It does not matter whether we are talking about internet-banking, web hosting, or Amazon purchases the one thing we 
should never forget is “Security”. The Internet is not a very safe place and thus thinking about security all the time is a very important thing.
Regular user point of view
A regular user just log’s into his account from whatever Internet connection and computer he may have at his disposal and does not care that much about security. He just wants to log in to his accounts and check whatever he needs to check. He does not care, but the same regular user is very unhappy when someone has stolen his credit card information or misused his personal data.
After something bad happens to his personal data he blames everyone, but not himself most of the time, but security online starts right where you sit. It’s your responsibility to thoroughly check if your computer does not have any virus, trojans and other kinds of malware. I would say a firewall is a must and regularly updates of the operating system should not be underestimated!
There is a difference between having an anti-virus installed and actually using it for scanning for malware. You should perform at least weekly scans and I would highly suggest at least a “smart scan”, before you perform any financial transaction on the web.
At first it might look like a waste of time, but you never know when this could save you a lot of time, money and nerves!
The security point of view
Everything you are sending over the Internet is sent in the form of so called “packets”. These packets carry lots of information, and I will not go into the details, but I have to tell you, that they are formatted in a certain way. For the purpose of this blog I just need to show you one important thing.
There are two widely used protocols to access web pages. The first one is HTTP. It’s an insecure protocol and all you send trough HTTP is send in plain text. You log in trough a web site like “http://www.domain_name.com”, which does not use SSL, and you’re sending your data in plain text. Password and username are easily intercepted by a possible attacker!
The second one is HTTPS and the last “S” stands for “Secure”. What this protocol does before actually sending your data over the wire is, that it encrypts the data and only the other side intended to receive this data is able to decrypt it and to read it. The HTTPS is widely used while communicating with your bank, or wherever you enter your personal information and credit card info.
I would recommend you to always make sure your hosting company uses HTTPS during your sign up, sign in and while you are entering any sensitive information. This way you and your data stay secure while on the Internet 
Have a nice day and good luck!
Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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