How To Surf The Internet Safely?

Are you looking for ways to browse the Internet safely? That's not weird at all because there are quite some dangers these days. There are, fortunately, several methods to safeguard yourself and improve your internet surfing experience, regardless of whether you're using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Start reading our guide and learn everything there is to know about browsing the internet in a safe manner.

Ben Grindlow

Ben Grindlow is the founder of ProXPN, a company that provides reviews about VPN products and services. Ben's interest in cybersecurity and privacy led him to start ProXPN, which has become one of the most well-respected VPN providers in the world. Ben is passionate about his work, and he is constantly exploring new ways to improve ProXPN's in-depth guides.

Last updated: 10:10AM 7/5/2022

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Table of Contents

Millions of people surf the internet daily, some for academic purposes, some for entertainment, business, etc. However, some surf the internet to look for people who they can scam off all their money.

This is a rampant occurrence and has grown over time to be one of the major disadvantages/negative sides of using the internet. As millions surf the internet and go about their businesses, hundreds of thousands also devise plans on how to prey on their innocence.

The essence of this article is to shine more light on how you can surf the internet safely without losing sensitive data while trying to go about your daily business.

This article will discuss the various ways you can increase your online safety and how to avoid online scams and fraud.

Adjust Your Behavior

Over the years, online scammers have mastered how people behave on the internet and respond and react to certain things. As people evolve and more measures are put up to secure user experience on the internet, the more scammers are becoming more active and inventive.

However, to prevent online users from experiencing this misfortune, you help to adjust your behavior.

Tips to Follow to Adjust Your Online Presence

  • Be critical and thorough about the websites you visit on your internet explorer.
  • Always check the address bar on your search engines (URL bar) to see whether your site is legitimate.
  • Check in the URL bar on your web page whether it is a secure website (with HTTPS)
  • Avoid using your computer or internet to help people or employees solve problems.
  • If you're unsure about a particular link, hover your mouse over the link to check if the link is going to the right destination and secure the connection.

Smartphones and Tablets Internet Safety

Tips on how to use your android or IOS to surf the internet safely:

  • Always make sure you download apps on the official App Store or Goggle Play store
  • When downloading an app, always check for the reviews; never download an app with very few or bad reviews
  • Always check attentively to permissions that apps request from you after installation.

Scam via WhatsApp

One of the growing major scams is via WhatsApp, and this is why you have to be very vigilant about how you relate and respond to messages you get from familiar and strange people.

In a situation where a friend or relative asks you to send money to them, you need to scrutinize such messages and confirm if it's truly from them. Never attempt to transfer money based on an app or email message messages.

Don't Believe in Fairytales

If you ever think or believe something is too good to be true, e.g., websites that state they'll give you money, bitcoin, phones, and so on, there is a high chance you will be scammed. Nothing is ever free (nothing is free in free-town).

  • When something is free, 9/10 you are the product.
  • Pay very close attention to clickbait and Ads. These are clever and crafty titles and messages that have been designed to fool and lure you to a certain website.
  • There are different types of click-bait; these are;
  • Catchy headlines like “how to lose 20Kg in 2 weeks” are things that are impossible to do healthily, but they put them out there to make their victims think it's possible. Other examples include five tips on becoming rich while sleeping and how you can earn 10,000 euros per month.

The above tips and reasons are why you have to stay alert when using the internet, don't be tricked or tempted to fall prey to these fairy tales of goodies and non-existing wealth.

Recognize Unworthy Emails (Phishing)

When you receive an email, your major priority is to scrutinize what it entails carefully, and the full content should be paid close attention to. If you feel or think that the email contains sensitive information or you have any doubt, you should contact the sender of the email directly before attending to it.

You should not respond to a phishing email, nor should you open links or attachments in the email unless you are 100% sure that the sender and the content of the email are trustworthy.

Once you get a mail, the first thing you need to do is answer the following questions.

Who is the Sender of the Email?

You need to know who sent the email and check if their email address is the correct one. If the email is from an official source, you need to check if that is their official email address or not.

What Salutations Were Used?

How were you addressed in the email? You can know how the email addressed you. Was it as Dear, Dear customer, Sir/Madam? Don't attend to such emails until you have confirmed it's from a credible source if there's any doubt.

What is in the Email?

The content of any email matters a lot; whether it's formal or informal, you have to check if the link is not going to a shady website. You can access this by copying and pasting the link address into a word processor such as word.

You will sometimes notice that fake emails contain defective language, for example, strange sentence structure.

Do not give out your credit card numbers to strange emails. People tend to be too trusting, do not do this even if the email looks like your bank email.

Secure Your Home Network Properly

When you set up your home network correctly, you can surf the internet safely, and you can do this by using your internet service providers or Wifi network at home that is properly secured.

You can secure your home network by following these simple instructions

  • Choose a difficult/strong password, which may contain letters, numbers, and characters.
  • Make sure your password is encrypted via WPA2 (AES)
  • Update your router twice a year
  • Change the name of your network (SSID) to something that they can't trace back to you.
  • Disable UPnP and WPS

To make changes like your password or router, if you find this difficult to do, you can hire someone professional who knows more about this or call your internet service providers to help you with this.

Make Sure Your Software Is Updated

Updating your software can be quite frustrating, having to update for windows, the virus scanner, and other software, but these are very important things to do if you want to be cyber-secure.

The main reason why these are very important is that the developer might have noticed some loopholes and vulnerabilities and taken measures to secure them on the new update.

By installing available updates and using the latest and most secure version of your software like your virus scanner, windows, and so on, you get to use the most secure version of your software.

Private Mode On Web Browsers

The major advantage of using a private mode is that you are less to follow. This is why you should take advantage of your incognito mode. When you do this, your visited sites are not stored locally. In addition, cookies are deleted immediately after closing the browser.

Get a Good Antivirus

The safest way to protect yourself against viruses, Trojans, phishing, malicious software, and most malware is to be very security conscious when using the internet; no single virus scanner can protect you against all risks and automatically block pop-ups.

However, you can make it difficult for cyber-criminals and malicious hackers to prey on or trick you.

Top Three Antivirus Programs for Windows
  • Bitdefender
  • Eset internet security
  • Kaspersky security cloud
The Top Three Best Free Antivirus Software
  • Kaspersky security cloud free
  • Avira
  • Avast

Password Manager

For your many accounts and different password, your best investment is to use a password manager; this will help you:

  • Keep all your password in place.
  • Recommend secure strong passwords or the same password for you to surf the internet safely, including numbers and special characters.
  • Create two-factor authentication

There are three password managers that we can recommend for you to download:

  • Keepass
  • WordPress
  • 1password

You can choose one password for all your account, so you don't forget or mix them up or choose very strong passwords.

Back-Up To An External Drive

Another secure way to surf the internet is to back up your system to an external drive. For about 80 pounds, you can get a decent hard drive with a storage range of 4 terabytes.

How To Back Up (in Windows 10)

Go to your settings and copy your media files, such as movies and music, to your external hard drive through your Windows Explorer or Google Chrome.

Use a VPN

What does a VPN do? Virtual private networks encrypt your connection so that data traffic is secured. It replaces your IP address with an anonymous type of address. Private information, browsing history, and IP addresses are well protected with a safe internet experience.

However, use a secured VPN that is tested and trusted with a good online review. A VPN can work with your Wifi at home, 4G, and via a public internet connection such as hotels, airports, etc.

Manage Your Digital Footprint on The Web Page

To ensure your online activities and internet browsing are secured, it is very important to manage your digital footprint to stay safe. When you surf the internet, you leave certain traces online. You are safer and more anonymous on the internet if you are aware of your online actions.

The websites, the emails you send and receive, photos you post and share on social media, search history, and posts on Twitter or LinkedIn all leave a digital footprint.

Frequently asked questions

Online Safety, like cybersecurity, protects people from the dangers of devices and networks (and therefore third parties) through awareness, education, information, and technology by preventing them from coming into contact with harmful content.

While no network is immune to attacks, a solid and effective network security system is required to safeguard client data. A strong network security solution helps companies minimize the danger of data theft and sabotage. Network security protects your computers from dangerous spyware.

Keep your browser and plugins up to date; use a browser that allows you to take your bookmarks with you across devices. Block pop-ups, enable “do not track” in your browser, clear your web browser cache and cookies, turn on private browsing, and use a VPN.

If you're wondering how to safely browse the web for both personal and professional reasons, you should adhere to safe internet surfing habits. You expose yourself to identity theft, data loss, and even computer damage if you don't use the right safeguards.

Don't enter any information into a website or click on pop-ups. Pop-up advertisements might include malware, and if someone clicks on them to add data or to close them, the computer could be infected. Even if the user is not aware of it, this may happen.

Protect your digital privacy and stay safe on the internet

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