Online Safety: 5 Tricks to Avoid Internet Trouble | Total Security Software

The Internet can be a formidable reservoir of information, entertainment, communication with known and unfamiliar people. But it can also be a place full of threats if you venture inside without adequately protecting yourself.

The Internet can be a formidable reservoir of information, entertainment, communication with known and unfamiliar people. But it can also be a place full of threats if you venture inside without adequately protecting yourself. In fact, there are also many scammers on the net hunting for our money and our data.

 

That's why we decided to collect these 5 tips, which are the basis for moving online without risk (or at least limiting them very much).

 

The importance of antivirus

Just as when you leave the house in winter you have to put on warm clothes to avoid getting sick, so when we surf the internet we have to equip our computer, tablet or smartphone with a, so to speak, virtual scarf: anti-virus and/or anti-malware. This total security software, which can be free or paid, recognizes malicious programs and can neutralize them before they damage our devices or steal sensitive information.

 

Using the net without these protections is equivalent to going out in the middle of winter in a bikini: a cold is guaranteed, and so is the computer virus. Some examples of well-known and effective anti-virus and anti-malware are Avast, Malwarebytes, Protegent360, Kaspersky, Norton, McAfee.

 

 

Beware of phishing

But the reality is that protecting our devices from malicious software is not enough. In fact, very often our data and sensitive information are not removed from us through sophisticated digital tools but are simply asked for, and we provide them. It is called "phishing" and is a practice that consists of deceiving a network user into handing over data, for example, credit cards or other sensitive information.

 

Phishing can take place via e-mail: for example, you receive an e-mail from the bank saying that you need to confirm your credit card details; or an email from a friend who claims he needs money and is sending it to a certain checking account. But more and more scammers today are also using WhatsApp, Messenger, and other instant-messaging tools. Never disclose your sensitive data in response to a message or email, and do not make wire transfers without having spoken to the person who asks for them in person.

 

 

Buy online yes, but safely

In recent years, e-commerce, which is the practice of making online purchases of objects or services, has developed a lot. But the problem is that when money transactions take place via insecure sites, sensitive data can be exposed to malicious eyes. To protect yourself from this occurrence you need to act in two directions.

 

The first is to turn only to reputable sites. Let's take the example of a particularly delicate sector, that of online gaming, where there are reliable sites but others that are much less so. You have to choose only safe online casinos, selecting those that are authorized and regulated by the Italian authorities (ADM, formerly AAMS).

 

The second direction to take is to use payment methods that protect your data and funds, such as eWallets. The most famous is Paypal, and these are virtual wallets that are interposed between the user's personal data and the site from which they buy. Another secure payment method is prepaid cards, such as Postepay.

 

 

Share sparingly

We can connect with a lot of people on the internet, and it's a fantastic tool for making new acquaintances. But pay attention to the information and images we choose to share. The rule is never to send images over the internet that we may see deleted in the future or that could endanger our reputation. Not only because the person we are in contact with could use them for criminal purposes (for example to blackmail us) but because their devices (as well as the platform through which the image was sent) could be hacked.

 

 

Beware of streaming sites

Watching movies and TV series online is one of the most fun activities you can do online. And if the users of paid platforms, such as Netflix, grow more and more, so do those who rely on pirated free streaming sites. Apparently, these sites offer an immense amount of videos without paying anything, but in reality, they can be a conduit for viruses, malware, and other malicious software.

 

Using the internet safely is largely up to you. The tools to protect yourself from cybercriminals exist, so make good use of them!