After seeing films like Snowden, which is a true story absolutely worth knowing, or a TV show like Mr Robot which is not true story, but in many ways realistic, we could immediately close this article saying that surfing the Internet safely online is impossible. One might think that only by being terribly paranoid could one survive the dangers of the internet, that practically nothing can keep the information we seek, receive and send online from the looks of other people.
The systems we use on mobile phones are produced by companies such as Google and Apple and also on Microsoft computers and Apple still makes no secret of controlling their users, for advertising purposes or who knows what other purposes; at the same time Russian hackers and US espionage agencies can spy on any online communication, while all Made in China devices are potentially under control.
From this scenario we could think that we are condemned, that, in the end, if we wanted to have full privacy, the only way is to disconnect the cable that connects us with the outside world.
But if it is true that today we cannot stop using a cellphone and a computer and we do not want to give up the internet which is now an indispensable resource, we must try to put aside the paranoia and if even 100% privacy can be impossible on Internet, this does not mean that our life must end up under observation of who knows what eyes and take precautions in securing our online world, in order to make it at least very difficult and discouraging for anyone to be able to enter inside.
To surf safely and safely on the internet and, therefore, not to fear theft of data, passwords, money or the dangers of malware, viruses and hackers, one must not be paranoid, but adopt a certain type of minimum precautionary measures that we go here to list in a concise but complete way.
1) Use secure passwords.
It is amazing how most internet users use insecure passwords, which means words included in the vocabulary.
On this point, I refer to the guide on how to choose secure and impossible to discover passwords.
For important accounts such as email, Facebook and the bank, it is also important to change passwords often, even every 3 or 4 months.
2) Always use two-factor authentication (especially with emails)
Two-factor authentication is that security system similar to that of bank accounts where, in order to access an account, a code that varies every 30 seconds is required to access an account.
The code is generated or sent on the personal phone and its request can be deactivated on the computer that we use every day.
In another article, the guide to enable two-step password verification.
This protection must surely be active for the Email account, which is a bit the gateway to our online world, from which it is possible to reset the passwords of all the other accounts.
3) Protect the Lock screen of both your PC and mobile phone
Today on many smartphones and tablets there is a fingerprint recognition system to unlock the device, which is a good idea to use.
In the absence or to make things simpler, you can instead use an access PIN, which is better to always put, without using recognizable dates and numbers.
In this regard, in other articles, all the ways to block and protect an Android smartphone and also how to secure the data of an Android phone
For PCs there is the access password for the registered user, which is always appropriate to use also on the home PC, also because the same password can be used to access that computer remotely.
4) Enter passwords and sensitive data only on sites encrypted with https
HTTPS is the internet protocol used for encrypted connections and now every website that requires authentication must use it.
5) Buy only from reliable sites and pay online only with safe methods
On this topic, I refer to two other articles:
- How to buy online safely and with guarantee
- Use secure payment methods on the internet
6) Secure your computer
Antivirus is important, but not sufficient for computer security.
Equally important is to scan regularly with antimalware, keep your PC system up to date and use trusted programs.
How to keep your PC safe from viruses I have spoken in many articles on Navigaweb.
7) Secure the wifi network
Surfing the internet from a free and open wifi network is equivalent to talking about private events on the stage of a theater full of strangers.
Also on this topic I wrote several guides, both on how to secure your home Wifi connection and protect yourself from network intrusions and on how to surf safely on public wifi network, free or unsecured.
8) Encrypt sent text messages
Most online chats, including Whatsapp, encrypt end-to-end messages, that is, so that not even those who manage the service can read them in the clear.
In addition to encryption, however, there should also be a system that does not leave any sent or received messages in memory.
However, those who want to exchange messages via secret and untraceable chats should use a different app such as Telegram or Signal, also recommended by Snowden.
9) Do research in private mode
We know by now that Google records all the activities we do on the search engine.
In some cases, therefore, it would perhaps be better not to use Google and search the internet protecting privacy with DuckDuckGo.
The DuckDuckGo privacy policy is very simple and in the first line you can read that DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information.
10) Use TOR when you want full privacy
Even though Mr Robot explains how TOR can be vulnerable to hackers in theory, it is still an almost perfect anonymity system, or the safest there is anyway.
TOR browser allows you to hide our IP, routes the connection through encrypted nodes and makes it impossible to locate, intercept and identify the person.
Do not forget that Tor can also be used on Android.
These tips should make our online life much safer in general and greatly complicate the lives of any hackers who want to spy on us.
Finally, don't forget to put a nice plaster in front of our webcam when we don't use it, because as Snowden teaches, you never know who can look through us.
