Blink Focus

Being safe online doesn't have to cost you a cent. With the following free applications you can be surfing the web safely and securely.

What You Need

• Firefox
• AVG Antivirus
• Zone Alarm

The programs mentioned above are free and work great! You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on internet security when there are good free alternatives.

If you already have a firewall and a antivirus program that you are happy with then there is no need to download the recommended antivirus and firewall software above. Just download Firefox and you're set.

Using Your New Software

Once you've downloaded the programs above it's time to install and tweak them. The default settings for ZoneAlarm and AVG should be fine, but if you want to change anything there is ample help available with each program. Just read the instructions carefully.

Tweaking Firefox

Firefox is not only a very safe browser (the safest IMHO) fresh after install but it has the ability to be beefed up with extensions.

Firefox extensions come in a wide variety of categories. You can play around with those later. For now, we want to focus on Privacy & Security.

Head on over to Firefox Add-ons and find the Privacy & Security category. You will find many add-ons that you can install. Before you go nuts and install everything, take a moment to stop and think what you actually need and what you're actually going to use. Having too many extensions is not a good thing. The add-ons come with descriptions, read those and decide for yourself which ones you want to install.

Once you have your firewall, anitvirus and Firefox browser installed and tweaked, that's all you need to browse the web safely. Happy web-surfing!