Have you seen the news lately?
“Cyber Attack Spreads Across 74 Countries” – Fox News
“Massive Ransomware Cyber-Attack Hits Nearly 100 Countries” – The Guardian
“Russian Hacking in the U.S. Election” – The New York Times
These headlines might be easy to gloss over…
But now that most of us shop, bank and pay our bills online, these cyber attacks affect us all.
In fact, hackers are stealing billions of dollars every year from companies, governments — and from ordinary people like you, too.
Today, I’ll show you how to protect yourself against these cyber attacks…
Then I’ll show you an unexpected silver lining:
How to profit from them.
12 People a Second
To kick things off, let’s look at the size of this cyber warfare problem.
Because it’s huge.
In fact, in 2014, according to Microsoft.com, 71% of companies fell victim to a cyber attack.
Even specific industries were attacked, including healthcare companies, which may have exposed millions of people’s personal information.
But businesses weren’t the only targets.
In the same year, an estimated 556 million people fell victim to cybercrime — that’s 12 people every second!
In 2015, the World Economic Forum estimated the annual economic cost of cybercrime at $3 trillion worldwide, a figure expected to double by 2021.
Are You Being Attacked?
At this point, you may be wondering: “How do I know if I’m being attacked?”
Here are a few common methods hackers use to get your info:
“Password attack” – With this approach, cyber criminals use powerful computers to try and decipher millions of passwords. Once they get them, it’s a free-for-all for the bad guys.
“Phishing” – With this approach, criminals send an e-mail asking you to take care of an urgent problem. But before the problem can be solved, they ask you to input your credit card info or even your social security number. Gotcha!
“Man in the Middle” – Here, an imposter might email you, pose as your bank, and ask to verify your account info. Once they get your info, they use it to try and get your money.
Remember: cyber criminals aren’t just focused on stealing from big enterprises…
They can make plenty of money just from you!
How To Protect Yourself
So, what can you do to protect yourself from these bad guys?
Fortunately, for every method of attack, there are ways to defend yourself.
For example:
Don’t open an e-mail if you’re unsure who sent it…
Use strong passwords (no birthdays or anniversaries!)…
And if your “credit card company” calls to verify your account information, hang up and call them back. That way, you can ensure they’re legitimate.
Simply put, in today’s world, it pays to be skeptical.
But this article isn’t just about how to protect yourself against these attacks…
It’s also about how to profit from them.
Invest in Cyber Security
In 2015, according to Gartner Research, annual spending on cyber security reached $75 billion.
And by 2020, experts predict that number to exceed $200 billion.
This creates a tremendous investment opportunity for investors like you.
For example, there are a number of cyber security ETF’s you can invest in:
First Trust Cybersecurity (Nasdaq: CIBR) includes 30 companies that focus on keeping enterprises and individuals safe from hackers.
In the past year alone, CIBR has increased 23%—up from $17.89 to $22.03.
Then there’s PureFunds ISE Cyber Security (Nasdaq: HACK).
HACK includes 35 companies that develop hardware and software products that protect digital files and networks. In the past year, HACK has jumped 21%.
ETFs are a great way to the broad cyber security sector…
But now let’s look at a more focused — and potentially, more profitable — investment option.
Crypto Currencies
Crypto currencies are a form of “digital money.”
You can’t hold them in your hand. Instead, they’re stored, traded and spent entirely online.
And because they can be encrypted and secured in special ways (we’ll teach you more about that in the coming months), they can be very difficult for hackers to steal.
But security features aren’t the only reason we’re so excited about crypto currencies…
These currencies also offer an opportunity for investors like you to make huge profits.
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, this is an explosive market…
Digital currencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum have experienced tremendous gains over the past few months…
For example, this year alone, Ethereum has risen by nearly 1,000%...
And over the past few weeks, Litecoin has nearly doubled.
So if you’re looking for a way to protect some of your assets and have the potential to earn a significant return, then consider securing some of your capital in cryptocurrencies.
Happy investing.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
