Social Media and Anti Phishing Strategies
Last updated: Jan 2019
Facebook Container
WHAT: Browser extension.
USEFUL FOR: Extension for Firefox designed to prevent Facebook from tracking you around the web by isolating your web activity from Facebook.
PLATFORM: Works on Firefox.
COST: Free.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARN MORE about web tracking at EFF.org.
Site Isolation
WHAT: A Chrome browser setting that protects against known security bugs in browsers. It forces Chrome to load each website in its own process. This stops a site from stealing your data from another website.
USEFUL FOR: Protecting your browsing activity from snooping by websites such as Facebook.
PLATFORM: Works on Chrome.
COST: Free
DIFFICULTY: Medium
LIMITS: Turning on site isolation may slightly slow down your Chrome browser. It may also cause some websites not to function properly.
LEARN MORE about site isolation.
Stop Facebook’s Collection of Your Metadata
WHAT: Privacy settings instructions.
USEFUL FOR: Preventing Facebook from keeping track of your activities on the network.
PLATFORM: Android devices.
COST: Free.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARN MORE about metadata and why it matters.
ANTI-PHISHING
Password Alert
WHAT: Browser add-on.
USEFUL FOR: Protecting against phishing attacks. If you enter your Google account password into a website that is not Google’s you’ll receive an alert so you can quickly change your password if needed.
PLATFORM: Chrome browser that works on desktop across platforms.
COST: Free.
DIFFICULTY: Easy.
VirusTotal
WHAT: Online aggregator of antivirus and anti malware scanners.
USEFUL FOR: Scanning files and URLs using a myriad of antivirus scanners and other tools to detect malware and fake websites that you think may be trying to steal your password.
PLATFORM: Works on all platforms, on mobile and desktop. VirusTotal offers desktop apps, browser extensions and mobile apps.
COST: Free
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LIMITS: VirusTotal is owned by a company called Chronicle, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. URLs and files uploaded to VirusTotal may be shared with antivirus companies “so as to help them in improving their services and products.”
LEARN MORE about VirusTotal’s privacy policy here.
ONLINE HARASSMENT
ONLINE HARASSMENT FIELD MANUAL
AUTHOR: PEN America, part of PEN International, a worldwide association of writers fighting for freedom of expression on behalf of writers facing persecution.
WHAT: A Field Manual with effective strategies and resources that writers can use to defend against online abuse.
USEFUL FOR: Writers, journalists, their allies, and their employers.
COST: Free
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARN MORE: The Outrage Machine (The New York Times)
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
PHISHING
Phishing Quiz
WHAT: A quiz developed by Google to help users identify phishing.
DIFFICULTY: EASY