The 21st century is the age of computers and World Wide Web. Everyone starting from child to old is accustomed with web browsing. The question arises how much we are safe on the Internet?  Hackers and malicious software poses a great threat to our individual online privacy. So we need to protect our self from these dangerous aspects of internet. These are some steps that can ensure a safe browsing practice. 

1)  Never give your personal information (mobile number, address, family details etc.) on social networking sites.

2)  Keep two separate email id, first one for your office, e-banking and friends circle; and second one for registering in other sites.

3)  Make your password at least 8 characters, containing letters, digits and special characters. Do not use your name, birth date, home address or any important historical date as password.

4)  Regularly change your password so that it becomes difficult for anyone to hack your account.

5)  If accessing internet from cyber café, never check the “Remember Me” option during login to any website.

6)  Key logger software posses a great threat in public computers. So avoid financial transactions in public computers.

7)  Do not open email attachments from an unknown sender. Generally they contain malicious software to steal your personal information.

8)  If your computer is connected to internet, then use any good quality antivirus software and update it regularly.

9)  Protect your child from porn sites by using some filter software and monitor what kind of content they are viewing.

10)  Always log out from any website before leaving the system.

11)  Hackers generally use the chat room for their purpose. So never accept any file of .exe extension during chatting, also do not disclose any personal information to an unknown. It’s better to use a pseudo name in chat rooms.