10 Tips for Total Online Security

With the sudden rise in the Internet usage across the globe over the past few years, there has also been a rise in the amount of online scams and frauds. Today most of the Internet users are unaware of the most prevailing online threats which pose a real challenge for their safe Internet usage. As a result, Online Security has become a questionable factor for the most Internet users. However it is still possible to effectively combat online insecurity provided that the users are well aware of the common scams and frauds and know how to protect themselves. A study shows that over 91% of the Internet users are unaware of the online scams and are worried about their security. Well if you are one among those 91% then here is a list of 10 tips to ensure your total online security.

1. Always install a good antivirus
software and keep it up-to-date. Also
install a good anti-spyware to keep
your PC away from spywares.


2. Always visit known and trusted
websites. If you are about to visit an
unknown website,ensure that you do
not click on suspect able links and
banners.

3. Perform a virus scan on the files/
email attachments that you download
before executing them.

4. Regularly update your operating
system and browser software. For a
better security it is recommended that
you surf the Internet through the latest
version of your browser program.

5. Never share your password (email,
bank logins etc.) with any one for any
reason. Choose a strong password (A
blend of alphanumeric special
symbols) and change it regularly, eg.
Every 3 months. Avoid using easy-to-
guess passwords. (ex. pet’s name or
kid’s name)

6. Always type the URL of the website
in your browser’s address bar to enter
the login pages. For e.g. to login to
your yahoo mail account type http://­
mail.yahoo.com/

7. Before you enter your password on
any login page, ensure that you see
https instead of http. ex. https://­
mail.google.com/ instead of http://­
mail.google.com/ . HTTPS protocol
implements SSL (Secure Sockets
Layer) and provide better security than
a normal HTTP.For more information
on HTTPS and SSL see Know More
about Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

8. Beware of phishing emails! Do not
respond to any email that request you
to update your login details by clicking
on a link in the body of the email. Such
links can lead to Fake Login Pages
(Spoofed Pages). For more information
on phishing refer what is Phishing?

9. Always hit the logout button to close
your login session rather than abruptly
terminating the browser window. Also
clear your web browser caches after
every session to remove the temporary
files stored in the memory and hard
disk of
your PC.

10. Avoid (Stop) using any public
computers or computers in the Internet
cafes to access any sensitive/­
confidential information. Also avoid
such computers to login to your email/­
bank accounts. You cannot be sure if
any spyware, keystroke-logger,
password- sniffer and other malicious
programs have not been installed on
such a PC.