General software strategies for online safety
One of the things that is important in maintaining online safety is software measures. The measures by which you can reduce the risks of this complex and wide world to an acceptable extent. In this part of our online safety course, you will learn more about general software strategies for online safety.
Update Operating System
Keeping your operating system up to date is one of the most important things to protect you from computer viruses and other malware. It doesn’t matter if you use desktop computers and laptops or smartphones and tablets. On a continuous basis, the manufacturers of operating systems fix various vulnerabilities discovered in the operating system by providing updates. So you need to make sure your operating system is up to date.
If you are using an old operating system that is not supported by the manufacturer, it is better to migrate to its new versions. If your smartphone hasn’t received a new operating system update for a long time, maybe it’s time to get a new device. While you have to use a device with an old operating system, we suggest you use it more carefully. Logging in to important user accounts, online shopping and managing bank accounts online on such devices is not recommended.
Use appropriate and updated antivirus and anti-malware
Having the right antivirus on every computer is essential. They protect you to some extent from possible malware and viruses. Do not forget that Internet and online world are among the most common ways to spread malwares .
At the same time, installing an antivirus alone is not enough. Proper configuration and ensuring its data is updated to deal with new malware is also required.
Update web browser and other applications
It is also necessary to update web browsers and other software, including instant messengers and social network applications. This can protect you from various web-related vulnerabilities.
Modern web browsers, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, have the ability to automatically update. However, sometimes the manual update can do it faster than the automatic mode.
Beware of browser extensions
Many browser extensions are produced by third parties. These plugins may contain malicious code and malware. So be careful about using them and make sure they are developed and supported by reliable people. As much as possible, avoid plugins with low amount of downloads or from unreliable sources.