There are many options for locking down your computers or devices. However, some are platform dependent which can cause problems if you use multiple devices.
For quick and easy solutions which are quite proficient in what they achieve it is possible to keep the hackers at bay, or at least make things extremely difficult for them.
Browser extensions are add-ons which you can install on the most common browsers. They appear to sit at the top of your browser doing nothing, however, behind the scenes they are chugging away and doing their job. The fact they never seem to do anything is a testament to how good some of them are.
Here are four of the best browsers available that can make your web-browser less hacker proof.
Adverts and Pop-Ups
When it comes to adverts and stopping them, there aren’t many browser extensions better than uBlock Origin. There are others which block as much, however. uBlock has some extra settings where you can block or allow certain aspects of a page.
Another advantage is, it isn’t used as an advertisement carrying application in itself. It sits there happily blocking irritating adverts, pop-ups as standard.
If you wish to delve deeper and tweak some more you can clean up Facebook or hide YouTube comments. In uBlock, these need to be added by yourself rather than being automatically or easily blocked.
A straightforward way to block elements of a page is right click on the item. Right at the bottom of the pop-up menu, there is the “block content” option. Click this and then the create option on the window which highlights content you have selected and it has gone forever.
Tracking Cookies and Website Tracking
These extensions have increased in number due to the concerns of the general public over privacy. A lot do the same thing as each other apart from the market leader and a continual favorite. Disconnect.
This extension shows you the Advertising requests, Analytics requests, Social and Content requests for tracking sites.
You have further options to whitelist a site, or you can visualize a page. This shows you all sites which are connected to the place you are visiting, and also the ones it has blocked. This view shows the extent that we are being tracked and the need for such extensions.
One bonus of this browser extension which it wasn’t designed to do, but is the result of what it does is speeding up the internet and saving data which is handy when on a data plan if you use a mobile device.
Blocking Scripts
There are a few of these extensions available. ScriptBlock was the favorite. However, it is only available for Chrome. If you use another browser, you might need to find something similar.
Recently it was brought to everyone’s attention of the crypto mining script which was floating around the web. Extension’s such as ScriptBlock is designed to prevent any scripts running.
They do a great job, and in some cases, they do too good a job, and some aspects of a web page won’t run. With this in mind, this can be one area where hackers manage to insert malicious code into a site, and it would run happily in the background with a user being unaware it was happening.
uMatrix
This is available for Chrome and Firefox and is a browser firewall. Although it doesn’t protect more of the system or device, it does a great job of bolstering security and privacy while online.
As with the script blockers these can be prevented from running as can adverts. It can be an all in one solution. However, uBlock and Disconnect bring that little extra to the table for what they do.
Wrapping It Up
You might be wondering why there isn’t a VPN browser extension included. It is true there are many, and many are free of the above options. The problem is they are cut back versions in what they offer.
As VPN’s cost money to run and maintain companies need to make money. The VPN extensions they provide are a taster and come with data caps which can quite quickly be consumed.
With regards to a VPN service, this, when coupled with the first three browser extensions, offers a high degree of security. You get what you pay for so it is worth checking the best VPN deals and see how you can benefit.
A service of this nature and your browser tightened up with the above extensions can prevent any hackers and other prying eyes from ruining your online experience.
