Internet safety is more important now than ever. With new hackers and viruses popping up all the time, staying safe on the Internet seems impossible. But by following a few easy tips, you can learn how to best protect your self, your financial information, and your Windows 10 computer while on the Internet.

1. Tips to Stay
Safe Using
Windows®
10

2. The Internet is wild and wonderful
— and, by and large, it’s unregulated.
However, if you follow a handful of
simple, common-sense rules, you’ll
go a long way toward making your
Internet travels happier and safer.

3. Don’t install weird programs,
cute icons, or products that
promise to keep your
computer safe.
Unless the software comes
from a reputable manufacturer
whom you trust and you know
precisely why you need it, you
don’t want it.

4. Never open a file
attached to an e-mail
message until you
verify it was sent
intentionally.
Ask yourself whether the sender is
smart enough to avoid sending
you an infected file.

5. Don’t trust
e-mail.
Every single part of an e-mail message
can be faked, easily. Links inside e-mail
messages may not point where you
think they point.

6. Check your
accounts.
Log on to all your financial websites frequently
and check for questionable charges, and if
somebody changed your password, scream
bloody murder.

7. When placing an order
online, make sure that
you’re dealing with a
company you know.
Don’t click a link in an e-mail message
and expect to go to the company’s
website. Instead, type the URL
directly into your Internet browser.

8. Type your credit card
number only when using
a secure web page.
The easy way to tell
whether a web page is
secure is to look in the
lower-right corner of the
screen for a picture of
a lock.

9. Don’t send your credit
card number in an
ordinary e-mail message.
E-mail is just too easy to
intercept. And for heaven’s
sake, don’t give out any
personal information when
you’re chatting online.

10. Don’t
encourage
’em.
Don’t buy anything that’s offered
by way of spam (or any other e-mail
that you didn’t specifically request).
Simply delete the message.

11. Opt out of mailings only
if you know and trust
the company that’s
sending you messages.
Don’t opt out with a
company you don’t trust:
It may just be trying to
verify your e-mail address.

12. Never post your e-mail
address on a website or in
a newsgroup.
Spammers have spiders that
devour web pages by the
gazillion, gathering e-mail
addresses and other
information automatically.

13. Never trust a website that
you arrive at by“clicking
through”a hot link.
Be cautious about websites you
reach from other websites. If you
don’t personally type the URL in
the address bar, you may not be in
Kansas any more.

14. Cyberspace doesn’t provide the
same level of protection you’ve
come to expect in real life, but
these tips can help ensure that
you stay safe no matter where
your Internet journey takes you.
Learn more at dummies.com
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