Every website owner should be responsible for ensuring the safety of visitors, but unfortunately, some websites are not safe. Unsafe websites may spread malware, steal your information, send spam, and so on. In order to protect yourself and your personal information, it is important to know that the website attaches great importance to your security - but how do you know?
Look for five signs of website security:
1. Find "S" in HTTPS
If HTTPS sounds familiar, it should - many URLs start with "https", not just "http", to indicate that they are encrypted. This security is provided by the SSL certificate, which can protect the sensitive information input to the site when it is transferred from the site to the server. Without an SSL certificate, cyber criminals will expose and easily access this information. It is important to note that HTTPS is not the only thing a website can or should do to protect its visitors, but it is a good omen that website owners care about your security. Whether you are logging in, paying or just entering your email address, please check whether the URL starts with "https".
2. Check the website privacy policy
The website's privacy policy should clearly describe how the website collects, uses and protects your data. Almost all websites will have one because they are required by data privacy laws, such as Australia, Canada and other countries, and stricter rules have been introduced in the EU. The privacy policy indicates that website owners are concerned about complying with these laws and ensuring the security of their websites. Before providing your information to the website, be sure to find and read it.
3. Find their contact information
If you find the contact information of a website that makes you feel more trustworthy, then you are not alone. A survey of website visitors found that 44% of respondents would leave websites without phone numbers or other contact information. Ideally, a secure website would clearly display email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses (if any), return policies (if applicable), and social media accounts. These do not necessarily provide protection, but they indicate that if you need help, you may be able to contact someone.
4. Verify their seal of trust
If you see an icon with the words "Safe" or "Verified", it may be a trust seal. The seal of trust indicates that the website cooperates with a security partner. These stamps usually indicate that the site has HTTPS security, but they can also indicate other security features, such as the date since the site last scanned for malware.
Although 79% of online shoppers want to see a seal of trust, the existence of a seal is not enough. It is also important to verify that the badge is legal. Fortunately, this is easy to do - just click on the badge to see if it will take you to the verification page. This confirms that the site is working with this particular security company. There is no harm in doing your own research on companies that provide badges!
5. Know the signs of website malware
Even if the website has SSL certificates, privacy policies, contact information and trust badges, if it is infected with malware, it may still be unsafe. However, how do you know if a website is infected with malware? Look for signs of these common attacks:
Staining. Such attacks can easily be detected: cyber criminals replace the content of websites with their names, logos and/or ideological images.
Suspicious pop-up window. Beware of pop ups that make weird statements - they may try to entice you to click and accidentally download malware.
Malicious advertising. Some malicious advertisements are easy to catch. They often look unprofessional, contain spelling/grammatical errors, promote "miracle" treatments or celebrity scandals, or display products that do not match your browsing history. It is important to note that legitimate advertisements may also be injected into malware, so be careful when clicking.
Fishing kit. Phishing toolkit is a website that imitates frequently visited websites (such as bank websites) to lure users to hand over sensitive information. They may seem legitimate, but spelling and grammar errors can reveal them. Malicious redirection. If you enter a URL and are redirected to another site (especially the site that looks suspicious), you will be affected by malicious redirection. They are often used with phishing kits.
Unfortunately, not every website is trustworthy and safe, but don't let this hinder your access to the Internet - as long as it is safe! Just being able to identify secure websites can greatly help protect your personal data. The legal trust seal, "https", privacy policy and contact information are good omens for website security!
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