Avoid Headaches: Use safe browsing habits
There is a very dark-side to the web. It is filled with hundreds of thousands of websites which pose as legitimate resources relating to your search. Upon clicking a link to one of these sites, you will begin to download and install some form of malware. Within seconds, your PC is infected. You may not be aware that it has. These sites are called drive-by’s and are now the number one source of virus and malware infections.
Once hit by a drive-by, you may have a virus, a trojan, a file deleting pacman, or perhaps a key logger which sends every keystroke over the net to someone waiting for a bank log-in or credit card number. Often times your antivirus software is unaware and continues to show that your PC is safe. This is the path that malware travels for unsuspecting users to get taken advantage of.
It can happen the same way in an email. A friend or stranger sends you an email with a funny message or picture with a link. You open it, unsuspectingly, and click on the link… Is it safe?
Safe browsing habits (aka Safe Surfing Habits) are key to staying safe and avoiding these dreaded consequences.
1. Be sure to be using the latest version of Internet Explorer (now version 8) or Mozilla Firefox. Other safe browsers include Opera and Google Chrome, all of which are free. Right now, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are the top competing browsers. It is their competitiveness for speed and safety that makes both browsers great. Older versions may not have the security protection needed.
2. Turn on the build in security features in your browser. Turning then off may speed up your browsing, but will seriously increase your likeliness of infection.
3. Get all of the latest windows updates. windowsupdate.microsoft.com
4. Be sure the you have some sort of firewall; whether built into your router, as part of your security suite or use the windows firewall.
5. Avoid pornography. It is very difficult to tell which sites are safe. Since people are often too embarrassed to admit they got a virus by searching for pornography, many drive-by sites go unreported.
6. Avoid shortened URLs, unless you have confidence in the person sending you the link. URL shortening services can pose a risk, since you are unable to tell where you are going until it is too late. Check out this article from TechRepublic.
7. Before clicking on a link, Roll over a link and look at the bottom of the browser to verify the link is accurate. Without checking, you may click on a link that re-directs you elsewhere. For example, the link may say, “Health and Fitness Magazine”, but he url may read, “http://www.up-fd-r43.com” which looks highly suspicious considering the links reads something completely unrelated.