One of the biggest reasons why people contact me is because of some issue that generated from browsing the web without the right protection. This is most common amongst small businesses and households as they don’t have an IT Security department to enforce rules or establish proper settings. So, one of the first things I look for when I’m on site are settings for your browser… no matter what the original problem was as having the proper settings (and browser) will keep your computer lucky.
First, the browser is key. In my experience, I have found Firefox to be much more secure than Internet Explorer (IE). One reason, I argue, is that despite the traction Firefox is having in terms of popularity it is still a much smaller target that IE. The people that create viruses, spyware, etc have one goal: to infect as many computers as quickly as possible, thus it makes sense for them to create something that will exploit IE. According to an independent study, in 2006, IE users were vulnerable to online threats 78% of the time. Firefox users? Only 2%. The other reason why I like Firefox is because it’s much more configurable than IE, thus you could download addons or extensions to make it more secure.
Once you have the right browser, it’s time to look into addons.
To make your browser more compatible with “IE-only” sites, download and configure the IE Tab addon. Once the addon is installed, configure it by going to the “Tools” menu and then clicking “IE Tab Options” and then enter the URL of the so called “IE-only” site.
Now, for specific security addons. For users that have a hard time determining if a site is safe or not, I would recommend the “Web of Trust” addon which lets users know whether or not a link in, for example, Google is safe or not. “Web of Trust warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam.”
To make your browsing experience quicker and, sometimes, less confusing is by eliminating advertisements from websites (especially those annoying popups). For this, I personally recommend and use Adblock Plus. Adblock Plus does a great job of recognizing ads and, if it fails to catch one, it’s super easy for users to hide the ad in the future by simply right clicking on the ad and choosing “Block.”
The last addon I would recommend for security and privacy is BetterPrivacy. This addon may or may not work great for you, but I would highly recommend you test it out. BetterPrivacy deletes “super-cookies” that remain on your computer and can delete all your cookies on every exit.
As another step to keeping your computer lucky, there’s one particular setting that I always set. In Firefox 3.5, go to “Tools” >”Options” and then select “Privacy.” From there, I would select either “Never Remember History” or “Use Custom Settings” and then check the box to clear all history on exit.
In closing, choosing the right browser and setting the right settings can only do so much. I encourage you to also read “Opening up our toolbox” and check out Advanced SystemCare. Another option is to look into Spyware Blaster which helps prevent spyware/malware from getting onto your computer by not allowing you to even access known sites.
So, those are my tips for safer browsing. Does anyone else have any other tips they would like to share?
