Malware, phishing scams and other dangerous entities are all over the Web these days. A report from earlier this month said 2013 was going to be even worse than 2012 in regards to the proliferation of malware across the net. It’s now more important than ever to protect yourself, but perhaps you don’t know how. That’s where these helpful tips come in.

Google thought it was high time to remind its users once again how to remain safe and secure on the Web. The following video contains a number of common sense tips, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t actually actively protect their computers from Web-born attacks and malware.

As I said, a lot of these are common sense safeguards that you can put into place. I would like to give special attention, however, to the 2-step verification process. I never used the feature for my Google account because I’m careful about who I give my personal email address to and never ventured outside the “safe boundaries” of the Web without the proper precautions. Even with all my precaution, my account was almost hijacked by a hacker out of China. It was a much needed wake up call.

In short, if you use a personal email client, you really need to take advantage of the security options that your service provider employs. If you’re proactive about security now, you won’t have to deal with the fallout of having your online identity stolen later.