6 Cyber Security Tips for Online Holiday Shopping

The holiday season is here. Most people have already started buying gifts online. You might buy some things from offline stores. But, most of the people now prefer shopping online. It is difficult to find your favorite gift in offline stores. You need to check various local stores for finding your gift. Instead, you can find all the products on an e-commerce website. You can even find products that are not available in your state or country.

If you are shopping from a reputable website, then you are mostly safe. But, if you are buying from other e-commerce stores, then you need to take special precautions. This will make sure that you are not providing your credit info to scammers. Most people love doing online shopping during the holidays. Thus, hackers also try to hack these e-commerce websites during the holiday season. Hackers will also try to steal consumer information. You can protect yourself by following these cybersecurity tips:

1. Make sure that you are shopping on an authentic website

First, you should make sure that the website you are using is secured. Sometimes hackers will create a clone website of e-commerce websites. They will send you great offers on your website. You should make sure that the e-commerce website is sending the data securely. If the website is authentic, then your browser will send the encrypted data to the server. This will ensure that no one can intercept your data.

There is a very easy method to check this in your web browser. If your browser is showing that an HTTPS connection is made, then the website is authentic. Most of the web browsers will show a padlock icon. Websites like Paypal use SSL encryption. If you are seeing the company name in green, then the website is using SSL encryption.

Make sure that you are entering sensitive information like bank account or credit card information in authentic websites only. If you are not seeing padlock icon while visiting some websites, then you should avoid doing shopping on that website.

2. Use strong password

You need to create a new account for shopping on any e-commerce website. They will ask you some basic information like your name, your phone number, payment information. You also need to enter a password while signing up. Make sure that you are using a unique and secure password while creating your account. Most people are using the same password on every website. If an attacker gets access to your one account, then they can use the same information on other merchant websites. Hackers can use your account for doing fraud transactions. Thus, you must always try to use a strong and unique password. You should use a strong password on the e-commerce website. There are various third-party tools you can use for creating strong passwords. These tools will also remember your password. Hence, you don’t need to worry about memorizing tough passwords.

3. Never shop on public Wi-Fi networks

Everyone loves public Wi-Fi networks. You can find these public networks almost everywhere. But, these public networks are not secure. Hackers can easily hack into such networks. They will sniff the public network and look for credit card numbers. Sometimes hackers can even set up fake public Wi-Fi networks. You will think that you are connecting to the airport network. But, you will actually get connected to the hacker network. Hence, you should never use public Wi-fi for doing online shopping. If you want to do online shopping using a public network, then you must use any VPN network. It will make sure that all your data is encrypted.

4. Don’t shop on unknown websites

Sometimes you won’t find a product on any reputed website. It is only available on some unknown websites that you can found using Google. Should you buy it from that unknown website?

Most of the small e-commerce stores are run by honest resellers. But, some e-commerce stores are also run by scammers. They will offer discounts to their visitors. Thus, you will easily get attracted to such websites. If you have never heard about the website, then you must search for that website reviews. You should also try to find the information about that company. If it has a good review on Google, then you don’t need to worry about anything. Scammers will mostly give fake information about their website. Thus, you should also try to find the real name of the company.

5. Use antivirus Software

If you are not using any antivirus, then it is a good time to install antivirus software. It will protect your sensitive information like your financial information. You can also use free antivirus software. But, it is best to use paid antivirus software. They will protect your computer from malware and virus.

6. Check the price of the product in incognito mode

You can use all the above tips for protecting your information from hackers. But, sometimes the vendor can also take advantage of the holiday season. They will show different prices to people who have already created an account. Most e-commerce stores use this kind of trick. They will show a discounted price to new customers. Thus, you should always check the price of the product in incognito mode. You can also use a different browser for checking the product price. If it is showing a discounted price, then you can add the product in your cart. You might get your favorite thing at a discounted price.

Conclusion

You have to be wise while doing online shopping. Most people will pay extra attention to their wallets when they are doing shopping in an offline store. But, they won’t care about their financial details when they are shopping online. Make sure that your sensitive information is secured when you are doing online shopping. You can follow the above tips for protecting your information from hackers. If you want more cybersecurity tips, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.