How to be safe on the internet
Learn general advice on making safe use of email and the web. You should also see our tips on how to avoid being phished
Don’t click on pop-up messages
If you see unsolicited pop-ups, such as a message warning that a computer is infected and offering virus removal, don’t’ follow links or click to accept software downloads. Doing so could result in you downloading malicious software.
Don’t follow links in unexpected emails
Such links can take you to bogus websites, where any confidential information you enter, such as account details and passwords, can be stolen and misused. Always enter the website address you want to visit in the address bar in your browser.
Use different passwords for every site
You should use a different password for each site where you have a user account. If a password is compromised, only one account will be affected.
Configure your internet browser for security
You can disable Java or ActiveX applets, or ask to be warned that such code is running. For example in Microsoft Internet Explorer, select Tools| Internet| Options| Security| Custom Level and select the settings you want.
Consider blocking access to certain websites or types of web content
In a company environment, you may want to prevent users from accessing sites that are inappropriate for workplace use, or that may pose a security threat (for example, by installing spyware on computer), or that may give offense. You can do this with web filtering software or a hardware appliance.
Use reputation filtering
Reputation filtering software can check the sender addresses in email against a database that shows how often mail from that address is spam, or contains viruses, worms, etc. The software then assigns the email a “reputation” score that is used to decided whether to block the email or to slow down its delivery (giving priority to email with a better reputation).
Use firewalls
A network firewall is installed at your company boundary and admits only authorized types of traffic. A client firewall is installed on each computer on your network, and also allows only authorized traffic, thereby blocking hackers and internet worms. IN addition, it prevents the computer from communicating with the internet via unauthorized programs.
Use routers
You can use a router to limit connection between the internet and specific computers. Many routers also incorporate a network firewall.
From “Sophos A to Z of Computer Security”
