Bad Bots and Hackers Mean Update Time for VPNs Firewalls Antivirus Anti Trackers
Published / Last Updated on 14/09/2025
We all know there are cyber criminals out there looking to ‘con’ you online or even hack into your bank accounts but are you aware that continually most websites are under attack. These attacks can be from
- Cyber criminals
- Secret service agencies
- Activists
The reason we raise this is that last weekend and earlier this week you may have experienced our website was slow loading or indeed 'timing out' and not loading at all.
We had the company of a 'bad bot' with an IP address sourcing out of Russia 'sniffing' around our site with hundreds if not thousands of simultaneous 'pings' looking for a denial-of-service attack or a hole in our website. We experience these regularly, as do most big financial, infrastructure and government websites, and they have all failed. The 'bad bot' was identified and blocked. In fact, all incoming traffic from certain regions across the globe were already or are now blocked. Normal service was resumed on Wednesday.
The world is an ‘angry’ place at the moment, and you need to ensure your online safety and digital security are continually up to date.
Do you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?
A VPN is a piece of software for your digital device that a creates a secure, encrypted connection over the internet. It masks your IP address (a random set of numbers created by your device when it connects to the internet. It creates a encrypted (scrambled) digital tunnel between your device and a remote VPN server, that others cannot access, read or intercept digital messages e.g. calling up a website or accessing your bank account online. You should always use a VPN when using public Wi-Fi, to prevent online tracking or to allow secure remote access to your private network e.g., remote home working to your company systems, banking apps etc. If you do not have VPN software e.g., via your anti-virus, then get some or even use your ‘private browser’ setting when surfing the internet via internet browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge (Microsoft).
Anti-Virus Software
Do you have anti-virus software? This can protect your email and your device from trackers, viruses and more. Anti-virus software usually includes virus protection, repair tools for your digital device, a firewall to protect from hackers, and tools to clean up and speed up your device. Popular anti-virus software packages are TotalAV, Norton, Bit-Defender and Avast.
Rest assured, we constantly monitor our own traffic logs for 'red flags' to ensure our services are secure. You too need to protect yourself online.
