There are hundreds of thousands of infected web sites or maliciously built web sites on the internet. Therefore it is critical that we take caution when browsing the internet. Use these principles to help avoid infecting or compromising your computer.
- Stay to well-known sites. Visit only trusted sites with valid security certificates. Beware of Certificate error messages.
- Make sure when entering sensitive information the site URL starts with https not just http.
- Reviewing Pictures in search engines. Be careful to look at the site where the picture is from, could be malicious.
- As much as possible, try to avoid adult websites. Adult sites on the Internet are hotspots for dangerous malware like pop-up ads and security threats.
- Be very careful when asked to fill out personal information, like credit card account numbers.
- Clear your browser cache (including cookies) every now and then to free up hard drive space and reduce exposure.
- Be very careful when using download managers. They may make downloading files easier and faster, but they can also download malware in the background. Downloads should be done by help desk personnel and only vetted software should be installed.
- Avoid downloading files from unknown sites or sites that are not the maker of the material you are downloading.
- Never disclose your password to important or private Internet accounts to anyone.
- Always remember to log out of important accounts like e-mail, forums, or social network sites. Also shut down the browser afterwards.
- Be very careful when using removable writable media. Viruses and malware may copy themselves onto the drive and affect other computers you attach the drive to.
- Be aware of Privacy Policies so you understand if they are going to share any data you provide.
- Disable stored passwords or make sure never to store a password to a site that contains sensitive or personal information.
- Avoid clicking on any pop-ups. Don’t even click on Close X, Use Alt+F4 to close bad web pages.
