19-03-2015, 03:05 PM
OK, so the previous post was intended to give reassurance about cookies and temporary internet files, but we still need to be careful when browsing. Some basic advice will reduce the chances of picking up "nasties" from the internet:
Web browsing software
The web browser is an amazingly powerful piece of software. It's easy to underestimate what it does beneath the surface - the more web development I do, the more I have come to appreciate it. But with complexity comes problems; no software is perfect, and it's possible that certain groups of people will discover and exploit bugs for nefarious means. So it is vitally important that you keep your browser software updated - just like you should be doing with your operating system.
There are many different web browsers to choose from, but many people simply use Microsoft Internet Explorer. After all, it comes with the machine, so why use anything else?
Unfortunately, IE is a prime target for hackers. Its ubiquity is an obvious draw, but also the basic architecture is such that it is very closely tied to the underlying operating system, so if you can get past the defences, you have a lot of interesting possibilities.
Additionally, IE has always interpreted internet standards somewhat "loosely" over the years, which a major headache for web designers. In short, if you develop a website using IE - as I used to 15 years ago - then you'll probably get a shock when you view it on any other browser. Whereas if you develop on almost anything else, it'll look OK on the others, with the possible exception of IE. It's a real minefield.
So, for you own safety and security online, I would implore you to use anything other than Internet Explorer. And if you do use it, please make sure that it is fully updated via Windows Update.
Beyond IE, what should you use?
Some people have surprisingly strong feelings about web browsers! Personally, I use Firefox as my default browser, and might use Chrome occasionally. I like Firefox because of the range of plugins you can add - mostly these are of high quality and work well. Chrome also lets you install plugins, and these work well also. But these are just 2 of many. In short, they are all free to download and use, so find the one that works best for you.
Essential browser plugins
First of, install Adblock Plus. If you've only ever used IE, you'll be amazed at how much better the web is without adverts!
Next, Ghostery is recommended. This stops web sites from "hooking on" to 3rd party websites. A common example is Google Analytics - where basically a small bit of code is appended to every page served from this web server, and this enables Google to compile various statistics about the use of the site.
If you go to the big websites, like the daily newspapers, you'll learn that they are calling bits of code from many different websites. Things like comments are often hosted on a 3rd-party server, for example. Most of these are unnecessary, and your web experience will be quicker and cleaner as a result of blocking them. But of course, you can easily enable them should you wish.
Another plugin that is frequently recommended is NoScript. This stops JavaScript from running on your browser. This is a tricky one - JavaScript (NOT Java!) is an essential part of most websites, and blocking it will make things more difficult (or perhaps even impossible). Like it or not, modern websites are doing more and more with JavaScript - that's just the way things are evolving (computers are getting faster all the time, so why not have the computer do a lot more processing, thus relieving the load on the servers?).
JavaScript got a bad name in years gone by because websites used it as an easy way to trigger "popups" and other annoying features. But for many years, browsers have contained popup blockers, so responsible site owners have stopped those tricks.
Avoid certain websites
Unfortunately, there are plenty of websites out there that attempt to install "malware" on your PC. It's helpful to consider the "Trojan horse" metaphor here - by offering something attractive, it's hoped that you won't notice the unwanted payload. Without wishing to spell things out too explicitly, avoid websites that promise things for free that you would normally expect to have to pay to access. Also, watch out for sites that expect you to install their "helper" software or similar. If in doubt, ask for advice, or do some basic searching first.
Browser settings
Most browsers are pretty OK from new, but to make your browsing more secure, you might choose to disable 3rd-party cookies (highly recommended). In Firefox. it's easy to see this in the Options dialogue, under Privacy. Change "Accept third-party cookies" to "Never".
While you're at it, you might want to disable the tracking options. In the same page, there should be a tick-box for "Tell sites that I do not want to be tracked". There is a "Learn More" hyperlink in there for those that want more background. Basically, tracking is mostly used for advertising and similar, but you probably don't want the big names in this business knowing more than they need to!
Web browsing software
The web browser is an amazingly powerful piece of software. It's easy to underestimate what it does beneath the surface - the more web development I do, the more I have come to appreciate it. But with complexity comes problems; no software is perfect, and it's possible that certain groups of people will discover and exploit bugs for nefarious means. So it is vitally important that you keep your browser software updated - just like you should be doing with your operating system.
There are many different web browsers to choose from, but many people simply use Microsoft Internet Explorer. After all, it comes with the machine, so why use anything else?
Unfortunately, IE is a prime target for hackers. Its ubiquity is an obvious draw, but also the basic architecture is such that it is very closely tied to the underlying operating system, so if you can get past the defences, you have a lot of interesting possibilities.
Additionally, IE has always interpreted internet standards somewhat "loosely" over the years, which a major headache for web designers. In short, if you develop a website using IE - as I used to 15 years ago - then you'll probably get a shock when you view it on any other browser. Whereas if you develop on almost anything else, it'll look OK on the others, with the possible exception of IE. It's a real minefield.
So, for you own safety and security online, I would implore you to use anything other than Internet Explorer. And if you do use it, please make sure that it is fully updated via Windows Update.
Beyond IE, what should you use?
Some people have surprisingly strong feelings about web browsers! Personally, I use Firefox as my default browser, and might use Chrome occasionally. I like Firefox because of the range of plugins you can add - mostly these are of high quality and work well. Chrome also lets you install plugins, and these work well also. But these are just 2 of many. In short, they are all free to download and use, so find the one that works best for you.
Essential browser plugins
First of, install Adblock Plus. If you've only ever used IE, you'll be amazed at how much better the web is without adverts!
Next, Ghostery is recommended. This stops web sites from "hooking on" to 3rd party websites. A common example is Google Analytics - where basically a small bit of code is appended to every page served from this web server, and this enables Google to compile various statistics about the use of the site.
If you go to the big websites, like the daily newspapers, you'll learn that they are calling bits of code from many different websites. Things like comments are often hosted on a 3rd-party server, for example. Most of these are unnecessary, and your web experience will be quicker and cleaner as a result of blocking them. But of course, you can easily enable them should you wish.
Another plugin that is frequently recommended is NoScript. This stops JavaScript from running on your browser. This is a tricky one - JavaScript (NOT Java!) is an essential part of most websites, and blocking it will make things more difficult (or perhaps even impossible). Like it or not, modern websites are doing more and more with JavaScript - that's just the way things are evolving (computers are getting faster all the time, so why not have the computer do a lot more processing, thus relieving the load on the servers?).
JavaScript got a bad name in years gone by because websites used it as an easy way to trigger "popups" and other annoying features. But for many years, browsers have contained popup blockers, so responsible site owners have stopped those tricks.
Avoid certain websites
Unfortunately, there are plenty of websites out there that attempt to install "malware" on your PC. It's helpful to consider the "Trojan horse" metaphor here - by offering something attractive, it's hoped that you won't notice the unwanted payload. Without wishing to spell things out too explicitly, avoid websites that promise things for free that you would normally expect to have to pay to access. Also, watch out for sites that expect you to install their "helper" software or similar. If in doubt, ask for advice, or do some basic searching first.
Browser settings
Most browsers are pretty OK from new, but to make your browsing more secure, you might choose to disable 3rd-party cookies (highly recommended). In Firefox. it's easy to see this in the Options dialogue, under Privacy. Change "Accept third-party cookies" to "Never".
While you're at it, you might want to disable the tracking options. In the same page, there should be a tick-box for "Tell sites that I do not want to be tracked". There is a "Learn More" hyperlink in there for those that want more background. Basically, tracking is mostly used for advertising and similar, but you probably don't want the big names in this business knowing more than they need to!
