Secure surfing
Many online services make life simple these days, whether it's online shopping, online banking, online games or social media, to name just a few.
Unfortunately, there are also risks in using these services that one should be aware of, such as malware or identity theft.
Apart from the previous tips for protecting against malware and protecting your IDs and passwords, the following tips for secure surfing should also be taken into consideration.
The right way to surf
- When possible, visit only websites that you are familiar with and trust. Anytime a website feels strange, close the browser.
- If you are entering data in an online form, pay attention to whether or not the transmission is encrypted. You can identify this through the "https://" at the beginning of the URL. If the "s" is missing, there is no encryption and you should refrain from entering data.
- Pay attention to the correct spelling of the address. Attackers who send fraudulent emails can easily turn www.tum.de into www.tun.de without it being apparent at first glance.
- Download software from trustworthy sources only, such as the manufacturer's Internet page.
Tracking
Surfing behavior is also part of your own personal data. You can protect yourself in this environment as well:
Websites often collect information about the surfing behavior of users. Where does the user come from? How much time is spent on the website? How does the user navigate the site? These are the key questions that operators use to improve their web presence.
This user data is unfortunately utilized for more than just positive purposes. The article titled "Tracking" delves into the negative aspects of this practice and offers advice on how you can protect yourself.
For those who are especially eager to know more about this topic, TU Berlin put together a collection of information through the project "Verbraucher sicher online" (https://www.verbraucher-sicher-online.de/thema/sicher-surfen)