The best way to bypass Cisco Umbrella is to access the internet via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic and route it through a server in another location, making it appear as if you are accessing the internet from that location.
This will allow you to bypass any restrictions placed on your internet access by Cisco Umbrella until your IP is detected by the network administrator who will almost certainly ban the IP address.
1. Why Would Someone Want to Bypass Cisco Umbrella?
The most common reason why someone would want to bypass Cisco Umbrella is that they are trying to access a website or online service that is blocked by Umbrella. In schools, for example, Umbrella is often used to block access to social media sites and other websites that students are not supposed to be visiting during class.
2. Why Bypassing Cisco Umbrella is a Bad Idea
You should not try to bypass Cisco Umbrella unless you have a very good reason to do so. The reason is that Umbrella is designed to keep you safe online by blocking dangerous or malicious websites.
If you bypass Umbrella, you will no longer be protected by its security features.
This means that you could accidentally visit a website that contains malware or that is designed to steal your personal information.
Additionally, Umbrella tracks the websites that users try to access and blocks any that are known to be harmful.
You can also get in serious trouble with your school or company’s IT department which could at best result in losing your internet privileges entirely or worst being kicked out of school or being fired by your boss.
3. What Happens When You Bypass Cisco Umbrella?
When you bypass Cisco Umbrella, you are essentially circumventing the security measures that it puts in place. This means that you will no longer be protected by its web filtering and malware-blocking features.
Additionally, any data that you send or receive while bypassing Umbrella will not be encrypted, leaving it vulnerable to interception by hackers.
If you are at work or school then you are also risking the safety and security of other users on the network.
Security breaches in large organizations can cause thousands or even millions of dollars in damages and lead to the loss of sensitive data. Often, there are prosecutions and jail terms for the perpetrators.
Small businesses can face ruin if they are the victims of a serious attack, even personal devices like cell phones can be left vulnerable to cyber smishing attacks.
4. The Benefits of Using Cisco Umbrella
There are serious advantages to using this type of security system, even if it does block some sites that you might want to visit.
The most important benefit is that Umbrella provides protection against malware and other online threats.
This is especially important if you are using a public Wi-Fi network or if you are accessing the internet from a country with weak cyber security laws.
The main pros are:
Benefit #1 Increased Productivity
Cisco Umbrella can help increase productivity by blocking access to malicious websites and known malware sites. This reduces the chances of employees inadvertently infecting their devices with malware or accidentally visiting a phishing site.
By preventing access to these types of sites, Umbrella can help reduce the amount of time spent on dealing with malware infections and recovery.
Benefit #2: Improved Security Posture
Cisco Umbrella uses multiple layers of security to protect your devices and data from online threats. These layers include DNS-layer anti-malware, IP reputation-based blocking, and sandboxing.
By using these layers of security, Umbrella can help improve your business’s overall security posture by preventing attacks before they occur.
Benefit #3: Reduced Costs
Cisco Umbrella can help reduce the costs associated with online threats such as malware, phishing, and ransomware.
By blocking access to malicious sites and known malware sites, Umbrella can help reduce the need for expensive malware removal tools and services.
In addition, by improving your business’s overall security posture, Umbrella can also reduce the likelihood of costly data breaches where degaussing hard drives to destroy sensitive data can cost a fortune across an entire network.
Benefit #4: Increased Visibility and Control
Cisco Umbrella provides visibility into the internet activity of your devices and users. This visibility can help you identify potential security threats and investigate unusual activity.
In addition, Umbrella’s reporting tools can help you track trends in internet usage and activity. This information can be used to further improve your business’s security posture.
Benefit #5: Easy to Use and Deploy
Cisco Umbrella is easy to use and deploy. The intuitive dashboard is simple to navigate and provides all the information you need to manage your account. In addition, Umbrella’s security features are automatically enabled once you deploy the software.
This makes it easy to get started and begin protecting networked devices and data from online threats.
5. Is There Any Legitimate Reason for Bypassing Cisco Umbrella?
The only legitimate reason to bypass Umbrella is for cyber-security professionals while they investigate an infection or malware.
This is because they might need to visit a malicious site to further investigate it and understand how it infects users with malicious code.
Conclusion
Bypassing Cisco Umbrella can have serious consequences for both individuals and businesses.
Users who bypass Cisco Umbrella expose themselves to malware and phishing attacks, while businesses may experience decreased productivity and increased data usage as a result of employees bypassing the system.
At the end of the day, it’s simply not worth learning how to bypass Cisco Umbrella.
You are risking your school, other education facilities, or business’s security by bypassing this or any other type of large-scale network security system.