E-shopping holds the promise of a fast and convenient shopping future, but there’s a big elephant in the room everyone is talking about: security. If you regularly purchase a product or service online, it’s essential to know the ins and outs of online payments and security in order to protect yourself from the security traps. During the Christmas holidays, more than other times of the year, a growing number of Internet users make and plan their shopping online through desktop and social networks. It is predicted that there will be a significant increase of cybercrime, mainly related to computer scams and identity theft. Here are 5 cyber security tips to ensure that your online holiday shopping is safe.
DO NOT CLICK On Suspicious Links
Malicious links are sent by scammers who look more real than the original ones. As these links are specifically of the well-known sites like eBay and Flipkart, many online users fall victim. The safest way of not getting tricked by these would be NOT to open them if provided via social media sites, messages or emails from unknown sources.
Make sure the website is secure
The most important thing to do when you’re entering credit card details online is to make sure this data is sent securely. This means that, instead of your browser just sending the 16-digit card number in clear, it is encrypted, so no one sniffing network traffic can intercept it. There’s an easy way to check this in web browsers: They all have a way of showing you that a secure HTTPS connection has been made.
In general, web browsers display a padlock icon. Below, you can see how this looks in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
web browsers display a padlock icon
Make sure that any time you are entering information—such as credit card or bank account information—you see the padlock. You should also look for this any time you go to a website which offers to let you pay with PayPal; the login page for PayPal should always indicate that it is secure.
Always use strong passwords
Most websites that sell you things require you to create an account when you make your first purchase. You enter your name, your address, your phone number, and some payment information. The website then asks you to enter a password. Make sure to use a secure, unique password for each website. Always try to avoid easy to crack passwords by including a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters in your password.
Don’t use the same password that you use for other websites; if someone gets a hold of that password by hacking one company’s servers, they’ll try to use it on other major merchants’ websites. And if those websites have stored your credit card number, cyber-criminals will be able to make purchases on your dime.
Never shop on public Wi-Fi networks
It might save you time to do some shopping when you’re in an airport, a coffee shop, or some other location on a free, public Wi-Fi network. But this isn’t a good idea. Unless you use a VPN (virtual private network), which encrypts all data from your computer or mobile device, people can sniff the network, grabbing data to look for usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and more.
Protect your web browser from malware and phishing scams
In addition to being careful of the procedure while shopping online, you will also need a safe program to protect your web browser. There are lots of brilliant programs which may secure your online shopping, such as Upcleaner – the best computer optimizer with many useful features. It periodically checks and fixes all vulnerabilities of your browser. Any malicious add-ons installed without your knowledge can be removed with a single click. With UPCleaner, the safety and privacy of your pc accelerator are always under the highest level of protection.
So, enjoy your holiday season, but use these tips to stay safe shopping online, and make sure the whole holiday season is festive.
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