Guide: How to Make Internet Browsing Safe and Secure
Every day we hear about new vulnerabilities and online hacks. Hackers are on the hunt to steal your crucial data. The most recent hack was from the XDA-Developers forum. Although no user data has been compromised. Android smartphones already have several vulnerabilities. And we are all waging a never-ending war to protect our privacy online. So, underneath all this cyber hassle, what can you do to protect your data? What Can an Average Joe Do? Do not panic. We’ve got you covered. How Safe Can You Be On The Internet? Shutterstock In the past, we have shared some extensions for safe browsing in Chrome. But here in this guide, I would like to go a little wider. I would like to explain to you the basics of security in browsers (no matter what web browser you use) and add some cool ones too tips that gives you a completely safe browsing experience. This guide is simplified for the average Joe.
The basics of security
What is HTTPS?
You can read about it on Wikipedia, but I would like to explain it very simply here wordsBasically what HTTPS does is it secures communication between the server of the website you are visiting (which has HTTPS) and the client (you are using the PC). How is that secured? Using encryption. Encryption basically just creates a secret new language that only the server and the client can understand. That way, no one (even hackers) knows what’s going through the connection. Not every website can get an HTTPS / SSL certificate. Each content is first analyzed. And the necessary security checks are carried out. A security check is also performed by all browsers. Some websites try to establish an HTTPS connection with a combination of encrypted and non-encrypted content. That is the reason why you will get such errors as below.
Types of attacks
Most browser-based hacker attacks use Javascript. Developers use Javascript to make their websites dynamic and do things (like the ones below) that HTML can’t. For example a dollup on a button Click. You cannot do it without Javascript. Below are some of the attacks hackers can carry out on your browser using a malicious website (one that you don’t trust). There are many, but these are currently the most prominent.
1. Click-Jacking
This is a type of attack that uses a button on a website. Malicious code has been inserted button-Click and when the user clicks it button the code is executed. It does not matter that you have your desired stuff on it button click but it may also have some other unwanted entities inserted. Most browsers prevent such attacks. But you have to be careful before clicking one button on an untrusted website (especially download links and torrents).
2. XSS (Cross Site Scripting):
Here the hacker encrypts malicious content (javascript) in such a way that the user considers it trustworthy and uses that content and executes the code that gives the attacker all user credentials (such as username, passwords, settings, etc.). For example, you are logged into a website with the username ‘Mahesh’ and you get a message from ‘Suresh’ (which contains malicious javascript encoded) and when you read the message the script will run and it is now easy for the attacker to hack your user session because it has your credentials. This attack can also be prevented by most browsers, but some scripts are coded in such a way that they can even fool the web browsers.
3. CSRF (Cross Site Request Forgery):
Let me tell you the example directly. You are on a shopping website and have bought something. And there is already malicious code on your system (which may have been entered via the above two methods). So, this malicious code runs a background process that gets the specific URL from the browser that the product was purchased with. It will manipulate the URL to do something malicious and ask the website to run it. And the website will run it because the website knows it is the logged in user asking for the URL to be processed. But it is actually the code that runs in the background and asks for it.
Let your common sense prevail
So, after reading the above attacks, who do you think is the culprit? Attacker? Javascript? Web browser? Actually it’s you. You are the one who clicked on that download button, you are the one who was lured by an email sent by a cute girl (which contained the malicious code), even though it was in the SPAM folder. Well, mistakes are made by everyone and who can’t be fooled here? So to avoid being duped by such attacks, there is one thing you can do. Disable Javascript. It is practically impossible for an attacker to attack your computer system (with a web browser) without Javascript. Only enable JavaScript for the sources and websites you trust. There are many extensions and plugins you can use to disable Javascript on the website. Browsers such as Chrome also provide you with built-in options to disable Javascript for a specific website.
You can use the ScriptSafe extension for Chrome and NoScript for Firefox. Adblock plus can also serve as a backupup for these plugins. Because it protects you from malicious ad clicks. Do you love Microsoft’s Edge browser? Here’s how to make it ad-free.
Use a password manager
We’ve shared enough on this topic here on GT. Here are some quick links to get you started if you’re not using a password manager.
What is a password manager? – Wikipedia (If you don’t trust us, you definitely trust this one.) Why use a password manager? – We’ve shared great things features from LastPass (a password manager), giving you a clear idea. Which password manager should you use? – We have made many comparisons between different password managers. Such as LastPass vs 1Password, 1Password vs Dashlane, and KeePass vs LastPass.
Just use a password manager if you are not already. It makes browsing the web much safer.
Antimalware + Antivirus
First, if you don’t know the difference between Virus and Malware, read this explanation. Or else, here’s a quick overview: Computer virus: The name itself explains it. It spreads its infection to others. An infected file (virus itself with malicious code) will infect other files and those files will in turn affect other files. This is how the malicious code is distributed Malware: This is a software program that performs actions on your behalf without your knowledge. Malware can also be divided into spyware and adware. They both belong to the Malware category.
So why should you use Anti-Malware with an antivirus?
This is one of the best things I’ve learned to keep my PC safe. This will certainly keep your PC away from viruses and malware. What you should do is just run your favorite antivirus (I rely on Windows Defender. And I’ve never regretted it). In addition, use an Anti-Malware (I use MalwareBytes). Oh no! This adds twofold security to your PC. If Windows Defender (or your antivirus software) lacks a virus or malware, the Anti-Malware will definitely catch it. So if something malicious is downloaded from your web browser, it will definitely be terminated by these two. I have explained it extensively on my blog.
How to Looking to see if a site is NOT safe?
Few websites can help you find out if a website is reliable. You can use scnaurl.net or Norton’s Safe Web. You can add the URL of the website or a specific URL such as a download link. Google also scans every URL that appears in the search results. You can use their technology to check if the website is safe or dangerous. Visit their diagnostics page for transparency reports.
You are your own worst enemy
I said this before that you yourself are the culprit. You let the attacker attack your browser / system. The malicious code will not even enter your system if you do not respond to malicious websites. All you need to do is make sure that what you’re doing is recommended by a trusted source or website. And of course you can certainly trust us. ALSO SEE: How to Keep your Android as safe as possible
How to Make Internet Browsing Safe and Secure: benefits
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Final note
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