How To be Safe on Internet

The Internet can be a dangerous place for the careless. Land on the wrong website, and you can infect your computer with malicious software that will steal your data or scramble it and demand a ransom for its return. Fill in a username and password in a bogus form, and your digital life can be turned to toast.

1.Choose Strong Passwords

the problem with passwords is that people tend to choose easy ones to remember (such as "abcdef" and "123456"), which are also easy for cyber thieves to guess. A strong password is one that is unique and complex—at least 15 characters long, mixing letters, numbers and special characters.

2.Do not use same password in All WebSites

Many users have come upon what they believe is an excellent solution. Why not just use the same password on every site or service they access? The problem of remembering all of those passwords is instantly solved. This means that if a hacker gets access to the username/password combination used on one website, there’s an excellent chance that same information will gain them access to other websites and services that are on their hitlist.

3.Turn on Two-Factor Authentication

Well, many important websites that contain vital financial or personal information (for example, Gmail, Amazon, PayPal and banking websites), provide an extra layer of security by requiring you to confirm your identity before you’re able to login.

4.Make Online Purchases From Secure Sites

Any time you make a purchase online, you need to provide credit card or bank account information—just what cybercriminals are most eager to get their hands on. Only supply this information to sites that provide secure, encrypted connections. you can identify secure sites by looking for an address that starts with https: (the S stands for secure) rather than simply http: They may also be marked by a padlock icon next to the address bar.

5.Be Careful What You Download

If you're downloading software from the web, be careful. Take the extra step of verifying that you're on the developer's website, because the hackers have a new trick up their sleeve. if downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware or try to steal personal information.

6. Keep Your Antivirus Program

Antivirus software is an important tool to help prevent such attacks. antivirus is just a word for a tool that protects your data and your PC against viruses, Trojans, botnets, rootkits, rogue security software, ransomware, and all types of malicious software. it can be a great asset when trying to prevent intrusion into a computer.

7. Be wary of public Wi-Fi

ublic Wi-Fi is a fantastic way to stay connected when you’re out and about, but it also poses some significant security risks. For example, man-in-the-middle attacks (a situation in which criminals intercept information being sent between your computer and a website) are incredibly common on public Wi-Fi, and can give the hackers access to your emails, private documents, passwords and more.

8.Use a Firewall

Even if your network is secure, you should still use a firewall. This an electronic barrier that blocks unauthorized access to your computers and devices, and is often included with comprehensive security software. Using a firewall ensures that all of the devices connected to your network are secured, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices like smart thermostats and webcams. This is important since many IoT devices aren’t equipped with security measures, giving hackers a vulnerable point of entry to your entire network.

9.Email with caution

One of the most common ways malware is distributed is through your emails. Hackers create sophisticated emails that typically contain an attractive sales offer or an official-looking message from an important institute (such as a bank, government, school and so on). Alternatively, you may receive an email a friend or colleague whose computer has been compromised. These emails contain enticing links and/or attachments that, when clicked upon, may trigger malware downloads or take you to websites that try to steal your personal information.

10.Use an adblocker

A good adblocker can greatly enhance your online experience. Not only does it make pages load faster and remove annoying ads from your online life, it also makes your web browsing experience safer and more private by removing the risk of malvertising (malicious software spread via advertising) and preventing ad servers from keeping tabs on your browsing habits.