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Safely Downloading From The Internet

Here are the top tips for safely downloading from the internet in 3 sentences or less: Only download from trusted websites like your bank or government sites that use HTTPS and have a contacts page. Be careful of viruses by only downloading from trusted sites, keeping backups, and using antivirus software to detect dangerous files. Make sure you have the right program to open the file by checking the file type at the end of the file name.

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142 views3 pages

Safely Downloading From The Internet

Here are the top tips for safely downloading from the internet in 3 sentences or less: Only download from trusted websites like your bank or government sites that use HTTPS and have a contacts page. Be careful of viruses by only downloading from trusted sites, keeping backups, and using antivirus software to detect dangerous files. Make sure you have the right program to open the file by checking the file type at the end of the file name.

Uploaded by

SPIDI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Safely downloading

from the internet


Here are some top tips for downloading safely from the internet.

What is downloading?
Download complete
One of the most useful things you can do on the internet
is to get documents and images that you can then store on
100%
your computer. This is called downloading.
You do need to be careful about what you download,
however, and there are some precautions you should take Download files from
before you press that Save button. the internet

Downloading from trusted sources


You should only download from websites you trust. Major organisations, such
as your bank, insurance company, or the government can generally be trusted,
so anything you download from them should be safe.
But what about other websites?

There are some things to check before downloading:


• Check the web address is authentic by sourcing and
double checking the address yourself.
• Look for the https in the web address. It shows that the
Look for HTTPS in the
site uses secure communications. web address
• Look for the Contacts page. It shows that the site owners
are not hiding who they are.
Still, if you have any doubts about whether the site is safe, it’s best not to
download anything from it.

beconnected.esafety.gov.au
Safely downloading
from the internet
Protecting yourself from viruses
A virus is a type of computer program
that you may get if you download from
untrusted websites. It can do bad things
to your computer, including preventing
you from accessing your files. To avoid
viruses, follow these guidelines:
• Only download from trusted sites.
• Keep a backup of your important files.
• Run an antivirus program.

Antivirus software
Antivirus software is a special kind of computer program that helps detect and
remove viruses you might download.
If you accidentally download a virus, your antivirus program will pop up and tell
you that you’ve downloaded something dangerous, and ask if you want
to delete it.
There are many antivirus programs,
including:
• Avast! (www.avast.com)
• BitDefender (www.bitdefender.com.au)
• McAfee (www.mcafee.com)
• Norton (au.norton.com)

Anitvirus software

beconnected.esafety.gov.au
Safely downloading
from the internet
File types
Every document or image you download from
the internet has what is called a file type. This
tells your computer which program it should use
to read the document. The file type is usually
indicated by a three or four letter code at the end
of the file name. For example, a .doc on the end
indicates the file is a Word document.
You need to the right program to read the
document. Some examples include:
• A .doc file needs Microsoft Word or other
word processor program.
• A .pdf file needs Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• An .mp3 file needs a music player program.
• A .jpg file is a picture that needs an image viewer.

Ready to Save
Knowing which websites you can trust and how to open the files you download
is important. When you’re armed with that information, downloading becomes
a very useful tool indeed.

beconnected.esafety.gov.au

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