As the internet grows ever integral to our daily lives, online security grows increasingly paramount. Here are seven fail-safe tips to ensuring your online safety.
- Check your URL bar
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The easiest way to check that a site is safe to browse is to check the URL bar of your web browser (right at the top of your desktop, laptop or mobile phone’s screen). Verified websites are indicated by a padlock icon (specifically a locked padlock) or the URL (of the website) itself will begin with the letters: https, followed by a full web address. The “s” in https stands for secure and signifies that the web page you are browsing is meant to be engaging with online protocols that protect the privacy and data of its users.
- Do judge a book by its cover
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Always be discerning when browsing online. Websites associated with massive corporations such as Apple and Amazon and bigger social media sites like Tumblr are more likely to engage with protocols like ‘https’ and to attempt to safeguard their users’ data with some form of data encryption (though this is always best to verify from site to site, particularly whether or not your data is encrypted on these sites). Sites that are unverified in some manner, or simply have a “seedier” reputation are definitely better to avoid: although data loss is not a given, it is most certainly a risk you are undertaking.
- Know your scams
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Familiarise yourself with common types of online scams.
Phishing and pharming are two common types of online scams, and it is useful to differentiate between the two.
Phishing – Phishing is when online fraudsters present themselves as reputable companies (often via email) in an attempt to fool users into handing out their valuable information, such as bank details, credit card details, or passwords. Any form of communication with an important entity, such as your bank, that seems in any way suspicious or contains a link to a new page, should be avoided immediately. Always communicate directly with the entity in question where money is concerned.
Pharming – Another form of online fraud, pharming involves diverting internet users to a falsified version of a website to gain their valuable information. For example, you may receive an email that appears to be from your bank containing a link that leads you to another webpage. Once you’ve entered your details on this webpage, they are used to commit fraud in your name. This fraud is not always irreversible, but is cumbersome, and any of the details that you’ve accidentally given away, like passwords and card numbers, have to be altered.
Adverts or alert messages/windows that pop up alongside/in your webpage can also contain scams, particularly the classic, “Surprise! You’ve won a MacBook!” or, “Error! Your device needs an urgent update!” sort of adverts or alerts. Never click on these, as they will either redirect you to a fraudulent webpage or unleash viruses on your device.
Ultimately, malware (any software intended to cause disruptions or the loss of data in an electronic device) is diverse: it extends to viruses such as worms, which spread through emails, and spyware like keylogging, which monitors your keyboard input in an attempt to gather your data, to name but a few forms.
Case in point – be wary of anything that you click on online, particularly adverts and hyperlinks, especially if you’re uncertain of the origin of said adverts and hyperlinks.
- Understand the rules of data retention
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Concerns around online safety are rife in today’s highly digitized world. However, massive online search engines and websites such as Google and Facebook have data collection built into their systems. Facebook uses your data to enable targeted advertising to reach you (they do not, however, sell your data to advertisers) and Google’s search algorithm collects the data input received from their users to tailor their search algorithm to predict user’s searches. Additionally, anything you post online is immediately within the public domain. Workarounds to this include perusing alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo, which does not make use of personalised search results and does not store your search history.
Ultimately using the internet, particularly if you make use of hugely popular search engines like Google, comes with a degree of data insecurity – the key is keeping that insecurity to a minimum.
- Clear your data
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Clearing your browser is a good way to maintain the general safety of your laptop or desktop, in particular, is to clear your browser history. Free apps like CCleaner are designed specifically for this function, and they perform a full sweep of your laptop’s browser history and delete cookies. In apps like CCleaner, you can also decide which information you’d like deleted from certain applications – both online browsers and otherwise. You can also just clear your browser history under the settings function of your respective browser. Any other information that might have been saved automatically (such as when you filled in forms online, usually referred to as autofill information) is usually also cleared. This is not guaranteed to deter viruses or other malware, but it does help get rid of files your device may have gathered from the internet. Clearing your browser history also helps free up disk space, which is integral to ensuring your device maintains its optimal functioning.
- Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
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A VPN or Virtual Private Network allows you to search the internet without your IP address being made public, allowing for greater online privacy – in fact, you are rendered nearly undetectable online (nearly). Your IP address is a unique nine-digit identifier assigned to your electronic device – and it can reveal information such as your location. Most VPNs require a yearly or monthly subscription, but certain VPN software programs such as TunnelBear are free of charge, on the condition that they supply you with a limited amount of data per month; full price packages allow for unlimited use. VPNs include NordVPN and TunnelBear – opinion differs on which of these is most apt.
- Anti-virus software is the key!
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With regards to protecting your data, both online and otherwise, from viruses, downloading an anti-virus software is key. Many anti-virus software packages include anti-spyware and ad-blocker software that further protect your data, block pesky online ads, prevent websites from collecting your data and allow online transactions to take place safely. Buying a full suite of anti-virus software, such as Kaspersky Total Security, is a worthwhile investment but many free versions of anti-virus software abound, albeit without many of the spyware and online browsing features that full-price packages contain. Anti-virus software can usually be installed on both laptops and mobile devices.
Reputable anti-virus software packages include Norton and Kaspersky. Don’t install more than one anti-virus software at a time, as they will cancel each other out.
So, make sure to keep the above tips in mind and happy online surfing!