Sydney Harbour November 2018

9 TIPS TO HELP
YOU SHOP SAFELY
ON CYBER MONDAY
Type the phrase “Cyber
Monday” into Google and
you’ll find links not only
to special Cyber Monday
coupons and savings,
but also to Cyber Monday-only
sales at some
of the largest online retailers.
It’s truly become
the Internet’s version of Black Friday. Cyber Monday began “officially”
in 2005 (it was made up by a marketer), but the phenomenon goes back
to the beginning of online shopping, before computers were a fixture in
homes. People would return to work on the Monday after Thanksgiving
and shop from their office computers. This year, more than 60 percent
of American consumers are expected to shop online on Cyber Monday,
although many of us will be shopping from the comfort of our living-room
sofas. Cyber Monday has gone mobile as well, with about half of online
shoppers expected to make holiday purchases from their smartphones or
tablets. Of course, as the popularity of Cyber Monday grows and the deals
get bigger and better, the risks of shopping online also increase. Cybercriminals
love Cyber Monday too and work hard to get rich off the huge
number of people engaging in online commerce around the holidays. To
help shoppers stay safe and secure on Cyber Monday, here are some tips.
Shop from a secure computer: A computer or Android phone that isn’t
protected by antivirus software is more likely to be compromised by malware.
Otherwise, all data entered into or transmitted from that phone or
computer is at risk, including all forms of personally identifiable information,
credit-card numbers and bank accounts. Be sure to keep the operating
system and all internet-facing apps updated to the latest software versions.
Shop using a secure connection: Data can be at risk during transit if
an attacker controls the network or uses packet-sniffing software. Web
protocols such as HTTPS encrypt communications, but in some advanced
attacks even those could fall to a “man-in-the-middle” attack. Nonetheless,
always look for the HTTPS lock symbol in your browser address window
when performing an online purchase.
Search for deals on retailer sites, not on search engines: Scammers
“poison” search results with malicious or deceptive links. Want that latest
game console? Run a search on the Best Buy, Amazon or GameStop sites
rather than on Google.
Use trusted vendors: Any website can be attacked by hackers, but limiting your
shopping to established and trusted vendors limits your exposure. Bookmark the
most trusted online retail sites to make sure you don’t get redirected to fakes.
Don’t fall for ‘too-good-to-be-true’ deals: Cyber Monday features a lot
of incredible, legitimate deals offered by trusted mainstream retailers.
But cybercriminals will prey on shoppers’ desire for the lowest prices
and will try to slip in a lot of fake deals. Watch out especially for emails,
text messages, pop-up browser windows and Facebook and Twitter posts
promising fantastic savings. Clicking on links in the messages or posts could
lead to scams, phishing sites or sites distributing malware. And don’t open
attachments in emails promising fantastic deals.
Plan ahead and don’t be rushed: Cyberattacks take but a split second
to occur. Sometimes all that’s required is clicking on a link in an email.
Look for clues to malicious links, such as an extra “.cc” at the end of what
would otherwise be a trusted domain name. Take the time to make sure
you’re on the correct website.
Review credit-card and bank statements regularly during the shopping
season: Malware can infect credit-card readers in stores and unscrupulous
cashiers often steal card numbers as well. If you find a transaction that
doesn’t match your purchases, your account may have been compromised.
If so, contact your bank or card issuer.
Don’t use debit cards online: You’ve got far less protection against fraud
on a debit card than you do with a credit card. Stick to credit cards when
shopping online. If you absolutely must use a debit card, use the prepaid
kind with a set spending limit.
Use unique passwords and logon information for every site you visit:
Yes, it’s a pain to remember all those passwords. But if one of them is
stolen, a cybercrook will try using it on other websites. Passwords should
be as long as possible and contain a mix of upper-and lower-case characters,
numbers, punctuation and symbols - and they shouldn’t be reused,
especially for any website that handles your money. If you have trouble
handling them all, use a password manager.
If you’re shopping from a tablet or smartphone on Cyber Monday,
use a trusted vendor’s app, not a web browser: Vendors have more
control over their own apps than they do over mobile browsers, which
often don’t display the web addresses of the sites to which you’re giving
your credit-card information.
Never install software on your mobile device from a website link or
code: Software from locations other than the device’s official “store,” such
as Apple’s iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store, has a greater chance
of being malicious. Even then, check to make sure that the app developer
is the official retailer - a lot of Amazon-related apps in Google Play have
no connection to Amazon.
Source: www.tomsguide.com/us/cyber-monday-safety-tips,review-1956.html
Sydney Harbour Community Newsletter | November 2018 21