Online security is very important and there are a lot of factors that you should take into consideration when looking to improve your overall online security. Increasingly day by day more and more people are suffering from the effects of cyber crime as well as online attacks designed to damage computers software as well as steal money as well as personal data.
The Basics Of Cyber Security
One of the most basic first steps that you can take on your journey to ensure that you are protected online is purchasing anti virus software. Anti virus software is important as it protects your PC from potential issues and online threats. Cyber criminals are a lot less likely to target computers that are well protected overall and have anti virus software in place.
You can find good quality anti-virus software in most reputable computer shops as well as online. A good way of gauging how effective anti -virus software might be is by reading online reviews. Reading online reviews is an excellent way through which you can get an idea of how effective an anti-virus programme may be. It should also be noted that there are many free anti-virus applications available but many of these lack in -depth features.
Something else which you should carefully consider is whether or not a website has an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate is an encrypted file that ensures a website has at least basic protection from cyber attacks and is certified. Typically this is indicated by a padlock icon in the top left of a websites URL address. This is a sign that a website has some form of basic protection and that the website is secure overall.
Phishing And Scammers
Scammers and phishing are two major obstacles which you are likely to encounter at some point online. In order to tackle this issue there are a number of contingency measures you can take to mitigate this overall risk. Phishing is a process where an email is made to be deliberately deceptive. In addition to this websites are also made for phishing purposes. When these links are accessed they download a virus to the targets computer where the hacker responsible can steal sensitive data and even potentially take control of the computer.
In order to prevent this from happening it is important that you are vigilant online. Always be wary of unsolicited emails and ensure that you are able to verify where it has come from. If you suspect it may be spam or a phishing scam notify your email provider.
Another major issue that you may encounter on your internet travels is scammers. Scammers are similar to people who use phishing tactics and often they fall into the same category as they send completely false or misleading emails. A common scam email is from someone claiming to be from the “Bank of Nigeria” claiming that there are millions in unclaimed currency in your name. This scam tries to entice people with the promise of millions of pounds in order to extort information and potentially money from their victims.
