With the holidays approaching fast it's important that we take the time to refresh our cyber skills. This is especially true with Black Friday and Cyber Monday being only a few days away. Each of these "holidays" are about taking advantage of great deals, but we need to make sure hackers aren't taking advantage of us while shopping. Here are a few quick tips for protecting your information while protecting your back account during this shopping season.
Check the Website
During this busy shopping season, it's important to check what sites your getting your deals on. Chances are you're clicking the sites with the best deals, but those might not be the safest ones to use. Always make sure you evaluate the reviews to make sure its a legitimate and safe site. One great source for authenticity is the Better-Business-Bureau. It will provide a rating and relevant reviews of the business.
Look for Https
One key step in making sure your information is safe when processing a payment is looking for https rather than http. Another way to check the security of a website is to look at the lock symbol to the left of your web address. If it is closed it is a secure site, if not be cautious about the information you put into the site. Since https is used when a site in secured and uses encryption to protect data, it is a protected site.
Watch for Scams
Recently there has been news about a new form of phishing popular during the shopping season. This involves emails that appear to come from popular online shopping sites, like Amazon. They state that there has been an issue with your order and instructs you to click a provided link. This link takes you to a site designed to collect your information and then store it for the hackers use. Therefore, if you do have orders for that site go directly to the site to check the status of your orders.
Secure your Information
Finally, make sure your are taking steps to protect your information. This can be done through keeping complex passwords unique to each account. Make sure you don't save your login information to any device, since this can open your account to unwanted individuals. If possible limit what sites have access to your financial information, as this can protect you in cases of a breach. Simple checks and securities now can keep you from major issues later on.
With the holidays approaching fast it's important that we take the time to refresh our cyber skills. This is especially true with Black Friday and Cyber Monday being only a few days away. Each of these "holidays" are about taking advantage of great deals, but we need to make sure hackers aren't taking advantage of us while shopping. Here are a few quick tips for protecting your information while protecting your back account during this shopping season.
