According to Hosting Facts, there are well over 4 billion internet users around the world. It feels as if virtually everyone we see is constantly glued to their smartphones or devices, searching the internet for the answers to questions both small and large.
While we now have more access to information at our fingertips than entire generations had before us, it’s also introduced brand new risks and potential threats into our changing social environments. Luckily, there are ways we can limit these risks. Here are 4 online browsing habits you need to stop today.
#4. Visiting Unsecure Websites
We’re beginning with one of the toughest browsing habits to break. The main difference between secure and unsecure websites are that secure websites are encrypted, while unsecure sites aren’t. This won’t always pose an issue for web browsers, but it does always have the potential to.
Risks involved with visiting these unsecure websites include exposing your data and personal information to potential hackers, and also potentially offering cybercriminals the chance to monitor your criminal activity. You can tell if a website is secure by checking the URL. If the URL begins with HTTPS, then it is secure. If the URL begins with HTTP, then it isn’t.
#3. Downloading Files From Unfamiliar Sites
Visiting unfamiliar websites is something you typically want to avoid to begin with, but downloading files from these sites is something you absolutely need to avoid. While obviously not all unfamiliar websites are harmful, it can be difficult to tell which sites can potentially damage your system.
This article is a good reference point on how to spot an illegitimate, potentially harmful website.
#2. Not Updating Your Privacy Settings
Updating your privacy settings is a crucial aspect toward safely browsing the internet. Unfortunately, it’s also something that many people never take the time to do. As written by Kaspersky, “ both web browsers and mobile operating systems have settings available to protect your privacy online. Major websites like Facebook also have privacy-enhancing settings available,”
Take a look at the specific preferences offered by your operating system, and follow this guide on how to use your privacy settings to stay secure on Windows 10.
#1. Entering Your Personal Information Into Unfamiliar Sites
This feels obvious, but take a moment to consider all of the products you’ve ordered off of the internet in the past year. The majority of your orders probably came from reputable companies like Amazon and other retail giants, but there’s also a good chance you ordered from a few discount sites that you had never heard of before. This also means you put your credit card information into a foreign, potentially harmful website.
This is tremendously risky for a number of reasons, the most significant of which is these sites being hacked easily, and all of your information being exposed. This happens much more often than you probably realize, and it’s one of the most compelling reasons why you should never enter private information into unfamiliar websites.
It’s more important than ever to practice safe internet browsing practices. By following the 4 rules in this blog of what not to do, you’ll be well on your way to securing your internet browsing practices.
Categorised in: digital, Digital Age, remote workers, Security