The internet security basics that stop most trouble before it starts

Most of what goes wrong online isn’t clever. It’s a Wi-Fi router still on the password printed on its sticker, a laptop that hasn’t restarted for updates since spring, or a small business site whose contact form mails client details to an inbox nobody checks. This month Microsoft plugged nearly 1,000 security holes in one batch, Krebs on Security reported. Installing updates is the cheapest protection you have.

This section covers the foundations: HTTPS and what the padlock does and doesn’t prove, browser settings worth changing, safe use of public Wi-Fi, and how to tell whether a website deserves the information it asks for. It’s written for households, freelancers and small offices, whether that office is on Main Street in Conway or a shared desk in Brisbane.

Coming up here: the most common internet security mistakes we see, and a first-week checklist for anyone starting from zero.