The Internet is fun, but also somewhat secure nowadays. Yes, antivirus software and antispyware software help, butthe Wild Wild West of hackers, viruses, and spyware on the Internet can possibly squeak past your security precautions.
One way to further lock down your security is to set your Internet Browser home page to Private Mode. Private Mode doesn’t store any browsing history, cookies, temporary internet files, form data, and usernames and passwords. Theses places are where viruses usually live so removing such storage is a good way to avoid viruses.
Here’s how to set your Internet Home Page to Private Mode:
- Internet Explorer – Right-click IE shortcut icon->Properties->type -private after Target box text
- Firefox – Open Firefox->Tools->Options->History drop-down->Use custom settings for history->toggle Automatically start Firefox in private browsing session->OK. Open Firefox->enter about: config in the address bar->filter browser.privatebrowsing.autostart->double-click. Right-click Firefox shortcut icon->Properties->type -private after Target Box Text
- Chrome – Right-click Chrome shortcut icon->Properties->type -incognito after Target Box text
- Opera – Right-click Opera shortcut icon->Properties-> type -newprivatetab after the Target Box text.
- Safari – Sorry, there’s currently no way to set this up.
Keep in mind that Private Mode doesn’t allow for any cached or remembered content. This means that your Internet browser will not remember your Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, or other username and passwords so you’ll need to jot them in every time. The same goes for online banking or other sites that store your credentials along with credit card and account info.
That being said, it’s good to use one browser, such as Firefox, in Private Mode to do your research and Internet surfing while you keep Internet Explorer or another browser for your personalized e-mails, banking, etc. Like the airport bag check-in process, there’s a lack of speed when it comes to ensuring higher security. You just have to balance this same process with your Internet security.
