Did you know that there are over 2,000 cyber attacks every day?
Cyber attacks come in many shapes and sizes. Hackers never rest. They spend every waking moment looking for vulnerabilities to slip past your defenses.
A key component of avoiding hackers is maintaining your online privacy. And there’s no better way to do that than with a proxy server.
The best proxy server can increase privacy and online security. It can save bandwidth and keep you safe from prying eyes. In this guide, let’s discuss some of the benefits of a proxy server.
What Is a Proxy Server?
A proxy is a person who goes and does something in place of another person. So, a proxy server is a server that’s fulfilling your network requests in place of your network.
In a normal web-browsing session, your computer connects directly to a server. This server delivers its content to your computer. That means that if there’s malware in the served content, your computer is at risk.
Further, if a bad actor is snooping on your connection, they have direct access to your computer. In that case, you better hope your computer survives. Even with virus definitions up to date, this bad actor could deploy novel malware that compromises you.
This is where a proxy server comes in. When you make a network request (i.e. visiting a website) the proxy fulfills the request. It makes the connection and receives the content as a gateway in your name.
A proxy server secures and cleans up the content. It then passes the content onto you, free of any risk. You can browse as if those privacy and security threats were never there.
A Proxy Server Helps With Online Security
Every proxy server has a high level of security. Strong, dynamic filters, firewalls, and all the latest anti-virus definitions. It needs to be strong to face up against all the worst the internet can throw at you.
Think of a proxy server as a bomb-defusing robot. If the bomb goes off while the robot is defusing it, then it will harm the robot–but not you. Any threats to you remain on the doorstep of the proxy.
If a hacker compromises the proxy, that’s as far as they’ll get. The proxy has its own IP address, rather than yours. A proxy creates a floodwall between you and internet bad guys.
If a virus compromises the proxy, then you can isolate it there. The virus won’t make it into your network. You can switch to another, uncontaminated proxy server and continue browsing.
Proxies also work great to filter emails. Businesses that receive thousands of emails per day need best-in-class filtering. A proxy handles all the rules and only lets in legitimate emails.
A proxy also serves to ensure people on your network don’t access certain websites. If a website is malicious, then the proxy server won’t even process the request. Human error is a much smaller risk to your network with proxy servers in place.
A Proxy Server Helps With Online Privacy
Since a proxy server has its own IP address, the websites don’t know who you are. They will have much more difficulty matching you to an advertising profile. That means you can browse in relative anonymity.
A proxy server combines the internet traffic of several people at once. Websites can sometimes recognize when a proxy server is making the requests. That makes it more difficult for them to ID individuals among multiple requests.
Websites rely on a lot of parameters to identify you in the modern age. Since the proxy server is filtering all of your input, this further obfuscates your true identity.
One of the most common threats to security and privacy is ransomware. Ransomware is a type of virus that holds your data hostage. The hacker who controls the ransomware will demand a fee before they decrypt it.
This could expose your precious data to the internet. Most hackers sell data to the dark web, whereas other hackers use it to your detriment. A proxy server stops that threat at the door.
A proxy server can’t make you invisible, though. If you fail to erase your cookies after each session, for example, then websites will recognize you. That means this is one of many practices for maintaining online privacy.
A Proxy Server Can Save Bandwidth
In a business setting, a proxy server can be invaluable for balancing internet traffic. It can manage how many requests go out at a time. When a sudden influx of traffic hits the network, the proxy server can triage it to prevent a network shutdown.
A common component of a private proxy server is its caching ability. Caching is when a browser stores a website in memory. The next time you visit that website, the proxy server can load it ten times as fast.
Bandwidth can come at a premium if you have a busy network. There’s no better way to save bandwidth than to cache all your most frequently used websites. Otherwise, your network will have to pull the resources each and every time.
Try Out a Proxy Server Today
Online privacy is paramount, and a proxy server can help you stay private. A proxy server is a gateway between you and all the worst aspects of the internet. It allows you to surf the web safely, and in relative anonymity.
Not every proxy server is equal. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our proxy server reviews. You’ll find an ideal proxy server for your use case.
