We all love the internet. We shop, browse, read the news, network, hunt for information, and play on social media. But while we are busy doing all these things, there is always the risk of being vulnerable to a cyber crime. Do you know what to look for and what should raise a red flag? There are so many risks to be wary of, including: phishing, viruses, spyware, fraud, and malicious websites with the goal of stealing personal information. Here are a few steps to take to practice safe “internetting”.
- Exercise common sense. If a website or link does not look legitimate, then do not click on it. For example, be wary of websites which promote schemes that involve the recruitment of others, receiving money for other people, or advanced payments.
- Check the website info for errors such as address errors, misspellings, or things that look out of place. Make sure that names match and the website and email have common names so that it does not redirect you to another site.
- If there is NO icon of a padlock in the browser window or ‘https://’ at the beginning of the web address to signify that it is using a secure link, do not enter personal information on the site.
- Only download software from sites you trust. Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing applications before downloading them.
- Type in a trusted URL for a company’s site into the address bar of your browser to bypass links in an email or instant message.
- Never open an email or a link in an email that looks suspicious, such as one from an unknown source.
- Don’t click on an unknown pop-up as it may be spyware. Never click on pop-ups that claim you have won millions of dollars. These are scams.
- Do not give out personal info to websites that you don’t know or have not dealt with in the past.
Categorised in: internet issues, IT Consulting Services