Monday, November 26, 2012

Safe surfing at cybercafés


In cybercafés, where computers are shared by many users, there is a high probability of the presence of malware. Malware can be used to steal user credentials and later takeover your
account. Safety tips to keep in mind for a safer browsing experience from the convenience of a cybercafé are:

  1. Avoid carrying out online financial transactions and using websites that may reveal your personal details and financial status
  2. Restrict the use of cybercafés to internet surfing.
  3. Cybercafés are primarily used for chatting and emails. Consider alternatives like the use of smartphones for this purpose.
  4. For emails, consider setting up a dummy account to which emails from your primary accounts can be forwarded. In case of a compromise, your primary email accounts will remain unaffected.
  5.  Have different passwords for all your online accounts. This can prevent the compromise of one account from affecting your other accounts.
  6.  Change all passwords regularly after use in cybercafés from a trusted personal computer.
  7.  Logout of each account manually and ensure that your passwords are not automatically stored on the computer.
  8.  Ensure privacy of your surroundings when entering your password; people may watch you type your password in.
  9.  A cybercafé which allows you to download software onto the desktop is probably unsafe. Other users could potentially download malware too onto it. Where necessary, use only those cybercafés that restrict users from having administrative access to their computers.

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