With more jobs having an internet-based approach and social networking on the continual rise, internet security is becoming a looming issue. The problem is that even though we know that internet security is on the rise we rarely enact preventative measures until it’s too late because of our increasingly lax attitude to openly sharing private information online. However, there are a few key ways you can make sure that your computer is operating under a secure browser when you’re sending sensitive information over the internet.
- Scan the web address
Most web addresses will have the standard http:// preceding their actual web address. This is for general websites and not secure websites. Before you send your credit card information or social security number or even your address across the internet you should make sure that the web address starts out with https://. The addition of that one “s†is all the difference between a secure website and an unsecure one, and making sure that it’s there can save you a lot of heartache in the end.
- Look for a safety seal
A lot of merchants these days are including a seal on their website explaining that you can rest assured that the information you’re sending is being sent over a secure connection. You can verify this by locating the seal that will usually include a secure certificate vendor such as SSL.com or GeoTrust.
- Check for a lock emblem
What most people don’t know is that this emblem is more than just a little picture; you can actually click on it and open something explaining the site’s security. If a website is trying to scam you it may have a lock logo on it but you won’t be able to actually open it up. A lot of times you can find the icon in the lower left or right hand corners of the website.
- Only deal with trusted vendors
If you can visit the store in person or it’s a big name website like EBay or Amazon then it’s likely that the website is a secure one. Websites that you’ve never heard of should be treated with caution – spend some time searching the internet for company reviews, etc. before giving out secure information.
- Keep everything up to date
This sounds simple but many people don’t download the latest browsers right or away, keep their internet security settings up to date, maintain their antivirus or antimalware software, or download the latest computer updates. Keeping these up to date ensure that your computer is operating at its maximum security level.
Identity theft and internet fraud are easy to prevent, but most people don’t take the right steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen. Staying up to date will keep you safe on the internet – after all the best way to deal with internet fraud is actively take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Author Bio:
This is a guest post from Laura Backes, she enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet service providers in my area. Â You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.
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All good tips for safe surfing. Adding a safe search add-on to your browser e.g. Web Of Trust will also help avoid malicious/spam sites. And if a shopping site has deals that look to good to be true (e.g. iPad for $100 from China) they probably are!
Firefox https everywhere and Chrome KB SSL Enforcer add-ons are also useful for forcing sites to use https if available e.g. Facebook & Twitter