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Have you ever wondered how much of a threat your regular internet browser could be to your data privacy and security?
When worrying about your apps that could get hacked, we won’t be surprised if an internet browser is not one of those. What you might not have considered is that you have saved a lot of passwords on that browser.
It also has your login history, so the hacker can have access to all your accounts once they hack into one.
Now that you know how much you should take care of your browsers, here’s how.
Choose Secure Browsers
Some browsers are more secure out-of-the-box than others.
While the majority of users have found solace in Google Chrome, it is not the safest browser out there at all.
It would be better to go for Safari (which tackles browser fingerprinting and cookie tracking effectively), DuckDuckGo Private browser (with a private search engine and excellent ad blocking), Firefox, Brave browser or the Tor browser too.
These have been modified to keep you safer than their counterparts out of the box.
Update Your Browsers
When you get the notification for an update, that is usually because the app developer has seen some flaws that they should patch in the app. It is in your best interest to download the update as fast as you can.
Otherwise, you risk being exploited with the flaw that you should have patched with the update.
Likewise, an update might not be to fix an issue but to bring another security feature on board.
In the same breath, we should mention updates for your browser extensions too. The chain is truly only as strong as its weakest link. Here, you don’t want to put all your energy into securing your browser if only an extension will ruin all the good work.
Clear Cookies
Marketers/ webmasters/ bloggers are now in the habit of placing different cookies on your browser these days. The unfortunate thing is that you won’t even know when they are slapping these cookies onto your device.
For some, the cookies will help you stay logged in. For others, they can use the cookies to track your activity on their website – and every other thing you are doing on the web when you leave their site. That is why you will often see ads from a website that you recently visited everywhere else you go.
The simple tip here is to clear your browser cookies and cache at regular intervals.
Understand Incognito/ Private mode
You will notice that this heading does not ask you to use the private browsing mode, but understand it.
One of the most significant advantages of this model is that your browser won’t save cookies from the browsing session. That takes care of the problem above. Likewise, it ensures your browsing history for that session is not stored, so anyone can’t know what you have been doing on the internet.
However, incognito/ private browsing mode will still allow your internet service provider to see your activity. It will also expose your data to your network admin, if any. The only way to be protected, even when under private browsing mode, is by downloading a reputable VPN app on top of your internet browser and connection too.
Beware of Password Saving
Whenever your browser asks to save login details for you, it is doing so to make your next login easy. This convenience can turn out to be too costly when a hacker gets a hand on your browser, though.
A simple peek in the password area of your browser will reveal the password to all of your accounts, as well as their usernames too.
This is why we prefer that you have an independent password management software. Whenever you want to login to your online accounts, it would cost you nothing to copy and paste your login details again.