8 Tips for Safely Browsing on the Internet

Currently, it is almost impossible for us to imagine the day to day without the Internet: we read the news, we see the weather in our city, we chat with our loved ones.

However, although the internet has made our lives easier in many ways, it also has its downside: with the rise of electronic commerce and online transactions, we have become much more vulnerable to potential fraud.

Tips for Safely Browsing on the Internet

1) Be Careful With the Links You Visit: 

On many occasions, we click on any link that seems interesting to us without really paying attention to where it leads. This is a big mistake, since if the website is not secure, the links may contain some type of malware.

2) Don't Believe Everything You Read:

One of the most used techniques to commit fraud is the use of emails, in which victims are asked to enter personal data, bank details, passwords ... 

Through phishing, or identity theft, we can believe that we interact with known companies, and we can enter data on websites prepared for deception.

3) Wi-fi Only Trusted:

It's often tempting to be in a bar, a mall, or an airport where they offer good bandwidth on a free connection, right? In fact, there are times when we go to a place specifically because there is Wi-Fi. However, these networks are not usually secure, and they can compromise our internet security by putting our personal data within the reach of hackers or cybercriminals.

We recommend that you do not use these networks when, for example, you have to enter your username and password each time you access, as with banks. 

4) Antivirus, Our Best Ally:

Although we have been extremely careful when selecting the links to which we access and the networks to which we connect, we can always incorrectly click on a link that leads us to have a problem. Free antivirus protection protects our computer from the daily threats to which we are exposed in the online world. However, we recommend that you subscribe to an antivirus service that is permanently updated. New threats appear every day and it is more difficult to identify them without a good basis, in addition to the classic viruses, with all their typologies there are other problems, such as phishing, in which a trusted website or service is emulated to carry out a fraud.

5) Beware of Online Purchases:

Our bank details are probably the most likely information to be stolen on the internet. Once our data is obtained, it is sold on the black market and used by buyers to make fraudulent purchases.

6) Use Strong and Different Passwords:

When setting a password, we should not fall into the mistake of putting something easy to remember such as the date of birth or the first and last name, since they are weak passwords and, therefore, easy to steal.

Nor should we use the same password for all the accounts we have, since it also poses a risk to our security.

We must always be cautious when selecting passwords, even on pages where we consider that we do not have any confidential data, since cyber crooks can take advantage of our credentials from any platform to impersonate our identity and commit crimes.

A good option to guarantee that our password is secure is to use a password generator.

7) Avoid Using P2p Networks:

P2P networks are download systems that allow us to share files and exchange information quickly and easily through the network. However, it is one of the main ways to spread viruses, so we recommend avoiding its use whenever possible.

8) Periodically Check Your Security:

There are programs like Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer that help us identify security-related problems such as missing updates or incorrect security settings.

Parental Control essential

Minors are potentially influenced by their behavior within the network. Parents must assume the responsibility of educating their children in the safe use of the Internet, whatever their age. 

There are parental control solutions to install on your mobile or computer and control its use. This extra help is essential to monitor inappropriate content, check histories, and limit access to certain web pages not indicated for certain age groups.  

The summary is that the Internet offers us infinite facilities, but when you browse the Internet, do so safely to avoid problems such as those discussed above.