Safe browsing

Today we will have a discussion on safe browsing. But first, what is this browsing all about? It is a synonym for surfing. It is an act of visiting or accessing files, data, pictures, and multi-media through the internet or network.

What are the dangers of browsing?

It can infect your PC. Yes, by just browsing the malicious sites. So, How to distinguish malicious website from the good one? It is hard for novices but a good and up-to-date antivirus will be good enough to warn you if you visit such a site.

Second is, you can lose your vital information such as credit card numbers, registration information, and confidential data. How can this happen by just browsing? You know, every time you browse the net, all information you divulge or write is stored on web servers and it forwards all the information to the browser, we call it a cookie.

Its purpose is to make your browsing experience seamless and hassle-free as possible. One instance is that I myself am logging in blogger.com using my Gmail, so the webserver records and passes the information to my browser and my browser stored it (cookie).

If I access Feedburner, normally I have to log in using my Gmail but since I am using it already in my blogger account and my browser stored that information, I don’t have to log in again because my browser with its stored cookie tells the web server that I have logged in already with the same account. So it saves me a lot of time and effort.

Now, what makes it dangerous?

The danger is not the cookie that stored by browser but the bad guys out there who are always trying to exploit that information for their advantage with the use of their hacking skills. They usually utilize “Trojan horse” to gather your confidential data and send it to them via email or WAN. It is a script or software that will automatically install in your computer without your knowledge after clicking those malicious pop-ups or emails from unknown senders.

So what should you do?

• Install Internet Security in your PC (FREE maybe good enough commercial maybe better)
• Don’t visit Warez or P*rn sites
• Don’t click those eye-catching pop-ups such as “you’ve won something” you are the 999999 visitors” “naked videos” and other related pop-ups.
• Don’t open attachments or click links from the unknown email sender

If you will follow my advice, it will not make you invincible but at least you are safer.

You have something to add? Feel free to share it in the comment box below.