When was the last time you thought about internet safety or safe internet browsing? Probably not that often.

However, when was the last time you thought about the security of your own home?

We think more about making sure our front door is locked before we head out even though we are potentially more at risk from our computers than we are from our own home.

Here’s what you need to know about how to be safe online.

1. Use a Password Generator

Do you use the same password for everything? Many people do, and it’s easy to see why. With two-factor authentication, the new norm, and constant threats of being locked out of our system for inputting the wrong password, we want to remember our passwords and so it’s easier to have one.

However, this puts our online life into jeopardy. Imagine if you lived in a house and you had the same key for the front gate, the front door, and the backdoor. It would be a risk if anyone got that key.

Luckily, there is a way around this. You can use a password generator. This is a piece of software that generates different passwords for different websites and saves them so you don’t have to remember them.

The program randomly generates the passwords and chooses from the full variety of symbols, capital, and lowercase letters and numbers.

This way, if one of your accounts—say your e-mail—is hacked, this doesn’t then mean your social media accounts are all hacked as well.

2. Use Private Browsing

Private browsing isn’t just there for the obvious clandestine activity many of us like to partake in from time-to-time. It is a legitimate tool for keeping us safe on the internet we should use all of the time.

It prevents websites from tracking us and gathering information about us, but it also stops anyone who uses your computer from knowing your search history. This can be embarrassing if a friend or a family member needs to use your computer, but it can also be a security issue if your computer was to go missing.

Anyone who was able to hack into your computer by guessing the password or other methods would then be able to see where you do your online banking, what websites you use on a daily basis, and whom you communicate with. These could all help a hacker impersonate you.

3. Don’t Tell Anyone Your Passwords

We all have those special friends and family members we trust, and we might think it’s a good idea to trust them with our passwords.

You might even think it’s not a big deal to trust a stranger with your password if they just want to use your computer and you’ll never see them again. But you would be wrong. You don’t know how many people they are going to tell your password to or if you can trust them, completely.

It’s always best to keep your password a total secret or to change it if you tell anyone.

4. Keep Your Computer and phone up to Date

The computers that get hacked the most are the ones that aren’t up to date. Both Windows and Mac offer their users regular updates around once a week. Sometimes they are big updates offering new features, whereas other times they are smaller updates that don’t offer any new features.

As annoying as it is to update your computer with new features, you must do these updates regularly. They often repair security loopholes and bugs in the system that can make it easier for your information to be compromised.

Remember, updating your phone with the latest update, such as iOS 13.5, is just as important as updating your computer.

5. Use a VPN

If you want to ensure your information is truly secure then you may want to consider using a virtual private network, or a VPN.

If you have a MacBook like the MacBook Air 16 inch, follow this link for instructions on the best VPN for you: https://setapp.com/how-to/the-best-vpn-for-mac-today

A VPN disguises your internet protocol (IP) address so that it’s not as easy for websites to track you. It can also change your location to a different country. This can make it easier to watch region-locked content.

For example, if you live in the U.S.A. but want to watch a British show that is only available on British Netflix or on Britain’s BBC iPlayer, you can use the VPN to trick the system into thinking you are in the U.K.

A VPN is a great program to have from a security standpoint, and it also enhances your entertainment library. This is one of the best tips for being safe online.

Safe Internet Browsing: Be Careful

You wouldn’t leave your house unlocked before you went out, so why leave your computer open to attack? There are so many steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

You can use a VPN to disguise your browsing, or you can use a password generator to come up with different passwords combinations for you.

Keeping your computer up to date with the latest software is also another good way of browsing the internet safely as this prevents hackers from taking advantage of security loopholes.

When you are browsing the internet, as well as using a VPN, be sure to use private browsing to disguise your internet search history to anyone who has access to your computer.

If you are interested in reading more about safe internet browsing, be sure to check out the rest of our site.