Keep your PC safe while browsing the web

All web browsers come with tools to keep your computer safe online, in addition to security software (such as anti-virus and firewall). Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.6 protect against harmful downloads and hacked websites. They advise whether a site is safe or not.

Internet Explorer updates are provided through Windows Update. Windows should be set to download new updates and alert you when they appear, but it is better to have them installed automatically.

In Vista, click on the Start button and type windows update. Press Enter, then click Change Settings on the left of the screen. Ensure the top option to install updates automatically is selected and click OK. You may need to enter your password to continue.

Firefox automatically downloads new updates and each update requires Firefox to restart. To check for updates manually, click the Help menu, then Check for Updates.

Browsers also have tools to combat phishing attacks. These are set up by criminals to fool users into visiting fake websites. For instance you might be directed to a cleverly designed site that looks like your legitimate banking website. Believing that you’re connected to your bank, it’s natural to enter your username and password to access the account. But the details are stolen and used to access your account and steal money.

To protect you against this, Internet Explorer 8 helps to draw your attention to the name of the website you are visiting by displaying it in bold text in the address bar. You should take a good look at this bar whenever visiting financial or shopping sites. The name of the site displayed in bold text should be plain and simple, such as ‘barclays.co.uk’. Strange names or random strings of numbers and letters indicate that you’re at a fake site.

Firefox does not have this feature. If you use Firefox, don’t visit such sites by clicking on any links. Instead, type them into the address bar yourself.

Some websites scramble the information transmitted between you and them to ensure no-one sees your credit card or address details. Checking this security is a good way to identify a site and make sure it is what it claims to be. If the website name starts with ‘https’ the browser will check for a ‘certificate’.

Whenever you visit a website the browser will check with a known, trusted organisation to see if it’s what it says it is. This process is called certification. If Firefox or Internet Explorer warns that there is a problem with a website’s certificate, it is best not to use it.

That said, the lack of such a warning doesn’t necessarily guarantee that a site is safe, so keep your wits about you.

Firefox has an extra security feature: when a site is fully certified as being what it says it is the site’s name will appear in a coloured box to the left of the address bar. Left-click on this box once to see a summary. Click the More Information button to see whether you have visited the site before and whether Firefox has saved a password for it.

Pop-up adverts can be a source of PC threats, but both browsers can block them. Some websites use pop-ups legitimately and the browser can be set up to allow these. The browsers will display an information bar at the top of the web page if a pop-up is blocked. Click this bar and follow the instructions to allow the pop-up once or allow all pop-ups from that site in the future.

Useful downloads
You can download the Firefox web browser from here.

Internet Explorer will already be installed on your computer, but if you do not have the latest version, you can install it using Windows Update.

If you don’t have the full McAfee security program you can download its Site Advisor (see Our verdict) for Internet Explorer or Firefox. This will warn you if you are visiting a harmful site. Another filtering program is Scrub IT.

Our verdict
Some years ago, users referred to the internet as the Wild West. Back then this was something of an accurate description because users were left to fend for themselves.

Thankfully this is no longer the case. The latest versions of the two popular browsers, Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.6, both have lots of tools to keep users safe online. Some, such as updates and pop-up blockers, work in the background, while others give users the information needed to make an informed decision about whether a site can be trusted with credit card details.

It is hard to make a definite recommendation either way between Internet Explorer and Firefox. Both are free to download and use so if you are concerned it is worth trying both and making a decision based on your preference.

We recommend using either Firefox or Internet Explorer, though, because security programs do not always support other browsers. For instance, if you are using McAfee security, the Site Advisor component will not work if you use Google Chrome.

Do you feel more secure with Internet Explorer or Firefox? Who do you trust to keep you safe online? Email letters@computeractive.co.uk

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