1.Use Tor for Ultimate Privacy

First and foremost, it’s essential to choose a browser that offers advanced privacy protection features, such as Tor . By using Tor, your online activities become untraceable since it encrypts your traffic. Sure, it is not the best option for everyday usage, but will fit well to conduct activities that require increased level of privacy.

When you use the Tor browser, your traffic is routed through a chain of Tor servers known as “relay nodes” or simply “nodes”. The data is first encrypted and then progressively decoded one layer at a time in each node. The encrypted data then passes through an ingress/protection node, several relay nodes, and an egress node, leaving no trace of your IP address, but only the IP addresses of previous and subsequent nodes.

Tor is a powerful tool for protecting your privacy online, which provides data encryption and anonymization of your IP address. However, it is important to remember that using Tor does not guarantee 100% protection of your privacy, so you should be careful and follow the security rules.

2.Don’t Forget about Incognito Mode

Next, enable the privacy or anonymity mode available in most browsers. This mode does not store your browsing history, cache, or cookies, which helps to protect your privacy.

Incognito mode simply does not save your browsing information. Sites can still track your IP address, operating system, browsing behavior, and other details they can use to identify you.
Incognito mode simply does not save information on the computer. It does not prevent sites from tracking you while you browse. If a site uses tracking technologies, it will still be able to see you and track your activities.

3. Use Special Browser Extensions and Install Updates

Browser extensions are also an excellent option to enhance your privacy protection. Many extensions block tracking and advertising, which can help you maintain your privacy while browsing the web. Some may also block the script’s execution and show you if the website gathers any data about you. Still, it’s important to use well-proven plugins rather than just baubles which only imitate the effect or even make the website malfunction by excising some of its elements.

Also, ensure that your web browser is always up to date with the latest version to take advantage of any security improvements and patches that could prevent possible attacks.

Criminals constantly find new ways to attack users and gain access to personal information. Developers are usually quick to find browser vulnerabilities and improve security with each new version. If you haven’t updated your browser for a long time, then there is a high possibility that you will become a victim of information theft.

Apply Reliable Password Storages to Improve Privacy

Avoid saving passwords and payment information in your browser, as it could jeopardize your privacy if someone else gains access to your device or computer. In this way, your private and payment information can simply be stolen by criminals who somehow gained access to your computer. Therefore, it is better to store passwords and private information with a password manager, or in a “safe place”, such as encrypted documents.

Picking the password-storing tool is either not an easy task. Fortunately, the Internet never forgets, thus any data breaches or cyberattacks related to a certain app will likely appear in the search results. Do a diligent search before trusting a service not only with your money but also with keys to all your private information.

Use Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service

Finally, use a VPN (a virtual private network) to safeguard your online privacy further. VPNs encrypt your traffic, preventing it from being tracked or monitored by anyone. Moreover, it makes it impossible for website masters to filter your traffic depending on your IP address. The latter will always be one of the VPN provider’s, which is generally different from your location.

VPN has numerous applications, but it is almost essential when you use Wi-Fi in public places. Such networks are usually unprotected and may easily be scanned by hackers. But it is worth remembering that choosing a VPN should not be less careful than choosing a password manager. For example, free VPNs can also collect your personal information, payment details, etc. And the providers of such a VPN will sell this information about you. It is especially probable with “free” services, that monetize the server time spent for you by selling data. Before downloading, it’s worth doing a little research and choosing a provider with a strict privacy policy and one that won’t log your online activity.

The post 5 Tips to Improve Your Privacy on the Web appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

What Are Cookies?

Web browsers store the information a web server provides in the form of small files called cookies. These files store information about the browsing session, such as a user’s shopping cart contents. When users browse a website using its default settings, their cookies are attached to subsequent requests to the web server. Websites use cookies to understand a user’s habits and preferences. This allows websites to provide personalized experiences, like displaying recommendations based on a user’s browsing history or previously placed items in their shopping cart. In addition, some cookies are used for security purposes, such as authentication cookies. Internet cookies are also referred to as HTTP cookies. They’re used on many websites and are usually accessed through the HTTP/HTTPS protocol.

What Are Cookies Used For?

Websites use cookies to make browsing more convenient by automatically remembering your information after you leave or close the page. Consequently, you wouldn’t have to log in again or reinstall your shopping cart if you closed the tab accidentally. Cookies provide a significant part of the Internet experience. Therefore it’s necessary to understand why they’re valuable before deciding whether or not to keep them.

• Session management. For example, cookies allow websites to recognize users and remember their personal preferences, such as sports news versus politics.
• Personalization. When sites use cookies to personalize their advertisements, they usually use customized advertising. This means that cookies help websites create ads you might like based on your data.
• Tracking. Online stores use cookies to remember information about the items someone has previously viewed. This allows them to continue suggesting other things the user may like and keep their carts filled with items they still need to purchase.

What are the different Types of Cookies?

Some of the most significant types of cookies include:

1. Session cookies

Websites employ a session cookie to track a user’s session. Session cookies are erased after the user’s session is over — once they log out of their account on a website or leave the site. Session cookies have no expiration date; this indicates to the browser that they should be deleted once the session is over.

2. Magic cookies

This old term in computing refers to packets of information transmitted and received without alteration. Typically, this would be employed to access a computer database system internal to a business, such as a network. This idea is older than the modern "cookie" we utilize today.

3. HTTP cookies

HTTP cookies specifically designed for web browsers to record, personalize, and save information about each user’s session. A session is the amount of time you spend on a website. Cookies are employed to recognize you when you visit a new website. The server that hosts the website’s data transmits a brief, identifying message to your web browser. Browser cookies are placed by their name and value pairs. These instructions tell cookies where to go and what information to remember.

4. Authentication cookies

Authentication cookies are used to maintain user sessions, created when a user logs into an account via their browser. They ensure that confidential information is delivered to the intended users by associating user account information with a cookie identifier that is unique to each user.

5. Tracking cookies

Cookies that are generated by tracking services are called tracking cookies. This is because they observe user behavior, and browsers transmit this information to the associated tracking service the next time they visit a website that utilizes that service.

6. Zombie cookies

Like the "zombies" in popular fiction, zombie cookies will regrow after being deleted. Zombie cookies have multiple copies of themselves that are not stored in the specific location for cookies. They utilize these backups to re-appear within a browser after they are deleted. Dishonest advertising networks and cyber criminals sometimes employ zombie cookies.

How do Browser cookies affect user privacy?

Cookies can be employed to record browsing activity, including for advertising purposes. However, many users do not want their online behavior to be monitored. Additionally, users need more transparency or control over the data tracking services collected. Even when cookie-based tracking is not associated with a specific user’s device or name, with some types of monitoring, it is still possible to associate a record of a user’s browsing activity with their real identity. This data could be utilized in many ways, including unwanted advertising, stalking, or harassment of users. This is only the case for some forms of cookie usage.

Some privacy laws, like the EU’s ePrivacy Directive, address and govern the use of cookies. Under this Directive, users must consent to the use of cookies by being informed of the purpose and method of use. They must also agree to this usage before the website can utilize cookies. The only exception is cookies that are "necessary" for the website to function. In addition, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) considers cookie identifiers personal information, so its regulations apply to the usage of cookies in the EU. Therefore, any personal data collected through cookies is also subject to the GDPR’s jurisdiction. Because of these regulations, many websites now show banners that allow users to control and review the cookies those websites utilize.

Why Cookies on the Internet Can Be Dangerous

Since the information stored in cookies is constant, cookies are not harmful. They cannot spread viruses or other malware to computers. However, some cyberattacks can take over cookies and allow access to your browsing history. The threat is their capacity to identify the browsing histories of individuals. To explain, let’s discuss what cookies to be wary of. Some cookies have a more significant threat than others, depending on their origin.

• First-party cookies. The ads are generated by the website you are visiting. These are typically more secure if you visit authority sites or ones that have not been compromised.
• Third-party cookies. They are produced by websites that are different from the pages that users are currently browsing. These are typically associated with advertisements on the page. For example, visiting a site with ten ads may produce ten cookies even if users never interact with them. Third-party cookies allow advertisers or analytics companies to observe an individual’s browsing history across multiple websites containing their advertisements. As a result, the advertiser could deduce that a user first searched for running apparel at a specific outdoor store before visiting a particular sporting goods website and then a typical online retailer of sportswear.

The post What are Browser Cookies? Browser Cookies Definition appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

The extensions were originally conceived¹ as tools for more convenient interaction with sites. For example, they can remove undesirable elements on the site, such as advertising, or disable autoplay videos. They can also allow you to download videos from sites where this function is not provided, translate the text into another language, check the text for errors, add additional panels bookmarks to the browser, etc.

Can Browser Extensions Hack You?

Are browser extensions safe? – you might ask. Well, yes. But actually, no. It depends on the type of extension and the permissions granted to it. The main danger is the extensions that have more permissions.

On the one hand, most extensions do not require many permissions to perform their tasks, and browsers will learn to control these permissions. For example, some can only work on specific sites, and some need a click on the extension to run.

On the other hand, the problem is that most extensions do have permission to work on all sites and full access to everything, which can cause serious security problems.

If cybercriminals need to hack someone, they can use a browser extension to fulfill some of their goals. Usually, the victims, without suspecting, download extensions for browsers or mobile applications that already contain malicious code.

How do browser extensions work?

Extensions bring additional features to the site, such as extended menus. They also disable video playback or hide unnecessary elements on the site. In some browsers, they are also called add-ons or plug-ins.

They are created mainly using languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and provided to the user as an archive, which is downloaded from the official store and installed in a single click. Some extensions were created directly by web browser developers, and third-party developers created some.

Since most extensions have partial or full access to everything you do online, they can track your browsing, capture passwords, and customize advertising based on your story.

However, extensions do not always gain full access themselves, and sometimes the user knowingly or unknowingly provides it. For example, if you read carefully everything they write when installing an extension, you will probably see something like “read and modify all data on visited websites.”

Most of us do not think about such messages and install extensions without considering the possible consequences.

What threats can browser extensions pose?

Below are some privacy and security issues that extensions may cause.

• They can be potential keyloggers. It means that they can record all in-browser keystrokes. Any text you enter from the keyboard can be intercepted. Yes, logins, passwords, and other confidential data such as credit card details are all in jeopardy. The leakage of such information could have unfortunate consequences.

• Malicious extensions can redirect traffic elsewhere.

• Dangerous extensions can even download malware (adware, for example.)

• Some extensions may collect browsing history and pass it to advertisers or third parties.

• Most extensions can be automatically updated. If the official extension was hijacked and then updated on the device, you might not know.

Unfortunately, even official extension stores cannot guarantee complete security when using extensions, although they continue to struggle with this problem. Thus, in 2020 alone, Google removed 106 extensions from the store because they could steal users’ confidential data.

How to minimize the risks of using extensions

Now we know what dangers browser extensions can carry. Here are some tips that will help us minimize all risks.

1. Try not to install many extensions. Too many installed extensions can carry a potential danger and greatly slow down the browser operation and opening sites. In addition, some extensions may conflict with each other. Modern browsers have most of the necessary features you can easily use without extra extensions, such as saving articles for later reading or case lists.
2. Sometimes after a browser update, proper functionality of extensions is added to the browser itself so that the need for such extensions disappears by itself. In this case, it would be more appropriate to delete such an extension in order not to clutter up the browser and avoid the potential danger of a malicious plugin.
3. Try to install extensions exclusively from official stores such as the Chrome Web Store, Mozilla, or MS Store. Do not install extensions from unreliable sources. For example, if you find an add-on on an unknown site to customize popular services like YouTube or Gmail, do not install such an extension. You have no way to verify what it is and what functions it performs. Alternatively, try to find this extension in the official store. If it is not there, take it as a clear hint that the add-on may be potentially dangerous.
4. Check the developer of the extension. Serious developers (e.g., Google or Microsoft) always care about the security of their products. As a result, their extensions are usually safe and do not leak data to third parties. Google also uses machine learning that helps block malicious extensions and protect users, while Mozilla conducts automated validation checks on Firefox plugins. But even so, you should always be careful when installing extensions, even from trusted developers.
5. Remove unused extensions. If you have an extension you haven’t used in a long time, uninstall it.
6. Periodically look at the list of installed extensions and remove those you do not use. Especially pay attention to extensions from third-party developers and those that have not been updated for a long time.

This way, you will speed up your browser. If you install many extensions, periodic cleaning will help maintain your browser’s high performance.

Does Microsoft Edge support Chrome extensions?

Microsoft Edge is built on Chromium, and it supports all extensions that Chrome supports. If you need to work in Edge, you can install all the extensions you have in your Chrome browser thereon.

Be safe!

The post Browser Extensions: Are They Safe? appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Meet the Google searching hints

Search Tabs for full information

Use Tabs introduced under the search bar if you need to get more complete information about the subject of search. This advice may sound like a truism, however, there is still a significant amount of people who don’t use this function. If the object you are searching is quite popular, Google may offer you fresh news about it, as well as videos on YouTube.

Quotes for precise google searching

Sometimes, Google searching can disappoint you with useless results. Such a situation occurs when you are searching for a specific subject with a complex search query. When your search query looks like , the search engine will show you a lot of irrelevant or low-relevant websites, which, however, contain the majority of words of your query. Google tries to find the website where all words you typed are present, regardless of their order. But if you specify that you need to find an exact phrase by taking your search query into quotes (“ntoskrnl.exe error fix”), Google will try to find the phrase you inputted with a strict word order.

Hyphen to exclude excessive results

It’s quite a common case when your search queries have several commonly used meanings. For example, if you are googling for fast food images, you will definitely see a lot of photos of full bunch of different fast food dishes. However, you are likely searching for other pics – without fries, for example. To avoid any results with fries during Google searching, add an unwanted adjective/subject to your search query, dividing it with the “-” symbol after the initial part of the query (fast food -fries).

Specify the websites you need

Imagine that you may need an article/deal from the specific website. It’s quite hard to find this post manually on this site. Google will show you a lot of different materials following this theme, but missing the website you need. To force the search engine to show you the results from the exact website, enter the site name in the search bar, using the following syntax :

Asterisk wildcard to uncover the forgotten words

I think everyone was in the situation when you want to find the song by a single line, but don’t remember several words of this line. There are no chances to find the song without any tricks – Google searching mechanisms will show you everything in spite of the song you need. To solve such a problem, enter the search query with the asterisk symbol substituting the forgotten words.

Google searching by the time period

Google searching about some events which took place in the specific period of the past is possible without this advice, but will take much more time. For example, you need to find the list of prime ministers of the UK in the 90s. Usually, you search for the Wikipedia article which contains this information, and then scroll down to the period you need. But if you will google “UK Prime ministers 1990..”(exactly with 2 dots after the lower timeline border), you will see this list at the top of the results window. By analogy, you may search for something which was before the specified period, simply adding 2 dots before the upper timeline border (..1990).

Professional slang for professional help

You may notice that Google will show you different forums or other low-trustworthy resources if you google something like “my chandelier is blinking constantly”. Of course, it is unlikely that you will get good advice on mentioned resources. But it can be solved easily : just try to use more formalized vocabulary to form your search query : “repair the blinking chandelier”.

Afterword

This is not a full list of hints that is embedded in Google search engine. But this ones are the most useful and will surely help you to find exactly what you need. If you like this article, and these advices helped you in your queries, please, share it with your friends or in social networks.

The post Unknown Google tricks for better searching appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

When browsing the internet, you may have noticed a pop-up asking for your consent to use cookies. Cookies are small text files stored on your device by websites you visit and used to store information about your activity. While cookies can help personalize your browsing experience, they can also track your online activity and collect your personal information without your knowledge. This article will explore how and why you should block cookies to protect your privacy and security online.

Why Should You Block Cookies?

There are several reasons why you may want to block cookies:

1. Privacy concerns: Cookies can be used to track your online activity and collect information about you, such as your browsing habits and personal details. This information can be sold to advertisers or used for other purposes without your knowledge or consent.
2. Security risks: Cookies can also be used to store sensitive information, such as login credentials and credit card details. If a hacker gains access to your cookies, they can use this information to steal your identity or access your accounts.
3. Performance issues: In some cases, cookies can slow down your browsing speed or cause websites to load improperly.

How to Block Cookies

Blocking cookies is relatively easy, and there are several ways to do it:

1. Browser settings: Most web browsers have settings that allow you to block or restrict cookies. You can usually find the cookie settings in your browser’s privacy or security settings to do this. You can block all or only third-party cookies, which are cookies placed on your device by websites other than the one you are visiting.
2. Browser extensions: There are also browser extensions that can help you block cookies. These extensions are easily installed and configured in the browser’s extension store.
3. Anti-virus software: Some anti-virus software includes cookie-blocking features as part of their security suite. This can be a good option to block cookies without manually configuring your browser settings.

When Should You Block Cookies?

While blocking cookies can help protect your privacy and security online, there are some situations where you may want to allow cookies:

• Online shopping: If you frequently shop online, allowing cookies can help save your shopping cart and preferences, making it easier to navigate the website and complete your purchase.
• Personalization: Cookies can also be used to personalize your browsing experience, such as remembering your language preference or showing you relevant ads.
• Authentication: Some websites require cookies to authenticate your login and keep you logged in. If you block cookies, you may need to enter your login credentials each time you visit the website.

How to Block Cookies in Google Chrome?

Here are the steps to block cookies in Google Chrome:

1. Open Chrome: Launch Google Chrome on your computer by double-clicking on the Chrome icon.
2. Access Chrome settings: Click on the three dots icon in the top right corner of the window, and select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
3. Go to Privacy and security settings: Scroll down and click on “Privacy and security” in the left-hand menu.
4. Access Site settings: Click on “Site settings” to access the settings for individual websites.
5. Block cookies: Click on “Cookies and site data” to access the cookie settings. You can toggle the “Allow sites to save and read cookie data” option to block all cookies.

Customizing Cookie Settings in Chrome

If you don’t want to block all cookies, you can customize your cookie settings in Chrome. Here’s how:

1. Go to Chrome settings: Access Chrome settings by clicking on the three dots icon and selecting “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
2. Access Privacy and security settings: Click on “Privacy and security” in the left-hand menu.
3. Access Site settings: Click on “Site settings” to access the settings for individual websites.
4. Customize cookie settings: Click on “Cookies and site data” to access the cookie settings. Here, you can customize the settings for individual websites by clicking on the “Add” button next to “Allow” or “Block” and entering the website URL.

The Benefits of Blocking Cookies

Blocking cookies can help protect your privacy and security online. By blocking cookies, you can:

• Prevent tracking: Cookies can be used to track your online activity and collect your personal information without your knowledge or consent. By blocking cookies, you can prevent websites from tracking you.
• Reduce targeted advertising: Cookies are often used to serve targeted ads based on your browsing activity. By blocking cookies, you can reduce the amount of targeted advertising you see.
• Improve website performance: In some cases, cookies can slow down website performance or cause websites to load improperly. By blocking cookies, you can improve website performance.

The Bottom Line

Blocking cookies can help protect your privacy and security online. Following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily block cookies in Google Chrome and customize your cookie settings to meet your needs. Remember to consider the benefits and risks of blocking cookies and make an informed decision based on your preferences and needs.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Blocking Cookies for Improved Cybersecurity appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Misuse of Electronic Products

There is an unlimited variety of electronic devices that are available to teens today. Mobile phones, laptops, personal computers, and tablets are very common possessions of all teenagers and even children as well! The times have long gone when we used to have nothing but toys to play with at the age of 15. These days a 15-year old teenager most probably has a mobile phone as well as a personal laptop. Hence, the misuse and exploitation of it is common.

Ways in Which Parents Are Being Fooled

If you are a young parent with a teenager in the house, there are big chances you are unaware of around 70 percent of his/her doings! Allow us to reveal you the top ways in which modern day parents are easily being tricked by teenagers.

1. Privacy Settings of Devices

The one thing that is most commonly done to trick parents is setting the privacy settings of the concerned device as per their personal preference. Parents have no way of getting through these strict security settings such as the phone locks, social media account passwords and even laptop access passcodes.

2. Teens tricking parents: Clear History

Another common trick used by teenagers to keep their parents in the dark is by clearing the history of their device. Did you know that practically every device’s history can be cleared? Whether it is the watch or search history on YouTube or the browsing history on your internet browser – everything is cleared with just one simple click. Hence, parents get no insight into their growing teen’s activities whatsoever.

3. Last Seen ‘Off’

Many parents happily think that their teen daughter or son is sleeping in the room next door when in reality your 16-year old might be up all night texting a special friend. There is no way you can find out about it though since all social media accounts now come with the feature of ‘last seen off’. This completely shuts out parents from keeping an eye out on their child’s activity on the internet.

4. Customize You Out of Their Online Posts

Are you happy that your teen daughter has accepted your friend request on Facebook? Well, think again! She can still share friends only posts without you knowing anything by blocking you from seeing the post!

The post How Teens Tricking Their Parents With The Help of Their Electronic Devices appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

You can secure kids with very simple steps. So, hurry up –  take their laptop and let’s get started!

Secure Kids!

• • Parental controls

There a lot of apps, that allows you to control the time your child spent on the web. You can block some sites, that you think are suspicious or your child spent too much time on them (social media, for example). You can track what your child is searching, what pages visiting, when and for how long. Is it a great option isn’t it? So that you will be sure, that nothing and no one treating your kid.

• • Privacy settings

So big control is not always a good idea, kids should feel responsible for actions. So we recommend just to change settings in the browser, social media accounts and so on. For example, disable a possibility to receive messages from strangers (not friends) on Facebook, set up filtering of inappropriate YouTube content and so on. This way you let the child learn everything on its feet, but anyway he or she will be secured.

• • Strong passwords

Teach your child to use a strong passwords and explain the importance of it. Use numbers, symbols, upper and lower case letters in the password. Also, use a different password for different accounts. Each site has a different security system, so if someone hacks your account on random music sites they will get access to all accounts! Including banking information. The child should know all of this and understand the possible danger.

• • Check apps

It is not a secret, that some apps receive an access to you gallery, camera, microphone and so on. It is not so hard to imagine how badly it can be if the access receives cyber criminals. Even downloading apps from reliable sources like Play Market, Amazon and so on cant give a guarantee that the app is safe. The most popular way to infect PC or smartphone is using a bundling technique. So you download one app and alongside installs the second one without your concerned. We have already posted few articles about threats on Android and believe us, you will be surprised! So, check regularly what is installed on your child’s devices and if you see anything suspicious – remove it as soon as possible and scan the system.

• • Install security software

The easiest way to prevent unwanted apps and data leak is to use a strong protection. It will be easy to clean your PC and device of your child in one click and avoid suspicious software in the system.

The post How to prepare your kids for school? – Secure ours Kids! appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.