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4 Methods to Protect Yourself from Browser Information Leaks

A VPN is one of the few ways you prevent browser leaks

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Are you wondering how to protect yourself from browser leaks? Here is all you need to know,

We use browsers daily, but did you know your web browser can leak certain information in the background?

This can be a security concern, and in today’s article, we’ll explain to you what information your browser can leak to third parties and how to prevent that.

What is a browser leak?

What is a browser leak?

The exchange of information is essential in surfing the internet. In fact, without a certain level of information sharing, it will be impossible to set up an internet connection.

However, there is data that you hold private and expect to be guarded by your browser. Unfortunately, it is possible that from time to time, this critical information is leaked by your browser. In such cases, your privacy is compromised, and often, web fingerprinting is involved.

This private information that your browser will naturally have access to, which otherwise you would want to keep between yourself and the browser when leaked, is what we refer to as browser leaks.

You can have the following kind of browser leaks:

In many cases, an internet search will reveal your IP. Also, you can view your IP address by navigating Start, Settings, Network & internet, Wi-Fi, and clicking on your connection.

How do I stop IP leaks?

How do I stop IP leaks?

1. Use a secure web browser

To protect yourself from browser leaks, it’s essential to use a secure web browser such as Opera One.

The browser has its native tracking protection, so it will block tracking scripts and cookies that can leak your data.

Opera One also has an ad blocker so that you won’t see any ads, and by blocking ads, your pages will load faster. It’s also worth mentioning that the browser has a freeVPNand a native AI.

There’s also Cryptojacking protection that will stop all mining scripts. So, if you like the idea of secure and private browsing, Opera One is an ideal browser.

Opera One

2. Use HTTPS protocol

Always use websites that work with HTTPS protocol. The older HTTP protocol isn’t encrypted, meaning everybody can intercept your traffic and read the data you send to the website.

If a website uses HTTPS, all the data between you and the website will be encrypted and unable to be read.

To check if your website uses HTTPS, check its address in the address bar or look for the lock icon left from the address.

3. Be careful with extensions/add-ons

Specific extensions can leak your information, so be sure to use extensions only from reliable sources. To be safe, it’s best to keep the number of extensions as low as possible.

In addition to extensions, you shouldn’t use Flash, Java, or Silverlight add-ons since web browsers do not support them for security reasons.

4. Always use a trusted VPN

Users may safeguard their online privacy and prohibit their ISP (internet service provider) from monitoring their surfing behavior with VPN security.

When a user’s device is connected to the VPN server, internet traffic is routed via the virtual private network provider’s internet connection. This is an excellent way to prevent IP and location leaks.

We recommend using agood and trusted VPNfor the best possible online protection.

5. Run data leak tests

While this is not a preventive step, it’s a good way to learn about leaks and start correcting them quickly. You can protect yourself from browser leaks in Firefox, Chrome, and even your Android devices by learning about these leaks.

How do I protect my IP address?

Protecting the IP is necessary, and we will suggest four things you may do.

Browser leaks can be a security risk, but after reading this article, we hope you understand how to better protect against browser leaks.

We recommend you do not pick and choose what methods to apply. Instead, it would help if you used all of them to maintain maximum safety online.

Let us know if there are other protection solutions you know and would love to recommend.

More about the topics:Cybersecurity

Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.

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Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.