10 Tips for Total Online Security.
With the sudden rise in the Internet usage across the globe over the past few
years, there has also been a rise in the amount of online scams and frauds.
Today most of the Internet users are unaware of the most prevailing online
threats which pose a real challenge for their safe Internet usage. As a result,
Online Security has become a questionable factor for the most Internet users.
However it is still possible to effectively combat online insecurity provided that
the users are well aware of the common scams and frauds and know how to
protect themselves. A study shows that over 91% of the Internet users are
unaware of the online scams and are worried about their security. Well if you
are one among those 91% then here is a list of 10 tips to ensure your total online
security.
1. Always install a good antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. Also install
a good anti-spyware to keep your PC away from spywares.
2. Always visit known and trusted websites. If you are about to visit an
unknown website,ensure that you do not click on suspect able links and
banners.
3. Perform a virus scan on the files/email attachments that you download before
executing them.
4. Regularly update your operating system and browser software. For a better
security it is recommended that you surf the Internet through the latest version
of your browser program.
5. Never share your password (email, bank logins etc.) with any one for any
reason. Choose a strong password (A blend of alphanumeric special symbols)
and change it regularly, eg. Every 3 months. Avoid using easy-to-guess
passwords. (ex. pet’s name or kid’s name)
6. Always type the URL of the website in your browser’s address bar to enter
the login pages. For e.g. to login to your yahoo mail account type http://
mail.yahoo.com/
7. Before you enter your password on any login page, ensure that you see https
instead of http. ex. https://mail.google.com/ instead ofhttp://mail.google.com/
. HTTPS protocol implements SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and provide better
security than a normal HTTP.For more information on HTTPS and SSL see Know
More about Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
8. Beware of phishing emails! Do not respond to any email that request you to
updateyour login details by clicking on a link in the body of the email. Such
links can lead to Fake Login Pages (Spoofed Pages). For more information on
phishing refer what is Phishing?
9. Always hit the logout button to close your login session rather than abruptly
terminating the browser window. Also clear your web browser caches after
every session to remove the temporary files stored in the memory and hard disk
of
your PC.
10. Avoid (Stop) using any public computers or computers in the Internet cafes
to access any sensitive/confidential information. Also avoid such computers to
login to your email/bank accounts. You cannot be sure if any spyware,
keystroke-logger, password- sniffer and other malicious programs have not
been installed on such a PC.
With the sudden rise in the Internet usage across the globe over the past few
years, there has also been a rise in the amount of online scams and frauds.
Today most of the Internet users are unaware of the most prevailing online
threats which pose a real challenge for their safe Internet usage. As a result,
Online Security has become a questionable factor for the most Internet users.
However it is still possible to effectively combat online insecurity provided that
the users are well aware of the common scams and frauds and know how to
protect themselves. A study shows that over 91% of the Internet users are
unaware of the online scams and are worried about their security. Well if you
are one among those 91% then here is a list of 10 tips to ensure your total online
security.
1. Always install a good antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. Also install
a good anti-spyware to keep your PC away from spywares.
2. Always visit known and trusted websites. If you are about to visit an
unknown website,ensure that you do not click on suspect able links and
banners.
3. Perform a virus scan on the files/email attachments that you download before
executing them.
4. Regularly update your operating system and browser software. For a better
security it is recommended that you surf the Internet through the latest version
of your browser program.
5. Never share your password (email, bank logins etc.) with any one for any
reason. Choose a strong password (A blend of alphanumeric special symbols)
and change it regularly, eg. Every 3 months. Avoid using easy-to-guess
passwords. (ex. pet’s name or kid’s name)
6. Always type the URL of the website in your browser’s address bar to enter
the login pages. For e.g. to login to your yahoo mail account type http://
mail.yahoo.com/
7. Before you enter your password on any login page, ensure that you see https
instead of http. ex. https://mail.google.com/ instead ofhttp://mail.google.com/
. HTTPS protocol implements SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and provide better
security than a normal HTTP.For more information on HTTPS and SSL see Know
More about Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
8. Beware of phishing emails! Do not respond to any email that request you to
updateyour login details by clicking on a link in the body of the email. Such
links can lead to Fake Login Pages (Spoofed Pages). For more information on
phishing refer what is Phishing?
9. Always hit the logout button to close your login session rather than abruptly
terminating the browser window. Also clear your web browser caches after
every session to remove the temporary files stored in the memory and hard disk
of
your PC.
10. Avoid (Stop) using any public computers or computers in the Internet cafes
to access any sensitive/confidential information. Also avoid such computers to
login to your email/bank accounts. You cannot be sure if any spyware,
keystroke-logger, password- sniffer and other malicious programs have not
been installed on such a PC.
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