SEARCH GOOGLE SAFELY

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Most people enjoy using Google to find anything we need on the Internet quickly. Google seems to have replaced encyclopedias, dictionaries, newspapers, instruction manuals, and in some cases, medical advice. But, regretfully, sometimes those search results are not the real deal. They can be malicious. In this article, I give out tips on how you can search safely on Google and even apply it to other search engines.

Watch the URL in Google

When your search results appear in Google, above every result will be a URL in green. It does not matter what the label of the search result says, and this URL is the actual website; by clicking, it will take you to it. Regretfully, cyber-criminals will have their site displayed with a trusted and familiar title, but the link will take you to their fake page.

For example, the search result's title could be your financial institution's name (eq, YourBank). This URL seems legitimate at first glance, but the URL could be something like www.xyz.com. This link is not your bank.

Sometimes they will trick you by including pieces of the real website into the URL, something like www.xyz.com/yourbank.com. This type of link makes it even more likely to catch one's eye when just skimming through your search results quickly. Then, when you visit their page, it may look exactly like your bank's webpage. It will ask for login details, and that is when they get you. Now they have harvested the data for your bank account to do their dirty deeds.

While gibberish, like 'xyz.com,' is easy to spot most of the time, sometimes they will use small typos to fool you. For instance, www.yourbnk.com (it is missing the letter A in bank).

Be Aware of the Difference Between Google Search Results Vs. Paid Ads

Google does a decent job of making sure that the search results you see are the most legitimate and relevant sites you want to see, and the most pertinent are at the top of the list. Keep in mind that they will place paid ads above the initial search results and even at the end of those search results.

Usually, the first three or so results will be ads, as will the last three or so. These ads are often legitimate (check the URL to verify), but on occasion, the hackers will promote a malicious site to the top of the listing and often catch thousands of victims in their trap before Google finds out and delists the ad.

Pay Attention to Google's Malicious Site Alerts

Often, Google will know when something is out of place with a website. The issue could be a security setting that has malfunctioned, a legitimate site hacked, or a site reported to them as compromised. When this does occur, Google will step in with a message telling you something to the effect of “this website may harm your computer" or "this website may be harmful.". STOP immediately, do not click. Trust Google has detected something wrong and will harm you if you click on it.

Use Safe Search Functionality

By using Google Safe Search, you can weed out pornography and other harmful results. While not the best cyber-security defense, it is another security layer for a better and safer Google search experience. Safe Search is often associated with protecting children who are browsing the web. However, it also helps adults that are not interested in cluttered search results containing inappropriate links or other high-risk websites.

To turn on Google Safe Search, go to 'Settings>Privacy & Security>Security.' Then you will select the level of browsing protection with which you are most comfortable. Most people will choose the 'Standard' setting.

Conclusion

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2 comments
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Hello, steemed @joebrochin.

Do you know Project Hope Community.?

If your publication is related to topics such as (listed in our community description), please consider posting within PH:

  • technology.
  • blockchain.
  • artificial intelligence.
  • machine learning.
  • economy.
  • business.
  • marketing, psychology, etc.

Posts in English Only.

And Remember: No to content plagiarism!

Regards, @juanmolina
@project.hope co-founder

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or you could just use Duck Duck Go :P .... I try to use Google stuff as sparingly as possible but just because I always appreciate the smaller guys. I used Netscape back in the day when Explorer was something that was still a thing.

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