It’s incredibly important to protect your data online, as there are many ways that it can be lost, stolen or destroyed by malicious sources. Here are three steps you can take to keep your data secure.
AdBlock
AdBlock is something that is essential to have – chances are, you’ll be visiting lots of different websites and come across a lot of ads. Ads are already fairly annoying for most, but they can also be incredibly dangerous for your device. Sometimes, ads can have viruses which can infect your computer, meaning you could give criminals access to your private files. Some ads may also lead you to malicious websites that can, again, steal your files and data. It’s important to install an AdBlock like uBlock Origin to prevent seeing ads and keep yourself safe from any malware. However, for companies that you trust and want to support, be sure to add them to a whitelist so that you can still see their ads – this means you’ll be able to give those websites the ad revenue they need to keep running.
Only Use Trusted Sources
When downloading anything from software to files, make sure you only download them from a source that you know and trust. It can be tempting to download from unknown websites that you think look trustworthy, but the internet can be incredibly deceiving, and most likely those trying to trick you will want to make their site look professional and secure.
Only use websites that you know you can trust, or you’ll be at risk of downloading viruses – perhaps one that installs lots of items onto your computer, slowing it down and losing you money if you rely on the computer for business reasons. You may also download viruses that corrupt, steal or destroy your data, causing you a lot of problems. Despite files being lost, however, websites like SecureDataRecovery.com can help you recover any data you’ve lost, meaning if it does come to the worst, you have a safety net to fall back on.
Firewall
A firewall is essential for keeping your computer safe – usually, it’s integrated within the operation system running on your PC, and should be able to protect you against hackers or people who intercept your data when it’s sent to the website or server you’re accessing. For example, if you log on to your emails without a firewall active, your username and password could be stolen by criminals and used for malicious purposes. Firewalls like Windows Firewall are your best option, since they are from a trusted source and are known to be reliable. It’s also important that, when you visit a website, you make sure that it is https encrypted – this means that the server you’re connecting to is secure on the other side, so that it can’t be accessed from there either. You can check this by looking at the address bar and looking for a small lock in front of the website address.
These three tips are sure to keep your data safe online and protected from any theft or damage.
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