BySydney Butler-October 19, 2017.743 The internet is like the ocean. It’s a huge place with a lot of different contexts. There are sunny beaches where the families have a wonderful time and play. There are shallow waters in which swimming is safe and then there are dark deeps in which mysterious dangerous creatures live. You need to learn other things for safely enjoying the ocean. How the tides work what to do if you bite a jellyfish, and so on. The same is true of Internet browsing. It is a huge digital ocean, full of wonders and dangers. The good news is that you can make it much less likely, by following a few simple rules, that you will fall victim to the various risks that come with going online. What’s The Internet So Dangerous?
.744 Ripping off one another is as old a story as time itself. People have been cheating tricking throughout history, and otherwise playing with each other for personal gain. The internet hasn’t changed all of that but it has provided the world’s crooks a new set of tools to target innocent users who are fooled or targeted. Two types of primary hazards are commonly present on the web: technical and social.
.745 It is difficult to create technical vulnerabilities and attacks. That’s why many of the web’s dangers aren’t in the form of clever technical hacks but as human-to-human deceptions. People are pretty good at fooling each other and on the internet, too, that’s still the same. You could get an email from someone who appears to be from an organization that wants to give you money. You could visit a website that appears to be the real deal, but ends up being fake. It’s also possible to combine technological and social assaults with a more effective strategy. For example, an email attachment that seems to be from a coworker might end up infecting your entire office with ransomware.
How to stay safe when surfing
A security mentality is the most important thing you need to develop to improve internet browsing health. Of course, one part of that is understanding of different types of threats, and how to identify them. The problem is that an arms race between the good guys and the bad guys is kept on the Internet. So it’s not enough to just know by rote what risks are out there. Rather, you need to take a healthy skepticism mentality and combine it with specific knowledge on how to handle known threats. Use the Right
Technology There is a whole industry built around technology that defends against malicious attacks. And having good examples of these built on your machine is a good idea. Windows ‘ latest version does have a pretty good security suite built into it. For Windows Defender, most people should be fine, but be sure to have some sort of anti-virus installed. The anti-virus isn’t enough these days. Always recommended is a good firewall, and anti-malware software. Malware and viruses are different, so make sure you can handle both of the applications you have or have two different solutions for each threat form. However, it is very important that you use a browser with good security levels. Personally I swear on all my computers by Google Chrome. Google has installed in its browser some nice security features, including automatic alerts when something suspicious can happen!
The use of Powerful Manager Passwords
Passwords is a typical pain in the back. It’s tough to come up with a strong password and we tend to make weaker ones that are easier to remember. Who can blame us for belonging to dozens of websites all that should have unique passwords. Mit it though some places share your passwords. Even though setting up a password manager takes a bit of work once you’ve done it, it will make your life much easier besides being more secure.
A Sake Update for Goodness!
People who write and manage the software usually handle the most common and dangerous security threats in a fairly good way. High-priority bugs and exploits may get patched in hours after they’re found.Please keep an eye on the web address bar you are on. Firstly, does the address start with the letters “https” instead of” “http? If not you are using a non-secure website. Next to the url, browsers like Chrome will also display a prominent “not safe” icon to show you the site is not encrypted. You should generally stay away from sites that do not follow secure protocols, although as long as you do not send personal information on such sites, such as credit card details, you should be OK. Finally, always type the links to a site where you upload sensitive information manually. Don’t click on the links that are emailed to you. Especially when it seems to come from places such as your bank or shopping online. Do not send login information unless you have checked
Check Browser Security Settings Modern browsers have quite a lot of security and privacy configuration available. Take the time to read through the available options and turn on and off the features you care about as needed. For example, Chrome lets you monitor what information is sent to websites that can show you what types of content and much more. There is no single set of settings that will work for everyone but if you’re afraid of slipping up there may be some good safety nets hidden in the settings tab that might be useful.
Don’t Do Illegal Things
.746 We can’t tell you what to do, so we strongly advise you to avoid such less reliable web sites.
Learn to Love Encryption
.747 The browser extension is a good place to start. As the name suggests, this extension provides protection for many websites that don’t have this extension. The ultimate form of protection against encryption is of course a Vpn. Inside an encrypted network tube, all the network data that passes in and out of your device is secure. Only you and the Vpn provider know where you actually live and exactly what you do on the network. Vpns is a more complex topic than we have time to cover here but you can read more about it in my October 2017 Vpn explaner articleVpn pros and conslegalityVpn buyer’s guidetop five Vpns. Just enough details to get you up and running. This article is not meant to scare you.