In an age of cyber-attacks, viruses and theft of personal data, the world of the Web is increasingly frightening, and we shudder at the slightest strange noise on our computer.
How do you surf safely?
How can you work or do research without worrying about the web?
Here are six tools to help you surf with peace of mind.
Dashlane: the app that remembers all your passwords
We tend to use simplistic passwords to remember them easily, or codes that have something to do with our lives, such as our children’s birth dates.
This application memorizes your passwords for you, allowing you to have more complex ones.
Speaking of passwords, as this article says, prevention is better than cure…
Have I been pwned?
Has my e-mail address been hacked?
This site lets you see if any of your e-mail accounts have been hacked.
If so, you’ll receive personalized advice on how to improve your protection.
Signal: chat for ultra-private messages
Are you worried about confidential information being used by companies, or do you simply want to protect your privacy?
This application lets you talk to your loved ones without any interference.
The server never has access to any of your communications, nor does it store any of your data.
Marshal: your friend who deletes sensitive information
It’s possible that your social security number appears in the documents you’ve put on Google Drive, or that your credit card number hangs around in your Dropbox. Marshal is a new online privacy tool that will analyze all your storage databases to identify and remove all this sensitive data.
Privacy.com or the Snapchat of credit cards
This site is the safest way to shop online.
Don’t be embarrassed when you enter your credit card numbers.
You create an ephemeral credit card for each transaction.
It’s fast, and you’re back in control of your money.
Some banks also offer this service to their customers, so don’t hesitate to ask.
Goldenfrog: VPN service for secure browsing
Swiss-based Goldenfrog offers VPN software for surfing the web while protected from potential attacks.
You surf safe from hackers, and your activity is not recorded.
This software is particularly useful when you need to use public Wi-Fi or a network whose security you doubt.
An alternative, with an endearing mascot, from TunnelBear.
Apart from these tools, there are of course a number of security rules to apply: surf as little as possible on public Wi-Fi, change your passwords regularly, keep them up to date, only accept people you really know on social networks, and when making online purchases, check that the site is equipped with httpS://.
Happy browsing.
