The Norton Secured Site seal is no longer offered starting Oct. 16, 2023.<\/p>\n
A while back the guys came to me and said, \u201cCarl, we need someone to write a guide on how to stay safe on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said that sounds like that last thing someone like me should be doing. After all, I have to ask permission to get on the internet. At work. Like a middle schooler during the dial-up era. I mean, it does make\u00a0sense. I had a ransomware infection within my first hour of working here [Editor\u2019s Note:<\/strong> Literally 51 minutes into his tenure. 9:51 AM on his first day, Carl comes to us and asks what a bitcoin is, then says he needs two].<\/p>\n They said, no Carl. You would be perfect for this. So here we are. This is Cautious Carl\u2019s Guide to Staying Safe on the Internet.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right. The only surefire way to avoid catching something on the internet is abstinence. And just like Forrest Gump, that\u2019s all I\u2019ve got to say about that.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s be honest, the only people that aren\u2019t on the internet nowadays are the ones with a foot in the grave. Even newborn babies have Facebook accounts now, the nurses are wiping them down immediately following birth and they\u2019re already posting selfies, \u201cgetting a sponge bath. #baller #newbornlife.\u201d [Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: Thanks for putting that image in my head, Carl].<\/p>\n My point is, you\u2019re going to use the internet. So if you want to stay, safe, here\u2019s what to look out for.<\/p>\n Your browser is your portal to the internet. Think about it, without your browser, what could you do online? Nothing. I\u2019ll just go ahead and answer that for you. If you were to draw a Venn diagram and you had the group of people who can do anything meaningful on the internet without a browser in one circle and the group of people who need to read an article about how to spot a bad website in the other and I\u2019m beyond certain that the two wouldn’t overlap. There is zero overlap. So the answer is none.<\/p>\n There are dozens of browsers, and if you want to be the MOST secure I could certainly suggest a specific browser and settings that would practically make you a specter online. [Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: Could you really, Carl?] Someone here at this company could suggest a specific browser and settings that would practically make you a specter online. [Editor\u2019s Note:<\/strong> That\u2019s better].<\/p>\n But for our purposes, here\u2019s the advice I\u2019m going to give you. At the crossroads of security and user experience, the best two browsers \u2013 in my opinion \u2013 are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Pick one of these and make sure that you have toggled your security settings to your tastes.<\/p>\n Specifically, you need to go to the settings section and find the Privacy and Security settings. Make sure you have your web filter enabled, that you\u2019re sending \u201cDo Not Track\u201d requests along with your traffic and then make sure to tweak your content settings to control what sites and services can access certain areas of your systems.<\/p>\n Keep in mind, this isn\u2019t foolproof. Sites and ISPs can ignore the \u201cDo Not Track\u201d requests, things can slip through browser filters and there\u2019s always some new malware or exploit awaiting you. But by using a reputable browser and making sure you\u2019ve got your security settings arranged properly you\u2019re laying a good foundation.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll have a follow-up article with some suggestions on how to set your Security settings in the future.<\/p>\n In addition to your browser settings, I would recommend a strong antivirus program as well.<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s move on to the actual web. You\u2019re going to be interacting with websites and web pages. Most of these will be legitimate and safe\u2014but some are designed to trick you. If that seems overly simplistic, it\u2019s because it is. But bear with me.<\/p>\n The biggest threat to your safety online is the theft of your personal information. This can be used to impersonate you at financial websites, at medical websites, and to commit identity theft and fraud. A recent study by USA Today showed that identity theft is most Americans’ number one fear in terms of potential crimes they may realistically face. Obviously, people are more scared of murder. But a lot of us don\u2019t wake up each day with a realistic fear of being murdered. It\u2019s kind of a sign of how well off we are in the civilized world. There\u2019s probably someone somewhere who would fill out that survey and answer \u201cTigers.\u201d We\u2019re just worried about someone pretending to be us.<\/p>\n Anyway, I\u2019m getting off track. Protecting your personal information and private data are the name of the game. When I say \u201cstay safe online\u201d I don\u2019t mean safe in a physical sense. I mean keeping your data and personal information safe.<\/p>\n To that end there are certain things we can look for in websites that kind of tip us off when sharing our data or information may not be safe. Let\u2019s talk about some of them.<\/p>\n Take a look at your browser\u2019s address bar. It\u2019s telling you a lot more than just the URL of the page you\u2019re on. It\u2019s telling you whether your connection with that page is secure. It might even be able to tell you authoritatively who made the page. Those are important things to know when you\u2019re deciding whether or not you can trust a website.<\/p>\n Because that\u2019s what the entire web is based on: trust. You\u2019re willing to shop, bank and network online because you trust the spaces you\u2019re doing it in. If you didn\u2019t, you wouldn\u2019t feel comfortable sharing the information required to transact there, whether that\u2019s banking information, personal identification or some other form of data.<\/p>\n I rarely speak categorically, but I will here. Never give any information of any importance to a website who\u2019s URL doesn\u2019t start with HTTPS. You\u2019ve probably noticed that every URL starts in either http:\/\/ or https:\/\/. That little S is so important because it\u2019s the difference between an encrypted connection where nobody but the intended recipient can see what you\u2019re sending or an unencrypted connection where anyone who wants to can see it. Basically it\u2019s the difference between whispering in someone\u2019s ear and shouting across the room.<\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t shout sensitive information across the room. Other people could hear it. That\u2019s why you don\u2019t transmit it via HTTP. You need encryption. No encryption is a non-starter. Don’t ever trust a website without it.<\/p>\n Beyond just verifying that your connection with the website is secure, the address bar can also provide other information. For instance, it might be able to tell you who created and administers the site. After all, just because your connection with a website is encrypted doesn\u2019t mean you know who you\u2019ve made the encrypted connection with. Is this website real? Are these people who they say they are?<\/p>\n One way to tell is via your browser\u2019s address bar. Some, very forward-thinking companies have made this process of verification easy on their customers by investing in something called an\u00a0Extended Validation SSL certificate. An SSL certificate is the software behind the encryption we just talked about, and when a company gets an EV version, it displays its name in green font next to the URL in the address bar. This is sometimes called the green address bar.<\/p>\n The green address bar offers instant, irrefutable proof of a website\u2019s identity. If the website you\u2019re on has its name displayed in the address bar you can be assured of two things:<\/p>\n Just because a company\u2019s name doesn\u2019t appear in the address bar doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s unsafe. Quite the opposite, in fact. Most SSL certificates are not of the Extended Validation variety. But that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t still supply information about the entity that registered for it.<\/p>\n One of the best-kept secrets on the internet is that you can click the padlock icon in the address bar and view information about the website. When you do this you will see one of two things:<\/p>\n Obviously, if you see a company\u2019s business details in the certificate information you can trust the website. These details have been painstakingly verified by a third-party security company and are trustworthy.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t see company details you have reason to be a little suspect given the lack of information available on the site. This doesn\u2019t mean you have to write the website off entirely, it just means your antennas should be up.<\/p>\n One of the biggest things that helps you identify legitimate websites are site seals or trust marks. You\u2019ve probably seen them before and not even realized it. The Norton Secure checkmark. The BBB logo. Maybe a PayPal or Visa logo. These are trust seals. They\u2019re placed on a website to tell you that a company has been vetted successfully by a third party, whether that\u2019s a payment company live Visa or a web security company like Symantec.<\/p>\n You need to click on these too. You should be shown real-time identifying information that verifies that the website is in good standing. You can fake a trust mark or site seal from the standpoint of adding a small image file to a page. You cannot fake the dynamic qualities.<\/p>\n I think \u201cUse Common Sense on the Internet\u201d might be one of the most obvious, yet least heralded pieces of advice in existence today. But seriously, if something smells fishy, don\u2019t trust it. If it walks like a duck\u2026 you get it, right?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t believe outlandish claims. Be skeptical of everything. It\u2019s sad that needs to be your default outlook on the internet, but that\u2019s just how it has to be.<\/p>\n If you follow the advice I gave you – you use a good browser with good security settings, check the address bar and vet the websites you\u2019re visiting and just use good common sense – you should be fine online. Just keep to the well-lit areas. It\u2019s like any big city, really.<\/p>\n Stay Cautious, my friends<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Only Surefire Way to Avoid Trouble on the Internet is Abstinence<\/h2>\n
Let\u2019s Start with your Browser<\/h2>\n
How to Tell if a Website is Fake<\/h2>\n
The Address Bar says more than just the URL<\/h2>\n
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What if I don\u2019t see the company\u2019s name in the address bar?<\/h2>\n
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What else should I look for?<\/h2>\n
Use Common Sense on the Internet<\/h2>\n