Web security is very important! In this article we will give some tips on how to keep safe both our web exploration and the device we are using for that purpose.
Are we really safe while surfing the Internet? Do we always adopt behaviors to safeguard our data or identity? Let’s see!
OPERATING SYSTEM
Developers of the most popular operating systems (Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, etc), periodically release new updates for security issues and features improvements. It is important to ALWAYS update our operating system using the tools provided for this purpose (Windows Update for Windows OS, the package manager if we are using Linux, etc).
An operating system not updated or updated infrequently is weak and not very safe. Also remember to periodically update the apps you regularly use, for the same reason.
PERSONAL DATA
Never share your personal information with anyone, such as your username, password, security PIN or any other code that can be traced back to credentials or similar. Only provide as much information as is strictly necessary for individual online transactions. Web security starts with taking care of your personal data!
WEB BROWSER
While using the browser never save any password in it, avoid sharing your location, limit the access to devices such as webcams/microphones, enable if possible the “Do not track” function and set the automatic cleaning of history and data related to the closing of the web browser. This way we’ll leave as few traces as possible inside our device regarding our Internet activities.
Most of these settings are automated if we use the “Incognito” feature that is now present in most popular browsers, but keep in mind that this feature does not hide browsing traffic from your Internet Service Provider.
ACCOUNT CREDENTIALS
In addition to not providing any personal credential to anyone (as mentioned above), it is advisable not to use simple passwords, but complex ones, consisting of letters (both upper and lower case), numbers and special characters. A password should never have a number of characters less than 8, although it is better to create one with at least 15 characters, always following the rules just mentioned.
Never use the same password in several accounts! Is it difficult to remember too many passwords? There are Password Managers, wherewith we can create a real database with our password, so that we always have them at hand when we need them. Among the most famous password managers we can mention software like LastPass, KeePass, 1Password, Bitwarden and more.
If we want extra security, it is strongly recommended to use the two-factor authentication service, already provided by several companies such as banks, online stores, etc.
VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK
Our Internet Service Provider can see what websites we visit and where our browsing traffic is going. By using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), our traffic will be “protected” and not visible to our ISP, as the ISP can only see that we are using a VPN service, but what sites or web services we are using with it. There are many companies that provide a VPN service, both free or with subscription plans, we can mention services as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, PureVPN, ProtonVPN and more.
Quality of the service offered also depends on whether you are willing to spend money on it or not.
If you are interest in a VPN service, we have made two articles on NordVPN and ProtonVPN services on our site.
ACCOUNT REGISTRATION OR MAIL SPAM
We are not always required to provide our personal email addresses when registering for sites of interest that we do not have enough information about to verify their security, but we can use temporary ones.
There are services that provide temporary email addresses such as GuerrillaMail, TempMail, 10 Minute Mail or others. Such services are also useful when we want to avoid having our email box flooded with spam.
SECURITY SUITES OR ANTIVIRUS
It is always a good idea to have an antivirus if you use a device that stores sensitive data or if you use it for work. There are many free and paid Antivirus Suites. With a paid suite the protection offered increases, although for basic protection several free solutions can be quite good.
If I use my device to visit websites that i trust and i don’t have any sensitive data in memory, the protection offered by antivirus suites such as Windows Defender can be fairly good.
However, we recommend to always integrate the basic protection offered by operating systems with an additional antivirus suite, just in case.
There are several companies that have developed valid and performing security suites, with a quick search on the net you can surely find one suitable for your needs.
EMAIL PHISHING
Pay special attention to the e-mails you receive: e-mails proposing easy money earnings or asking for your credentials are definitely scam attempts to steal personal data or install malware in order to take control of your system. Never visit links you don’t know or don’t think are safe, always check if your sources are reliable.
HTTPS
Always prefer web pages that support HTTPS!
Normal HTTP protocol is certainly very functional but has the disadvantage of transmitting data in clear text, which can be intercepted by other users.
Using HTTPS, data is encrypted and can not be modified or altered during transfer, also is now known that HTTPS is faster than HTTP.
Verify that the web page we are visiting implements the HTTPS protocol is easy: on the Chrome browser for example appears next to the address bar icon of a closed padlock, if we click on it will appear the words: “Connection is secure”, so we have proof that the website we are visiting has implemented HTTPS.
CONCLUSIONS
These are just some tips that we can give you but our safety, however we want to emphasize that the Internet is, and remains, a wonderful place with lots of information available to everyone, help to keep safe the network brings benefit to all, not just you.
Thanks for reading, have a nice day and enjoy your web surfing!