Nowadays, we have more and more sensitive data on the Internet and this makes us more vulnerable, asking yourself how to be protected on the Internet while surfing is not a question that is not superfluous and today we are going to help you to solve it with some tips so that both you and your enterprise are protected.

To stay safe while surfing you need more than installing an antivirus, so in this tutorial on Internet security we will start by knowing what are the main threats and security flaws, we will also see the basic recommendations for safe surfing.

Main threats

Today it seems that the times when browsing or downloading a suspicious document made your computer unusable are a bit behind us, however you should not lower your guard, because in fact the current threats on the network are even more dangerous and are more present than ever, and for example the real-time map of cyber-attacks. The current objective is not to damage your device, but to steal or hijack data. This leaves you in a more vulnerable position, especially if you are an entrepreneur because you can also suffer the theft of your company’s data.  To be protected, it is important to know the main threats.

Regularly when we talk about cyber-attacks through the Internet, we are talking about hackers who introduce malicious software in scripts of websites that have a vulnerable security level, with the only purpose of stealing information or hijacking it. Some of these scripts are:

• PE executable: these scripts download and launch other malicious software programs. They can also carry a program that logs and steals sensitive data such as bank accounts and social networks, they can also steal your login data and user accounts.
• Trojan-Downloaders: these Trojan viruses distribute malicious programs on your computer, in the same way that the literature Trojan horse enters without arousing suspicion, disguised in a safe-looking file. Once inside, they replicate themselves to control the computer, steal data and introduce more malicious software.
• Adware: is another of the most common threats that you can suffer when surfing the Internet, these are programs or fragments of programs that are installed with the sole purpose of getting more advertising than usual or being redirected to pages with advertising content.

How to stay protected on the Internet while surfing

Being protected while surfing the Internet should be one of the main concerns of any Internet user. When we talk about Internet security it may seem expensive or that you have to install complicated systems to protect your computers, however this is not always the case, in fact today we will show you some security tips to protect yourself in a simple way.

Use a VPN

A VPN is an excellent way to keep all the information we use to surf the Internet encrypted.

Thanks to a VPN, our data travels securely while we browse, because it encrypts all the information, as if your data were traveling through a tunnel that keeps it safe from intruders. The use of VPNs has become popular in order to visit pages from other countries much more easily or to circumvent the regional blocking of certain web pages, however, they are also an excellent security tool, especially if you want to protect your privacy.

A VPN helps you hide your public IP address and encrypts all the information that your computer or device sends to the servers, which is why it is more than an excellent option, it is rather a necessary option if you need to connect from a public Wi-Fi network.

The only drawback is knowing how to choose the right VPN, most of them are paid, in fact many of their services require a monthly fee, although there are some free ones that are usually very complicated to install and manage.

Strong passwords and strong authentication

Using strong passwords is one way to stay secure on the Internet, and the best part is that this strategy is completely up to you, and it is completely free. The advice is to use a password that is not too obvious or easy to predict, such as your name, your birthday, your anniversary, your children’s or parents’ birthdays or your dog’s name.

Security experts advise that passwords should have several “character types”, that is to say, in addition to letters you should also use numbers and symbols, you can even combine upper and lower case letters in order to make a password much more difficult to decipher. Take into account that recently, the same Internet sites do not let you register your password if they do not have any of these characteristics. Another basic recommendation is to constantly change your passwords, at least every six months.

Another excellent option to protect your data from identity theft or attempted theft is to activate two-step authentication on all sites and applications that allow it. What does two-step authentication mean? It means that to enter a site or application you will have to do it through two security keys, one of course is your password and the other can be the sending of a code to your mobile device, or you will be asked for a code given by an authentication application.

You should consider avoiding being sent security codes by text messages, as your phone number can be a victim of SIM Swapping, a technique that consists of cloning a SIM card, so the identity thief could have your number and receive messages as well.

This double verification sometimes seems very annoying, but let’s face it, nothing is too much if we want to prevent a stranger from accessing our data.

Update your devices

Updating your computer and installing antivirus software is one of the classic security tips, and it is a necessary action to protect yourself. Both the operating system and web browsers are constantly reviewing the security threats that appear on the network, and are constantly creating security patches to protect your operating system from them, the only way to get these patches is to update periodically, both the operating system of your devices and update the browser or browsers that you usually use to connect to the network. Failing to install updates will only leave your computers vulnerable to attack.

Install antivirus

Installing antivirus is one of the most widespread and long-lived security strategies there is, although it is difficult to find the right one and is that we do not always install the best antivirus that suits our needs and is to choose from the wide range of antivirus that exist today can be a somewhat overwhelming task and possibly end up choosing wrong.

Experts recommend that to choose the best you should take into account the speed of loading, the rate of detention and that it is an antivirus that is updated daily. Experts point out that there are very good antivirus that are free, but it is always better to get the paid versions, especially when we are talking about keeping the devices of our enterprise safe.

Do not download from suspicious sites

Sometimes we are the ones who open the door to security threats, because without the slightest precaution we download files or applications from suspicious and untrustworthy places, or we browse fraudulent websites.

You should encourage your employees to follow security practices such as not downloading files from unknown email addresses or avoiding downloading unofficial applications. It is also important to browse secure sites that have the HTTPS protocol enabled in the URL, as it indicates that the address and data are encrypted between the web browser and the web server.

Surfing the Internet is a necessary activity nowadays, that’s why taking care of security while surfing should be one of our main concerns, no matter if we surf for personal pleasure or we do it for our business. Tell us what is your best advice for safe surfing on the Internet?