Safe internet browsing and online protection

This guide is intended to help computer and internet user’s who do not have good/advanced knowledge about IT security. It is the basic level of protection which every user must implement. 

I strongly believe that if you follow the guidelines suggested below in your daily computer & internet use, it will significantly reduce the risk of being hacked or infected with virus and malware. 

Step 1 – Protect the PC

1. Install antivirus – Avira (free) or Kaspersky (paid)

2. Install Anti-malware - Malwarebytes (free or paid version)

3. Install personal firewall – Comodo or Zone alarm (free or paid version)

These 3 tools together will provide a much safer environment than what you may currently have. Make sure to manually run full scan with antivirus and malware at least once every week. 

Step 2 – Safe browsing

1. Install Firefox browser which is a safe and reliable browser with regular updates and has a large add-ons library.

2. Install the following add-ons (firefox-->tools-->add ons)

·         WOT

[WOT displays a colored traffic light next to website links to show you which sites people trust for safe searching, surfing and shopping online: green for good, red for bad, and yellow as a warning to be cautious.]

·         SEO STATUS PAGERANK/ALEXA TOOLBAR

[The SEO Status Toolbar will enable you to See the Alexa AND the Google PageRank of every page you visit. ALEXA – LOWER RANK MEANS GOOD SITES ~ <100,000, GOOGLE – HIGHER IS BETTER]

·         AdBlock

[Adblock Plus is a free extension that allows you to - among other things - block annoying ads, disable tracking and block domains known to spread malware]

·         Adblock Plus Pop-up Addon

[Adblock Plus Pop-up Addon is an Adblock Plus extension which extends the blocking functionality to pop-up windows and pop-up tabs]

Step 3 – online protection

1. Install Trusteer Rapport

[IBM® Security Trusteer Rapport® helps prevent malware and phishing attacks that are the root cause of most financial fraud. It also helps financial institutions to maximize protection of their customers, achieve sustainable fraud prevention and meet regulatory compliance requirements.]

2. Install Keyscrambler

[KeyScrambler encrypts every key you type deep in the Windows kernel. It protects your private info against known and unknown keylogging malware on millions of websites and in hundreds of essential apps.]

These tools protect your login information and personal data every time you access your email, online banking, and ecommerce sites.

If you implement all 3 steps detailed above, your pc and online experience will be very secure and your data is more likely to be safe.

Other essential steps to be regularly followed

1.Regularly check and update operating system, browser, and all essential software in your pc.(very very critical task)

2. Do not install software that is digitally unsigned.

3. Password protect your browser.

4.Use complex passwords. Passwords that contain digits, alphabets, lower & uppercase letters, special characters (@, #, &...)

5.Use 2 factor authentication for email accounts which is combination of login id/password and otp (one time password) using your mobile no.

6. Do not write down passwords.

7. Do not provide bank account details online or via email to unknown/untrusted persons/sites.

8.Do not participate in “get rich quick” schemes online, use the add-ons (2.2) to check the site rating.  

  

Please share this guide to protect your friends, family & colleagues from virus, malware & hackers. 

“Knowledge + Awareness = alert + cautious = safety”