The Internet has become an integral part of our lives today. Most of us rely on the internet today to perform different tasks such as conducting business meetings, connecting with friends and doing shopping online.

However, unfortunately, some malicious individuals and groups use this facility to target ordinary people to get access to their personal information that they use to steal their credit card data.

Here, are some rules that you need to follow to reduce the possibility of falling prey to any malware that breaks into your computer or mobile through the internet.

Cybercriminals design hundreds of computer viruses and spyware every month, primarily aimed at deleting users’ files, stealing their confidential information and damaging their operating system.

The first and foremost step to protect your computer from these viruses is to install a reliable antivirus software and update it regularly.

When out of the home, your smartphone or tablet catches Wi-Fi signals at many public places such as hotels, bars and cafes. However, not all of them are safe to use and could put your data at risk.

As noted by PC Mag, when you go online on a public place, you lose direct control over its security.

Do not provide your confidential information such as your credit card information or bank account number until you are not connected to a secure Wi-Fi connection.

The hackers and intruders lure careless internet users into downloading program and applications that contain malware in a bid to steal their confidential information.

So do not download programs and apps from untrusted sources.

Passwords are your first line of defence in the internet safety so they should not be easily guessable.

Studies have shown that most of the people tend to choose the passwords that are easy to remember such as “123456” or “password” or their cell phone numbers and birthdays, which are also easy for cyber thieves to guess.

So always, select a unique and complex password comprised of alphabets, numbers and special characters. Password manager software can help create a strong password that is easy to remember.

Also, make sure to change your passwords at least after three months.

We get a bundle of unwanted emails every week. Some of them may contain a virus, Trojan horse or other malware that could not only harm your computer but also trap you into a cyber-fraud.

So do not click the links or download the attachments from the emails you receive from unknown senders.

Whenever you shop something online, you need to provide credit or debit card information.

Before supplying your information to a website, always make sure that it is providing a secure and encrypted connection.

The easiest way to identify a secure site is to look for a URL that begins with https: (where S stands for secure) instead of http:

A thing common between marketers and hackers is that both love to know more and more about you –e.g your browsing habits and social media behavior.

Though major social networks like Facebook offer privacy-improving settings but in most cases, they are not easy to find, because the companies want to collect your data to improve their brand value.

Thus, make sure that your privacy settings are enabled on both on the computer and mobile web browsers.