No matter what Internet sites you visit, you have the potential to end up with a virus, some adware, spyware, or malware. That isn’t terribly common, but it can still appear and be an issue, even if you don’t visit any sites that are ‘questionable.’ Too many people assume that they aren’t vulnerable to these kinds of Internet attacks and privacy issues because they don’t use the Internet a lot, but that’s not the case. Even visiting one site one time can open your computer up to problems if you don’t have good virus protection.
Another thing you have to address is your privacy settings on each site that you go to. Some of them have options, such as storing your password. If you don’t want to do that, you should be sure that your privacy setting reflects that. You should also take a good look at any sites where you’ll be providing personal information – especially financial information – to see if they are protected sites. These sites will have a small lock on them, usually in the bar along the bottom of the site. If you’re not sure or don’t feel safe, don’t put your information in.
If you’re using a wireless router to access the Internet, or if you go to a public place and use the free Wi-Fi to get online, you may also be putting yourself at risk. At home, be sure that you use a password to protect your wireless signal. That way, other people can’t use it. When you’re at a public place, you can’t protect your signal but you can be more careful about what type of information you give out. That way, you’ll have less of a chance of other people getting your information and using it to harm you or steal your identity.