Miscellaneous 3 min. read

Tips to protect your browser from data hijacking

Tips to protect your browser from data hijacking

The best security VPN

Browser hijacking is when a crook modifies your browser settings without your knowledge. If you’re not careful, hijackers can get ahold of your personal information, which they can use for other malicious activities. To help you stay secure, we listed down four simple security tips for you to follow.

But first, what exactly is browser hijacking?

Browser hijacking refers to the modification of a web browser’s settings to make it work in ways it is not intended to. In browser hijacking, the perpetrator manipulates a victim’s browser for a number of malicious activities, including changing the browser’s homepage, injecting it with malicious ads to infect the user’s device while increasing ad revenues, and redirecting user traffic to another site, usually to phishing and malware-infected sites.

Other strains, aside from these functions, can have additional payloads such as keyloggers and spyware so crooks can fish out sensitive information such as credit card details, usernames and passwords. As with other online attacks, it’s possible to hijack a browser from a remote location and without the victim knowing about it.

How you can protect yourself

While not as big of a threat as ransomware, cryptocurrency malware or phishing, browser hijacking is still a formidable threat. Below are four tips to consider if you want to stay secure.

Keep your browser updated

Aside from user interface improvements and new features, browser updates also come with security patches to address previously discovered vulnerabilities, so it’s important to always keep your updated.

Always check URLs

Among the techniques that crooks use in browser hijacking is spoofing, which involves websites that are made to look legitimate. While it can be hard to tell if a site is legitimate or not in terms of appearance, you can still spot spoof sites by looking at the URL. Signs that point to a fake site include a misspelled domain name and a missing forward slash right after the domain name.

Exercise caution when clicking on links

Don’t just click on links sent to you via email, instant messaging or social media. Before clicking on a link, make sure that you have verified the source.

Protect your information using a VPN

In browser hijacking, one of the main objectives of crooks is stealing all information that you input on your browser. A VPN can help you keep hijackers at bay by providing an encrypted tunnel for all your information to go through, protecting your credentials from snoopers during transit.

Stay secure with today’s best security VPN

If you want to protect your information from browser hijackers, the best security VPN that you can use for this purpose is Hotspot Shield. Hotspot Shield VPN protects all your information from being stolen by hijackers using advanced encryption technology, preventing hijackers from getting your information.

Click here to download Hotspot Shield VPN

Aside from this, Hotspot Shield can also notify you if the website that you’re trying to visit is infected. Hotspot Shield does this with the help of a malware website database that is regularly updated to keep you protected. With Hotspot Shield, you are automatically notified if you’re about to open a spoof or malware-infected website.

Hotspot Shield VPN is compatible with Windows, OS X, Android and iOS systems. You can download it here. You can also get it for your Chrome or Firefox browser. Learn more about it by visiting our website.

Protect your browser from data hijacking by downloading the best security VPN now!

Read our blog for tips on content access, Internet security, anonymity and malware protection.

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