Internet Browser Management

Learn about your internet browser, and privacy practices. Part four of a five part series on how to keep your information online safe.

Fundamentals
Cybersecurity
Last Updated: 23/07/2022
@miningchamber YouTube Video

Different Type Of Internet Browsers

In simple terms, Internet Browser is a door mat for malware, while also performing the most crucial task, giving the user an interface to interact with the world wide web. Don’t let this scare you, but at least once in your lifetime, malware had manipulated your system in one way or another through your Browser.

There are many different options for Internet Browsers, here is the list of what we think you should use based on security and privacy…

Make sure to pair the browser with a privacy-oriented search engine, here is a list to choose from…

Tor (The Onion Router) is an open-sourced browser that is created by the U.S. Navy. Tor provides unparalleled privacy and anonymity, it was used by the Navy to maintain anonymous communications and for OSINT operations. (Open Source Intelligence)

Brave is a privacy-focused browser that comes with built-in ad-blockers and HTTPS upgrades. Brave is very user-friendly, open-source, and responsive, it is built on chromium, therefore, you will notice a lot of similarities with Chrome. Here are the ‘Top 5 Reasons You Should Start Using Brave Browser".

Firefox is also open-sourced, secure, and very customizable. If Brave Browser didn’t win your heart, then Firefox would be our second recommendation.

Chrome is created by Google, and as most everyone knows by now, data is money and Google runs on it. Google tends to obtain as much data as possible from the users to be able to use it for targeted ads and building your online record. Chromium, on the other hand, is a great alternative since it does not contain all the extra toppings that Chrome has.

Edge is created by Microsoft, the native search engine is Bing. It has a Microsoft Rewards system but it does not respect privacy, and it isn’t secure.

Securing Your Internet Browser

Now picking the browser and the search engine is just half of the process, the rest will be about your settings and your usage.

History & Cookies

Your browser history will follow you around, if you log into your Gmail, Outlook, or any other services, the website will communicate with your cookies and sessions and it will be able to see what you have open. Some browsers block mostly all of the trackers, just like the Brave Browser.

Make sure to always clear your browser history, and have it so that it clears your history after closing the browser.

Keep It Updated

Make sure to always keep up your settings up to date, and always be on top of all the patches. Each update is mostly to enhance security and cover up bugs that were found. If you have an outdated browser, then you are very vulnerable to attacks.

Red Flags And Possible Attacks

Internet Browsers are a broad category, there are many ways to be manipulated through browsers, links, and extensions. Here are a couple of interesting ways that you can be targeted…

1. Cryptojacking

Some websites can be running a script in the background that will use your PC resources to mine the cryptocurrency of their choice to their wallet. Detecting a Cryptojacking script will be through your observation, if your PC is running hot and fans are loud, then you should check your CPU and GPU usage to figure out if it is being used to mine.

2. Cookies Manipulation

There are some Ad blocking extensions that would plug in their ‘referral links’ into your request headers when you visit a site, which gives them the ability to make bonuses off your purchases and sign-ups. This type of attack is not lethal, but it is very intriguing.

3. Fake URLs

Make sure to always double-triple-check the link in the search bar before typing out personal data. Many people fall for this type of attack, visiting a site that is named very similar to the one you originally intended to visit and it looks like an exact clone. It is a strategy that hackers can do to be able to make you buy into scams, or insert your personal data.

Hope this guide showed you the different browsers and distinguished the differences between them,

Thank You for reading Part 4, sign up for our newsletter to be notified of the upcoming posts.

Security Series:

Hot headlinesPoW CryptocurrenciesMining Chamber Updates

They say if you sign up, your rig will never crash 🤷🏽‍♂️