how to protect from dangers of internet?

[Motorcate]

a friend of mine is buying a computer for the first time but they are afraid of the negative side of the internet such as scams, virus' ETC...

what can i do to help them with these issues to assure them with a safe browsing experience

 

your feedback will be much appreciated by the both of us

[Guest]

disconnect yourself from the internet completely

[stratege1401]

out of the usual answer like antivirus and firewal, the only way to be protected is: do not use internet.

[Obersachse]

Use your brain, don't be stupid.

 

Other options: -don't use the internet

[Nicnac]

If you really want to be on the safe side get Kaspersky. Imo the best Anit-Virus around and I always feel safe with it (license expired some time ago though so I am kinda exposed now lol... got the license for free through my dad's company)

that, of course, doesn't safe you from doing obviously wrong things like entering bank details on scam websites etc...

[Donut417]

3 minutes ago, Motorcate said:

a friend of mine is buying a computer for the first time but they are afraid of the negative side of the internet such as scams, virus' ETC...

what can i do to help them with these issues to assure them with a safe browsing experience

 

your feedback will be much appreciated by the both of us

Keep the OS updates with all the latest security patches. Install an Anti Virus. I suggest AVAST & Malwarebytes. Dont open up email attachments or emails from people you dont know. Use common sense. But, Common sense is not so common so you might want to hold your friends hand. 

[DimasRMDO]

1. Be really observant.... When downloading something make sure you really click the download link, not something like....

2. Download original software, if you need to pay for it, do it and don't try to pirate it as usually malware are put inside the files.

3. Anti-virus helps although if internet protection is usually offered by paid anti-virus software.

4. Keep all of your software up-to-date (OS is the most important).

5. Go to websites that has "HTTPS" not "HTTP".

6. To avoid phishing, when somebody gives you a link, DON'T open the link directly, hover the link and it should give you the full address without having you to connect to it. If it sounds dodgy then don't bother or if you can't tell just don't open it.

7. Be paranoid, sounds bad but think about the worst case scenario.

8. Putting lots of information in social media can be informative but can attract unwanted people to "do something potentially bad".

9. If you click a link, then your browser (assuming you use Google Chrome) shows this...

Leave, unless you're really sure that it's not a deceptive site. You're still lucky that your browser blocks it for you.

 

10. To avoid bloatware, when installing a software try to go with "Custom Installation" instead of "Express Installation" because sometimes the installer also installs other software that you don't need that can be avoided using Custom Installation.

If it doesn't come with custom installation, then you should be offered to install other software which you can decline.

 

11. Use VPN, and try to use the paid service instead of the free ones as free VPN usually keeps logs of you. Using VPN can slow your internet connection down since traffics are sent to VPN first. (You can also use Tor but it can slow your internet speed down dramatically)

12. Online shopping, to avoid scam (if you're buying big stuff like a PC or car) please meet with the seller somewhere to minimize scam.

 

*I'll update this in the future, I need to refresh my memory*

 

[GoodBytes]

There is no 100% coverage beside not going on the internet, and not inserting anything that touched someone else computer (USB flash drive, and even computer hardware where the firmware could have been sophistically hacked and takes advance of a security vulnerability, (and even then, NSA was found to intercept packages like routers destined for companies, mod them to compromise it, and resume shipping of the product to the company).

 

But the best way to protect yourself:

• Show file extensions in Windows, to know what is "*.jpg" and "*.jpg.exe", to not be fooled by basic malware.
• Don't download/open attachments from people that he doesn't expect an attachment from a person. If gets a random "XYZ shared their Google drive document with you", its a scam.
• If he gets e-mails from police, FBI/CIA, Taxes, Banks, etc.. 100% scam. If it is important, he'll get a letter by the mail. And if it is really important, it will require a mail that signature.
• Watch out for the fake "Download" buttons, and ads that goes "ZMOG!!! You have more viruses than actual viruses on this planet!!! Download this THIS_IS_NOT_A_VIRUS_PLEASE_TRUST_US.exe anti-virus software to "remove" them.. ignore teh quptes! And No this is no not an ad injected in a compromised ad agency! We #1 in trust! Trust us!"
• NEVER give any personal information to anyone. Banks, SItes, Goiverment, all have your information, there is no "verification", or "we lost it". If anything is strange and you don't know -> Pick up the phone, and call the place for confirmation. DO NOT USE THE PHONE NUMBER ON THE E-MAIL. FIGURE IT OUT, AND CALL THE RIGHT/REAL NUMBER.
• Surf only on trusted websites. They are less likely to be compromised
• Keep EVERYTHING fully up-to-date
• Use common sense
• User Account Control is your last line of defence. If you open an image, and it asks for elevated credential rights, DO NOT ALLOW. Hit Cancel! The question that should come up in your head is: Why would an image need to modify system files?
• Microsoft will NEVER call you. If you get a call from "Microsoft" or "Windows Technical Support", it is 100% fake, unless you requested it.
• Some sites get compromised and teh main page gets hacked to say: "zOMG!!!! Your computer have VIruses! Call us on this number!!!'. More stupid scam there to steal your information
• Don't allow anyone to remote desktop on your computer that you do not trust, and requested (extra software needed in any case to allow this. Beside Pro edition of Windows, but most people don't know it, and disabled by default in any case).

I would suggest to setup Backups, and Windows File History to allow you to revert back from randsomeware attacks.

Also, System Restore if your friend to take your system back in time, without affecting personal files (although they might be affected, depending on where they were on the system). You can undo virus infection this way, and even system damages.  This is not full proof however. Fancier malware/virus can figure out where the restore points are, and corrupt it all, so that you have no recovery.

[Prysin]

34 minutes ago, Motorcate said:

a friend of mine is buying a computer for the first time but they are afraid of the negative side of the internet such as scams, virus' ETC...

what can i do to help them with these issues to assure them with a safe browsing experience

 

your feedback will be much appreciated by the both of us

Send him to 4chan. Within a week, he'll be immune to everything.

[GoodBytes]

5 minutes ago, Prysin said:

Send him to 4chan. Within a week, he'll be immune to everything.

Ah yes, like so:

[Prysin]

4 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Ah yes, like so:

Go visit  a REKT thread, you'll projectile vomit. Once you get over the shock factor, you'll never be shocked again....

[vanished]

This is a tricky one... I can't even come up with a simple 1 2 3 list of rules to follow.  It's a sort of sense you build up from experience, when to tell something is a scam/fake link/etc.  A lot of it is looking for collections of little things:

• a mismatch of theme, visual quality problems, or incorrect sizing/spacing of screen elements (or the most obvious, it's moving and flashing and not in the task bar) giving away the difference between and ad that looks like a window and a real window
• an "image" file having the icon of an executable
• a URL containing a legit URL but goes on to have other stuff, like linustechtips.com.notascam.co.uk/this-page-is-legit.html
• etc.

A lot of it is learning what is normal, and then having a good eye for picking out when something doesn't match.  A mistake people can make is to think anything in computers can be "close enough".  No.  It will always be exact.  It's the people who think "close enough" is good enough that get scammed because they fall for the crudely made fake sites, etc.

[Sauron]

1) don't download anything you're not 100% sure you trust

2) install an adblocker. aside from blocking ads they also offer some protection from malicious pages.

3) when you run an installer, READ CAREFULLY what it's going to install.

4) install an antivirus. avast is all right

5) People don't give things away for free. Always look for the catch - if the something is free, YOU are the product.

6) Don't believe any "diagnosis" on the internet, such as those popups that claim you have a virus or your system is unoptimized and you need their cleanup software. They simply cannot know, so if they say they do they're lieing and it's likely a scam.

[Donut417]

55 minutes ago, Prysin said:

Send him to 4chan. Within a week, he'll be immune to everything.

Or in the fetal position saying " Mommy the internet touched me in a bad place." 

[Tiberiusisgame]

 

a friend of mine is buying a computer for the first time but they are afraid of the negative side of the internet such as scams, virus' ETC...

what can i do to help them with these issues to assure them with a safe browsing experience

 

your feedback will be much appreciated by the both of us

Speaking with absolute honesty here, and assuming you're seeking a genuine answer:

 

If your friend has never owned a computer, it means they have and could conceivably continue to conducted financial transactions without it. If they never use that computer to make a purchase and never check their email on that computer, and assuming this computer isn't on a network with other computers they use to do those things, there is literally zero risk to their person. 

 

They could surf every dangerous site, download any malware, and if no personal data was on that computer, the solution would be to reformat the computer and move on. Viruses and malware are only scary insofar as they could take control of your personal life. If you separate the two, there is no risk.

 

Now if your friend is looking to 'start' using the computer for all of the things he used to do without it, then read every other post above. 

[Prysin]

 

Or in the fetal position saying " Mommy the internet touched me in a bad place." 

[minibois]

/s

 

Just tell him to not be gullible, 'free downloads' of paid programs are usually a no go, if it seems to good to be true; it is and other basic stuff.

Other than that an anti virus can help

[Keg Ops]

Honestly it just comes down to picking your poison.

 

Most "free" anti virus programs might as well be actual viruses, as the general rule is that they put cookies in your Internet browser to track your history and then sell it to buyers (At least I know AVG does this for a fact)

 

I always recommend sticking with windows defender and deleting any other bloatware that claims to be antivirus.

 

[Guest]

linux in a VM using chrome? 

[DexterSmythe]

 

linux in a VM using chrome? 

That wouldn't prevent you from getting scammed into giving away credit card, bank, SS#, etc. It would help if you downloaded a virus though.

[DexterSmythe]

I would say that the best way to prevent yourself from the dangers of the internet is using Norton. JK

[Guest]

 

That wouldn't prevent you from getting scammed into giving away credit card, bank, SS#, etc. It would help if you downloaded a virus though.

Aside from that I'd say have a list of people you know you should use your credit card with.

ie

paypal.com

amazon.com

[porn site]

steampowered.com

 

You know; the essentials. 

Edited May 10, 2017 by Ryan_Vickers
we really don't want to be linking to that...

[MilfShake]

To not get scammed: don't be stupid

Afraid of viruses? Use antivirus...

[Motorcate]

I would like to thank everyone for their contributions to this post

 

I would like to say that this was a college project and I find everyone's posts helpful for my experiment

 

Many thanks to all of you

[GoodBytes]

 

I would like to thank everyone for their contributions to this post

 

I would like to say that this was a college project and I find everyone's posts helpful for my experiment

 

Many thanks to all of you

So you tricked the forum to do you homework?

Someone wants to be banned?