland that you only access through TOR?. Or do you not worry about it at all?

I use anti-virus and ad-blocks. I know how to use proxies and VPN's and TOR but I don't bother with all that.

Online security is such a big issue that no one ought to treat lightly. I use anti-virus and the TOR browser, but I'm now interested in knowing how to stay away from hackers?

When I want to look into certain banking topics, I'll go to Tor. I'm not paranoid or anything, but when I'm researching financial topics for personal reasons.......no one needs to know that.

but I'm now interested in knowing how to stay away from hackers?

 

Just do what you're doing and you'll be fine. I think folks overestimate how much of a problem hackers are. I don't want to make it sound like they don't exist or they don't cause problems, but for regular people like us...we aren't targets. Why? Because we aren't high enough value. Not enough money or access to important stuff.

 

Is it possible for a hacker to decide to target your home network, break into your wifi access and hijack stuff? Yes. Is it likely? Absolutely not. It's not worth the effort it'd take them to gain access to your stuff.

 

You're more likely to be mass-targeted by people sending out blind e-mails or hoping to catch folks on shady websites. Those people try to put viruses/trojans on as many computers as possible so YOU do the work of giving them access to your stuff, rather than them trying to hack their way in. That's more what you gotta look out for. Having good antivirus and ad-block and malware protection is pretty sufficient though, and also using some common sense in what you install or where you go. Generally speaking though, you're safe.

Is it possible for a hacker to decide to target your home network, break into your wifi access and hijack stuff? Yes. Is it likely? Absolutely not. It's not worth the effort it'd take them to gain access to your stuff.

I have had this discussion before, and the same point was highlighted. Why would a hacker target a home network if there was nothing to be gained from this?

I mean, there definitely is something to be gained from it in the broadest sense, but hacking your home wifi probably isn't worth the effort when so many people willingly join, for instance, McDonalds002... SURPRISE! that's not actually a McDonalds wifi you just joined and every password you enter for every site you use now belongs to the bad actor. There is a reason WIfi remains turned off on most people in the tech industries devices. I'd sooner go without internet than connect to some rando's open wifi. Even then, I'd use a vpn and if they can crack that, you're pretty screwed anyway..., they're basically at the level of a nation state, so if China wants to read my email that badly, there is pretty much sweet FA I, or anyone else, can do to stop them.

I never connect to public WiFi whether or not it is the only option at hand. There is a massive flaw in WPA2, and a hacker can assess personal information. With free WiFi, hackers can position themselves between you and the connection point.