Cyber & IT Supervisory Forum - Additional Resources

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Securing Your Web Browser

HTTP Versus HTTPS When you visit a website address, you will be met with either Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). The latter choice uses a layer of encryption to enable secure communication between a browser and a server. 55 The most important thing to remember is while HTTPS is best used by default in general browsing, when it comes to online purchases, it is crucial for protecting your payment details from eavesdropping and theft. 56 Tracking Cookies Tracking of browsing behavior is part of the daily routine of internet use. 58 Companies use it to adapt ads to the personal needs of potential clients or to measure their range. 59 Cookies are a way to store user settings for websites locally in the browser. 60 For example, you might set your preferred time zone, which would result in a cookie being created in your browser with that setting. 61 Preventing Websites From Storing Cookies You can also set your preferences to prevent websites from storing cookies at all. 62 In order to do so, check out the following links which will provide you instruction on how to do so: To find out whether HTTPS is enabled, look in the address bar for “ https:// ” . Many browsers also show a closed padlock. 57

 Firefox 63  Chrome 64  Opera 65  Safari 66  Edge 67

Clearing The Web Browser Cache Clearing out your cookie caches and browser histories can prevent ad networks from collecting too much information about you. 68 The easiest way to do so is to clear the cache and the following links will provide you instructions on how to do so:

Firefox 69 Chrome 70

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