In the News
The article 42% of the Web’s Top Sites Are Compromised discusses the alarmingly high percentage of compromised websites on the Web. Sites were considered to be compromised if they had within the past year experienced a security breach, distributed malware, or run vulnerable software.
Our Take
College students utilize the internet for everything from research for a class to shopping for miscellaneous goods. With the prevalence of internet and website usage, one would think that at least the most popular sites are the most safe. However, this is not always the case. Most sites connect to dozens of other content providers in order to serve up images, ads, and other active features that make the page appear user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Through these connections, even the most popular website and platforms can be compromised and subject users to phishing attempts and drive-by malware infections.
Recommendations
So how can you protect your identity, information, and devices when browsing the web?
- Stick to websites that you know and trust for content
- Take advantage of Google’s SafeBrowsing features, which can prevent users from accessing known malicious sites
- Be careful when clicking on links or advertisements: it is often safer to search for the content yourself and follow a known-good link from a search engine
- Use a pop-up blocker and do not enable autoplay for content
- Make sure you use an antimalware program