The reality we're living in has made being at home the new black. Companies from the biggest and well-known to mid-size and small ones have announced they are shifting to working from home until the end of 2020, if not for longer. And besides work, studying, online shopping, and even workouts are all done at home. With so many household members using the internet, whether from one or 5 different devices, we need to make sure we're all practicing safe web browsing habits.
Here are 5 habits you and your family can implement right away:
1. Avoid installing malicious extensions
Harmful Extensions don't always look harmful. You may not even know they are on your device as they often sneak their way in unnoticed or disguise themselves as legitimate services. Malicious extensions can install malware, spyware, and adware on your device.
2. Beware of phishing and scam sites
Phishing and other scam sites can trick you into giving away personal information and gain access to your device. Mostly these sites are entered by clicking on emails, social media scams, popups, and other ads. Hackers do a great job in disguising these sites to look legitimate, so beware.
3. Block out intrusive notifications & popups
Intrusive notifications and popups aren't just annoying ads trying to sell. They're invasive, could be harmful, or indicate that you have malware on your device. Use a tool like Guardio that will block and filter out the bad guys.
4. Make sure your computer's operating system is up to date
Updating your operating system will not only will it improve the performance of your software, but these updates also contain critical patches to security holes.
5. Monitor emails for information leaks:
Monitoring your email addresses will keep you informed on data breaches where your information has surfaced. By monitoring, you will know when to change your passwords for affected services and other services where you may have used the same password.
Bonus tip:
Make a monthly date where everyone changes their passwords for important websites. But don't just send a family text, make a password changing party of it! Scammers and hackers are on the rise, and safe and secure passwords will make you and your family much less vulnerable.
