Online Security
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Using Internet Web Browsers Safely
When using the Internet, being safe online is important. A number of key aspects to being safe while online are the following.
Use strong passwords that are unique.
Log out from services. This refers to online services like bank accounts, online shopping and email accounts.
Keep backups.
Avoid going to websites that do not use HTTPS and are HTTP websites.
Do not leave signed-in while the web browser is closed.
Be careful to not add people who you do not know as friends to Facebook.
Cloud storage of documents and photos should always have an offline backup or source in case something happens to them online.
Do not download anything, illegally.
Do not share a Wifi connection.
Never leave web browsers open, unattended.
Avoid posting inappropriate comments or photos on social media pages.
Web browsers tend to block direct access to http websites for security sought reasons. However, http websites that do not utilize https can still be accessed. You will notice an exclamation mark warning sign to the left of the URL address on the URL box's left side with, 'Not secure', next to it. This would be in place of the lock symbol. URLs without 'https://' at the beginning like example.com or www.example.com get automatically translated to the full URL. An example is the following.
In New York, if one enters, 'www.yahoo.com', in the URL box of a browser like Chrome, the following URL will be seen in its place.
https://us.yahoo.com/
Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing are have their own version depending on which country it is being accessed from in many countries in the world.
Online Security Threats
The Internet is host to numerous online security threats. These include threats to computer systems, privacy of personal data and even users themselves. For this reason, it is important to actively be at the forefront of keeping your computer secure from online threats as much as possible.
Computer viruses and malware:
Computer viruses and malware most often infect computers from the Internet. They can come from websites and even emails. For an email to be able to infect a computer, it must have a link to a malicious link or a file attachment that contains a computer virus in it. The same is true for malware. Computer infections by viruses and malware aim to cause damage to computer systems and cause major operational issues. Data loss and leakage often occurs due to computer viruses and malware. The cost of computer viruses to companies and organizations is high, too. Both, damage from them and loss of productivity have negative financial impacts on their budgets. For businesses, bottom lines are affected and for non-profit entities, budgets are strained. Software to detect and block computer infections also costs money, too. Each year antivirus apps have to be updated to the latest version for computers to be protected from the latest emerging threats to them.
Theft of passwords and personal information:
Data theft can be done by computer viruses and malware. When data on computer filesystems gets compromised, it could be used for illegal purposes including fraud. Personal information including identity and financial information can be stolen, too. This is known as identity theft. Most often, identity theft is done to very deceptively commit fraud or theft. Upon finding out passwords have been compromised, they should be changed to prevent accounts from being compromised beyond that point by the entity that stole the password(s). It is good practice to reset all account passwords to ensure account security across the board when even one account is compromised, at the user level. Once one`s account`s password has been reset for all online accounts, it would be less likely their accounts will be compromised.
Unauthorized access of computers over the Internet:
Unauthorized access to computers connected to the Internet can occur when passwords are compromised or networked computers are hacked. Viruses or malware can assist others and even various organizations in gaining access to networked computer systems. Often, this is done to steal data of interest or to alter information.
Minimizing Exposure to Security Threats
A number of good practices while online can minimize your exposure to online security threats. They include the following.
Do not reply to spam and just delete them or move them to the Junk folder without opening any links in them or downloading any attachments they may contain.
Do not go to unsafe websites. They may contain viruses or malware.
Update antivirus app subscriptions each year before they expire and have automatic virus detection enabled.
Avoid saving passwords in browsers.
Evaluate whether or not an app is authentic before downloading it from the Internet. Various apps that are virus scanners are viruses themselves, just as one example. It is better to limit downloads to official website downloads when downloading apps.
Do not download scripts that are you do not know what they are purposed for.
Do not download apps that you are unsure of their purpose.
Password-protect Administrator accounts of Windows.
Only download apps using the Administrator account whenever possible.
Avoid using the Administrator account of Windows for using the Internet as much as possible.
Do not share personal information over the Internet like phone number(s) and address unless required.
Log out of accounts that are signed into after using them.
Ensure that you are not using old versions of browsers that are no longer supported.
Limit the amount of time browsing history is stored in a given browser for.
Keep your software up to date.
Keeping your computer network's modem or router secure should be done. Modem security is vital to network and computer security. An insecure modem can open the door to vulnerabilities to breaches of network security and the integrity of data on networked devices. Please see the below link for more on modem security.
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