When you browse online, a few things should concern you the most – the foremost being privacy. If you are among the many other users who are thinking of ways to stay secure while working on the computer, connecting to the internet, this article may be of great help. Sometimes, people fall into the trap of online fraud and end up losing their money, data, or both. A few tips can prevent you from getting into this trap of hackers.
7 Tips for Secure Web Browsing
Hacking attempts are everywhere on the internet; tweaking some settings can help you to keep your data safe. Here we offer a few tips that can help you stay secure when browsing the web.
1. Use an Authentic Browser
Staying safe on the internet is a necessity, so you should be extra careful when browsing the web. You cannot rely solely on the browser, as it doesn’t provide you security from viruses or any harmful sites. Use reliable and authentic browsers instead to ensure that the websites you browse are not tracking your browsing history and IP address.
Browsers such as Safari and Chrome provide you with the best security coverage you deserve. Additionally, you can use VPN to protect anyone from viewing your browsing details. It encrypts your IP address and prevents your internet activity from unauthorized access.
Finally, you should also get in the habit of clearing your browsing history, and here’s how you can do it:
- Launch the browser.
- Go to the browsing history tab.
- Delete the history.
2. Be Mindful of Your Emails
Fishy emails that tell how you became a winner of a lottery and so on are not as common thanks to smarter email service provider services.
Nevertheless, you might still encounter a suspicious message, and it is advised not to click on it. Instead, you should ignore and even report such emails.
One other thing to note is that you may also want to delete mail storage on a MacBook for extra safety. Files that you have downloaded might be corrupted, so there is no need to keep redundant data on a computer. Not only that, but it will also help with the device’s storage.
3. Use Strong Passwords
A strong password is a key to protecting your data from hackers, and it’s a healthy practice to have good password protection. Hard passwords are difficult to be guessed, which makes it complex for others to crack them. Hackers can easily crack the passwords that include your name, date of birth, or other relevant information.
Assign passwords that are at least eight digits long, including special characters and a combination of uppercase and lowercase characters. You can use third-party apps to manage your passwords efficiently if you are finding the task difficult.
4. Update Operating System
Updating the operating system as well as the software applications installed on your computer is certainly the best way to safeguard your computer against online threats. The older versions are vulnerable to hacking attempts, so hackers keep an eye on computers with outdated OS. Security patches available in the updates protect your computer from such attempts, so it’s better to update macOS regularly.
To update your Mac, click on the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, click on About This Mac, go to Software Updates, and then proceed with the instructions. You can also set your Mac to update automatically whenever any new update is available by navigating to the Software Update and tapping “Automatically keep my Mac up to date”.
5. Use Responsive Antivirus
Having an antivirus on your computer is essential whether you are using a Mac, Windows, or any other operating system. A reliable antivirus app acts as a security shield for your computer and turns down any suspicious attempts of virus intrusion and sometimes hacking as well.
So, it’s better to choose an antivirus that can give the most protection from any potential threat, even if you have to invest in the paid one. When you are downloading an antivirus application, make sure to get it from a legitimate source only. For more information, here are a few tips to check on how you can scan your computer for viruses.
6. Encrypt Your Data
For complete security, you can encrypt your personal data to prevent any unauthorized access. Encrypting your data means securing it with a password that one can decrypt with a valid decryption key. On your Mac, you can even encrypt your hard drive using a built-in encryption utility called File Vault.
Using FileVault, you can make your hard drive inaccessible to unauthorized users and safeguard the files, pictures, videos, and any important documents stored within. To have access to the FileVault on your Mac, go to System Preferences, click on Security and Privacy, click FileVault, and turn it on. In case you forgot your password, you will be given an option to decrypt and have access to your data with iCloud.
7. Back-Up Your Data
Data backup is the best way to ensure that all the items stored on the hard drive will be available in the original format when you need them the most. Backup makes a copy of your files and stores it on another location such as an external storage drive, iCloud, or any online backup site. In case the hard drive crashes or turns corrupt, your data is still safe with you.
Apple’s native Time Machine utility allows you to backup your data to an external device. Before you start using Time Machine, make sure to connect an external storage device to your Mac. Now go to Time Machine Preferences from the menu bar or click on the Apple menu, then click System Preferences, and then tap Time Machine. Select the backup disk, select the name of the disk, and click use disk.
