Browser Security Settings Make a Difference to Online Safety

Adjusting your browser security settings can help you stay safer online.

If you’re getting online, you’re using a browser. Whether you’re a Firefox fan, a Chrome devotee, or are happy with whatever came default on your device, your browser affects your online experience. And it also affects your safety and security while you’re online. All browsers have default settings, and they may not necessarily be what you want. It’s a good idea to take a look at your browser security settings and make sure everything is set up to keep you safe.

Why Your Browser Security Settings Matter

Did you know that your browser collects your data? As part of helping you access websites, browsers have access to a lot of information. That includes your browsing history, any data you’ve stored for autofill (like addresses and payment information), location data, login credentials, download history, and information on your online activity. Because they have that information, it could be revealed in a data breach. Or some browsers may sell it or use it to advertise to you.

Browsers also allow other places to collect your information. If a site asks to use your location, camera, or microphone, that request comes through your browser. And browsers also store cookies, including third-party cookies that collect, store, and share your browsing data. That includes things like browsing history, search history, what links you click, and your social media activity. Data brokers, who make money from selling your data, get a lot of the info they sell from third-party cookies.

Your browser is the thing that stands between you and the open internet. It can either help protect your information and keep it private – or it can help anyone who’s interested get a lot of data on you. Properly configuring your browser security settings is what makes the difference.

What Browser Security Settings You Should Change

You’ve decided you want to set up your browser to help protect your information. But where do you start? Especially if you don’t have a lot of experience looking through your browser’s menu, figuring out which browser security settings to change can seem overwhelming. These are some of the settings you should consider changing.

To make these changes, you’ll need to get into the settings of your browser. How you get there specifically depends on which browser you’re using. If you’re using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge, click on the three dots or three lines in the top right corner and click “Settings.” If you’re using Safari on a Mac device, click “Safari” in the top menu and then “Settings.”

One important thing to note is that these settings are often confined to an individual device. So if you browse the internet on multiple computers, or on a computer and a phone, it’s a good idea to check the settings of your browser on each device to make sure you’re protected everywhere you browse.

Turn on Auto-Updates

Software updates are often annoying. It seems like they know exactly when you’re in the middle of something so they can remind you to update them when you’re busy. But keeping your browser updated is very important. Updates are how the developers fix security issues they’ve found. If you don’t install the updates, you’re risking a leak or attack.

The good news is most browsers have an option to turn on auto-updates. Any new updates the developer releases will be downloaded and installed automatically, without you having to remember to do it. Even better, they often allow you to set “active times” during which it won’t install updates. So you can browse without fear, and the update can happen while you’re asleep.

If your browser doesn’t have that security setting, it’s a good idea to set a reminder to update your browser at least once a month.

Turn on 2FA for Your Browser Account

Most browsers allow you to create an account to sync your tabs, history, and bookmarks or favorites between devices. If your browser doesn’t allow that, or if you haven’t signed up for an account, you can skip this step. (Not sure if you do? Check if your name is listed at the top of your browser screen or in the menu, or if it says something like “Sign in” or “Guest.” If your name shows up, you have an account.)

If you do have an account, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for the account. This adds an extra bit of security to logging in by requiring you to enter a code generated by an app or sent to your phone or email before you can log in. This will keep even someone who got your password from accessing your data through your browser account.

Turn on “Do Not Track”

Turning on this setting makes your browser send a Do Not Track request to every website you visit. Just like it sounds, this request lets the site know that you don’t want it to track you and collect your data. The bad news is that it’s up to the individual sites whether or not they want to listen to that request. So it’s not perfect protection. But it will still keep sites that do listen to those requests from tracking you.

Turn Off Ad Personalization

Ad personalization lets companies that do digital advertising, like Google, access the data stored in your browser. They use this data to decide which ads you’re most likely to be interested in and display those while you’re browsing. Turning it off stops the personalization process. The ads you see will probably be less relevant or interesting. But companies will also not be able to access that data anymore.

Block Third Party Cookies

A first-party cookie is a cookie for the site that you’re on. Many sites use cookies for basic functionality. If you’ve logged into a website, clicked on a different page, and stayed logged in, it’s because the site gave your browser a first-party cookie so other pages knew that you’re still logged in. Third-party cookies are cookies from other websites or companies that are also hosted on a site. Facebook and Google are well-known ones that have third-party cookies on other sites to track you around the internet and advertise to you. Data brokers also use third-party cookies to collect your data to sell.

Telling your browser to block third-party cookies doesn’t interfere with those first-party cookies of the site that you’re on. But it does keep these other companies from putting their cookies on your browser to track you around the internet and sell your data.

When you turn on the browser security setting to block third-party cookies, it’s also a good idea to clear your existing cookies to get rid of any that might already be stored on your browser.

Turn Off Auto-Fill and Password Saving

Browsers offer a convenient feature to save and automatically fill your information, such as addresses, payment information, and passwords. Which means all of that information could be leaked, breached, or accessed by a savvy criminal who gets into your browser. If you change your browser security settings so the browser itself doesn’t know any of that, you’ll be safer.

It’s not a lot of extra effort to type in your address every time you need to put it in. Getting your card to put in your payment information every time can be a little more inconvenient (but some people like that, because it helps them spend less online). But we do recommend not trying to remember all your passwords yourself. But if you need a program to hold onto your passwords for you, it’s much safer to use a password manager that’s built for that purpose.

Turn on HTTPS Only Mode

HTTP is the “language” your browser uses to receive and display websites for you. HTTPS adds an extra layer of security to that. (The “S” on the end stands for “Secure.”) Pretty much all legitimate websites use HTTPS these days. HTTP isn’t just less secure, it’s also a potential warning sign for a malicious website.

Turning on HTTPS-only mode in your browser security settings will prevent sites that use HTTP and not HTTPS from loading right away. Different browsers react differently, but with this setting enabled, your browser will instead display a warning screen that the site isn’t secure. You will have the option to bypass the warning and display the site if you really need to. But stopping it from loading right away will give you a chance to make sure the site is legitimate before loading anything.

Encrypt DNS

DNS translates a URL into an IP address and vice versa. This is essential for letting your browser display websites. When you turn on the encrypting DNS setting (called “DNS over HTTPS” in some browsers), your browser will try to encrypt all DNS requests. Like HTTPS-only mode, it adds a little bit of extra security every time you access a website.

Most browsers collect some of your usage data. You’re often opted in to this by default. What information they collect and what they use it for can vary based on the browser you’re using and what other browser security settings you have enabled. Most browsers use it to make the browser itself better, with your data telling them what you find challenging to use about the browser itself and letting them predict what kinds of features you might like.

But many of them also sell that data to advertisers so they can build a profile on you and market to you. And of course, any data that they have is something attackers could potentially steal. If you opt out of sharing your data with the browser, that will also protect you from these other uses.

Change your Default Search Engine

This is less of a security change than a privacy one. But if you’re concerned about security, you’re probably also concerned about your privacy, too!

It’s well-known at this point that Google is collecting as much information about you as they can. Then they monetize it by advertising to you directly or by selling it to other companies or to data brokers. But they’re still the most common search engine – even though they’re deliberately making their search results worse. For a better experience and a search engine that’s not invading your privacy, consider switching your default search engine to DuckDuckGo.

Adjust your Content Settings

Not all settings that affect your online security are listed as security settings. The settings that control how your browser displays content also matter. Which options you have may vary depending on what browser you’re using. But in general, you should be able to find most of these:

Pop-ups: Disable or block them.
Intrusive or misleading ads: Some browsers have an option to block these.
Open PDFs: Allowing PDFs to open in your browser instead of downloading when you click on them can protect you from malicious PDFs.
Third-party sign-in prompts: Blocking these will keep your data away from big companies like Google and Facebook.
Allow sites to save data to device: Turn this off to keep things like crypto mining malware off your device.

Consider Enhanced Security Settings

Most browsers have a pre-configured set of browser security settings and protections. They usually start on a standard or default setting, but have the option to choose a much stronger version. And if your immediate thought it, “Well, why wouldn’t I turn it on?” it’s important to know that there are trade-offs. Know what the downsides are before you make decisions.

In Google Chrome, the setting is called Safe Browsing, and you can choose Standard or Enhanced. While Enhanced Safe Browsing is a boost for your security, it’s not good for your privacy. Turning it on will send even more of your data than normal to Google.

In Mozilla Firefox, the setting is called Tracking Protection. Standard Tracking Protection is already pretty good, but Strict blocks suspected fingerprinting AIs and even specific elements of a website that may have trackers in them. The downside is that some websites may not show up properly while it’s set to Strict.

In Microsoft Edge, the setting is Enhanced Security. It’s set to Balanced by default, but you can change it to Strict. The Strict setting takes additional measures to protect you from potential attacks and block malicious code, but like Firefox, some sites or parts of sites may not work properly.

Apple’s Safari doesn’t have a full security setting option like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. But it does have the option to enable Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection. By default this is enabled in private windows only, but you can set it to all browsing. Again, the primary risk is that some sites or parts of sites might not work.

Try a Different Browser

When it comes to security, privacy, and safety, not all browsers are created equal. Every browser was made by a different company with different goals and intentions in mind. Google, for example, makes money from your data, so they want as much of it as possible. Google Chrome is another tool in their data collection toolbox. They’ll keep you and your data safe from everyone else because they want exclusive access to it. Some people are okay with that – but it’s good to know and make the decision consciously.

If you’re looking for a browser that’s largely supported but still a good choice for privacy, consider Firefox. It’s one of the most common browsers, and most websites work just fine on it. It’s also open-source and run by a nonprofit organization that doesn’t profit from your data, which make it great for your privacy.

DuckDuckGo, the company that provides one of the most well-known privacy-first alternatives to Google Search and has joined the fight for privacy against data brokers, also has a browser. It’s not as well-known or widely supported as Firefox, but has some useful tools for privacy and security built in.

And if you want to be untraceable, and you’re willing to sacrifice some website functionality along the way, Tor might be your option. It routes your traffic through a network of proxies so it’s hard for websites and trackers to get your real IP address or any other details. But it is very slightly more technical to use and some elements of websites might not work or display properly because of this stringent protection.

Other Steps for Safer Browsing

Adjusting your browser security settings will go a long way towards keeping you safe online. But settings aren’t the only thing you can do to protect yourself. You can take other steps to improve your security while browsing the internet.

Like settings, browser extensions let you adjust your browser itself to better protect you. We wrote a whole guide to browser extensions for privacy and security that will give you a place to start.

If you don’t have an antivirus software yet, you need one! Internet browsing is one of the most common ways to get a computer virus. We have a guide to help you figure out which antivirus will be best for you.

Using a VPN while you browse is another layer of protection. It hides your IP address, hack-proofs your connection, and encrypts your activity to keep hackers and criminals from snooping. Our VPN Simplifier can help you choose the right one for your needs.

Behavioral changes can also make a big difference. It’s better to unload a gun than to shoot at a bulletproof vest – and it’s safer to avoid risky behaviors in the first place than hope your browser has enough protections to defend you. Building good cybersecurity habits, like double-checking URLs before entering information, watching for signs of fake websites, and not clicking on links, will help you stay safe.

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Browser Security Settings Make a Difference to Online Safety

Why Your Browser Security Settings Matter