Less like the key, really, than a car - browsers provide the means for traveling around the Internet to interesting destinations. Unfortunately, sometimes uninvited passengers climb in. On rare occasions, they even 'carjack' you.
The question is, what can you do to stop them?
Users have options, starting with browser selection. Internet Explorer still has over 90% of the 'market' (an odd term for free software), but it's popularity is waning slightly. Firefox and others have inherently better security and the added advantage of running on Linux.
Even if they're not actually more secure, these other browsers are not as likely to be targeted simply because the people who attack them prefer to go where they'll get the biggest bang for the buck. Until laws change and software vendors get more serious about the security of their products, the best way to avoid being targeted is to lay low.
Education is another key to 'hardening' browser security.
There are a large number of options in both Internet Explorer and most other browsers that control what is and isn't allowed. Most users have little or no knowledge of how these setting affect them.
For instance, should you disable ActiveX controls or should you allow them to run but prompt you first? This is an example of something that will ultimately be up to you to decide. Disabling them is certainly more secure, but some websites may not work properly. And prompting you every time can get annoying fast if you regularly visit sites that use them.
It's an undesirable trade-off to be faced with, and one which we can hope someday won't be necessary. But in the interim, it isn't necessary to be a computer geek to experiment and read a bit to find out what these settings affect. The first time you're infected and lose a day recovering, you'll wish you'd spent the two hours finding out.
Proper use of your browser is another key component of security. Do you actually read those warning messages that come up once in a while or do you just click OK and move along? Unless you really know you can trust a website, it's always better to err on the side of caution.
Most internet users don't have any idea just how much information about them is shared when they visit a website. There are many things, such as your location, the browser you use and what operating system your computer is running that are sent to a website when you visit. This is just how the internet works, and it means you need to be careful that you're well protected.
Take some time to learn how to lock your system down, even beyond just the browser, to make sure that you won't be hit by some kind of attack.
To learn more about how to protect yourself from online security threats, visit the Online Security Toolkit at www.onlinesecuritytoolkit.com, where you'll find helpful information about spam, spyware, viruses, identity theft and more.
