Are Web Browsers The Key To Internet Security?

Browsers are one of the keys to internet security. Actually, I suppose they're really more like the car than the key. After all, they're the vehicle we use to travel around the web. Occasionally an unwanted passenger jumps on board though, and could even carjack your browser - taking you somewhere you don't want to be.

So, what to do?

There are a number of options, the first of which is the browser software you choose to use. Microsoft's Internet Explorer still has the lion's share of the market, but it's losing ground to other, more secure browsers such as Firefox.

Even if they're not actually more secure, these other browsers are not as likely to be targeted simply because the people who attack them prefer to go where they'll get the biggest bang for the buck. Until laws change and software vendors get more serious about the security of their products, the best way to avoid being targeted is to lay low.

Education is another key to 'hardening' browser security.

There are dozens of options in Internet Explorer and other browsers that control what components triggered during surfing are allowed to do. Very few users have much knowledge about what they're for or the effects of setting them one way versus another.

For example, is it desirable to 'Allow ActiveX controls and plug-ins' to Run, or should that be set to Prompt? Individual judgments here, as in all aspects of security in life, have to be made. One factor is your tolerance for responding to prompts versus your willingness to risk infection. After all, you have to decide whom to let in your car, don't you?

This is the sort of trade-off that is a pain in the neck and hopefully won't be necessary one day. For now, however, you should do some reading to learn more about these settings and how they affect you. If your computer ever crashes because of some internet security attack, you'll wish you'd spent the time to learn it.

Proper use is the final leg of browser security. Do you practice 'safe browsing'? Some sites prompt to download ActiveX controls (little programs), dialers, adware and other dynamic content. Do you really know what's likely to happen when you say yes, or are you trusting the source? Trust is necessary, but as the old saying goes 'Trust, but keep your eyes open'.

Most users are unaware of the extent to which using a browser opens up their system to the rest of the world. Being on the Internet means not just seeing, but being visible. And accessing sites usually means being accessible. It isn't just harmless cookies that can be downloaded to your system. Once executable programs are downloaded they often have free rein to your entire system.

Back to education for a moment. Spend some time learning how to lock down your system, outside the browser settings, to make it more difficult for these errant programs to gain Administrator level privileges. Your time will be well re-paid.

Article Source: http://www.search4allinfo.com

To get more information how you can protect yourself from online security threats, visit the Online Security Toolkit at www.onlinesecuritytoolkit.com, where you'll find helpful information about spam, spyware, viruses, identity theft and more. You can get a unique content version of this article.

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