Safety measures while browsing online

There is no doubt that the internet has become a massive part of our lives over the last decade or two. When you think about it, there are very few things that we don’t do online; from shopping to finding information, banking to making new relationship connections, a big part of our everyday lives is spent on the internet. But with all these benefits, also come certain dangers from bad actors. And while the government may provide some level of protection for users, it is up to each individual to make certain of his or her own online safety while on the internet. That’s why we have put together a list of 7 safety measures you can adopt to protect yourself while browsing online.

Install a good antivirus software – this is probably the first things you should do to remain safe online. Most antivirus software can detect viruses and malicious software as well as prevent them from spreading. Make sure you always update your antivirus too for the most current protections.
Use strong passwords – we understand that it’s a lot easier to use the same password for all your email and social media accounts but that means that if one account is compromised, all your accounts become compromised too. For greater online safety, use different passwords for your accounts and passwords that contain a mixture of upper- and lower-case alphabets as well as numbers and symbols are safer than just letters alone.
Don’t click on unknown links – it’s rather unlikely that apple is giving out 15 iPhones or Verizon is offering free 15GB data. Some of these links are put out by hackers to install viruses in your computer and get access to your information.
Watch where you download stuff from – it is advisable you only download software from trusted and reputable stores. By downloading freeware from a compromised website, you may be unknowingly downloading an app with a backdoor that hackers can access to get into your computer and gain control of your information.
Always download and install updates from your software manufacturers – manufacturers of operating systems like Windows and Mac OS always release periodic updates to their software that can protect against new bugs and threats designed by cyber criminals so always keep your OS updated to stay protected.
Avoid shopping on unsecured websites – always look for the padlock symbol in the address bar of your browser to show that the web page you are shopping on is secure and safe. Shopping online on an insecure page means that your credit card details may be unencrypted and available for other people to see. You can always use No Risk Domain to do a domain check for the security of the website you want to access.
Be careful about how you give out your private information – information like your social security number, credit card details, biodata etc. should be given out sparingly and only on secure sites for safe browsing reasons. As a rule of thumb, don’t give out any information when you are connected to a public Wi-Fi as it can be easily accessed by others.