Security/VPN/Tor Questions + Advice

[Statik]

Hey guys, so I use ExpressVPN and am going to be in Europe for an extended period of time, and will be hot spotting my phone for internet. I plan to use my VPN throughout, and have a few questions. I also plan to use the usual Malwarebytes, as well as Superantispyware, as well as my usual firefox addons (Addblocker Ultimate, DuckDuckGo, Privacy Badger). Does this all seem like a fairly decent combo?

 

1. Has anyone used Tor for "general" internet use? I.e. If I'm going to stream/browse casual sites I'll probably just use firefox with my usual addons + VPN, but I was considering using Tor for my personal banking/maybe my personal social media (even though social media on my phone will just be behind a VPN). Is this a good use for Tor? And should I encounter any issues with this?

 

2. I have pretty much nothing important on my laptop since it's fairly new (All I have is my usual game launchers, a few games, plus all my ninite apps essentially.). I understand for security the best option is to reinstall windows, but realistically would just reinstalling Firefox to completely wipe it be an adequate option?

 

3. Is there any other addons/programs you'd recommend for some added security while I'm gone?

 

I also understand there's always a risk on the internet, and there's better OS options, yaddy yaddy yadda, but I'm just going for a little more than basic security just to keep important things (passwords, banking, personal social media, etc) protected from possible attackers. Any mobile tips are also welcomed.

 

Thanks a bunch.

 

EDIT: I've been enlightened and done some research into Tor and learned that point 1 is a big time bad plan.

[BobVonBob]

Using Tor to access your bank is a very bad idea. Tor usage when accessing a bank account is generally a red flag for the account being hacked, and can easily get your account shut down. Not something you want while away from home.

[Statik]

1 hour ago, BobVonBob said:

Using Tor to access your bank is a very bad idea. Tor usage when accessing a bank account is generally a red flag for the account being hacked, and can easily get your account shut down. Not something you want while away from home.

Hmm that's fair. That's why I thought I'd double check. I've obviously always associated Tor with the Dark Web and nefarious fetish porn, but I was doing some research on internet security, and I saw both:

 

- Never put any personal info into anything on Tor (but I assumed this was more associated with user on the Dark Web)

- That some people use Tor for completely normal things, just for added security.

 

So I wasn't sure where it fell, and I've never really used Tor before, so I thought I'd check in. Thanks for the advice! Crisis averted.

[Statik]

1 hour ago, James Evens said:

Companies like Google or Cloudflare hate Tor.

With just both of them you lost access to most of the surface web as google is one if not the best search engine and Cloudflare is involved in nearly all major websites.

Thanks for the advice. I recently started use DuckDuckGo instead of google, and it seems decent so far, but you make a strong point. I'm feeling like I'll just use a VPN for my internet. If I also really feel uncomfortable I can get access to a completely secure computer/server for anything sensitive.