Internet safety is one of the biggest safety issues we face in this technological era. So much personal data is online that we really need to be careful and think twice about visiting new websites. The web is full of scammers and malware, so one important way to help keep you safe when browsing, is ensuring you download an AVG Secure Brower that checks websites you are trying to visit, to ensure that they are safe for your to share personal information with.

Many popular web browsers already include safety features that help to block pop-ups, send Do Not Track requests to websites, disable unsafe Flash content, stop malicious downloads and control which sites can access your webcam, microphone, etc. You can review your browser’s safety settings to make yourself aware of their safety controls. An AVG Secure Browser is designed specifically to do these things, so if you want additional security, install and use this handy tool.

There are other quick safety checking tools for a website or specific URL, such as Google Safe Browsing, that you can use. VirusTotal’s free website security checker inspects sites, using over 70 anitvirus scanners and URL/domain blacklisting services to detect different types of malware or other threats to your computer. Both of these tools are easy to use, as you simply input the URL you wish to check and it will run a scan.

You can also perform certain checks yourself such as mousing over a link prior to clicking on it to discover where that link will take you, typically at the bottom of your screen, it will show the URL. It is also important to check the spelling of URL’s as Hackers will use very similar spellings as that of a trusted website to try and trick you. You also want to look for HTTPS on any websites you visit as this is the secure version of a HTTP site and the “S” stand for a more secure site for sending important data between yourself and the site owner.