How to Browse the Internet Securely

Browsing the Internet securely should be a simple, worry-free thing. You sit down, connect, open your browser and off you go. But did you know that sometimes the very act of opening your browser can open a world of trouble for your system? Here’s some information about browser hijacking and how you can help to prevent it with a VPN account from VPN-accounts.com.

What is browser hijacking?

Browser hijacking is essentially a modification of your preferred browser’s settings. It really doesn’t matter if you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari or any other popular browser. All browsers are vulnerable to both simple and sophisticated hijacking techniques. In most cases browser hijacking is used to replace your home page, search page, or force you to view advertising that you didn’t want to see. It can be easily reversed in many cases, but sometimes browser hijacking is more serious. You can read more about browser hijacking here.

Oftentimes the goal of a hijacker is to trick you into accepting bloatware, malware, or spyware that tracks your personal data. The really ugly part of this is that many of the programs that contain a hijacker more or less trick you into accepting it. One of the most frequent ways this is done is by asking you to allow the installation of a toolbar when you download a program.

In addition to tracking your data and browsing preferences, a browser hijacker will also slow your system to a crawl.

Learning how to browse securely

There are a few things you can do to learn how to browse the Internet securely. The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with a VPN and how it works. While a VPN won’t necessarily prevent browser hijacking by itself, it will help to prevent your personal data from being exposed if you do pick up a hijacker. A VPN should always be the first line of defense in your overall security plan.

Installing your VPN is a piece of cake. Your system…whether it be a PC or MAC, smartphone, tablet, or even a Kindle Fire, is already equipped to accept a VPN. All you need to do is configure the settings in your VPN client with the credentials provided by VPN-accounts.com after you purchase your VPN. We email them to you right away, and we also provide excellent support if you need some assistance in setting things up.

After your VPN is up and running, use it each time you access the Internet. That sounds like a very basic piece of advice, but you would be surprised how many people think that just setting it up is enough. You have to connect to it once your regular connection is established. Technology is only beneficial to you when you use it! Make it a habit to use your VPN regularly, and you will have no problem with doing that because using the VPN is easy and does not significantly affect the speed of your connection.

The VPN encrypts your data transfer, so if you happen to pick up a browser hijacker it will be difficult for someone to track your activities. All traces of your Internet browsing point back to the VPN server, not your local machine, and VPNaccounts.com does not retain logs of your activity.

The next step you need to perform is to obtain a USB flash drive for your machine. These are very affordable today and come in various sizes. You can even get one that will hold 32 GB of data or more. Once you have your flash drive, download a backup of your preferred browser to it. You can do this right from most browser’s websites, but a great resource for doing this if you use Windows is PortableApps.com. You’ll find browsers, malware and spyware removers, and a host of other apps you can download to your flash drive to create a First Aid Kit for your PC.

If your browser does happen to get hijacked, you can insert your flash drive and use the browser on it until you apply a fix and remove the infected browser from your main system. Most of the time your antivirus program can be used to remove a browser hijacker, but sometimes it will be necessary for you to uninstall the browser from your system and reinstall it.

Small changes make a big difference

The best way to learn how to browse the Internet securely is to begin making small changes to how you surf the Web. Always use your VPN account. Whenever you download something from the Internet, read all of the terms and be sure to uncheck any boxes that ask you to accept an unknown toolbar or other piece of malware. Your Internet security begins with diligence on your part. Make these routine things a habit and your Internet security will increase.