Tips from the Techs: Cyber Safe Online Shopping

From BDK's Tech Department

This holiday season, the primary avenue for gift-giving will be the click. While keeping the health and safety of your family in mind while holiday shopping this year, be sure to also take into account the wellbeing of your online habits. Now, more than ever, cyber criminals are taking every opportunity to find the vulnerabilities in your online environment- be it for business or pleasure. 

We have compiled our top tips for safe online shopping during the holiday season:

1. Look for HTTPS. Before entering credit card numbers and personal information, check to see if your URL bar is green, has a lock symbol at the beginning or the URL starts with https://. This means that the site you're shopping on is a secure session and that your data is being protected with encryption.
2. Use a VPN when using public WiFi. Public WiFi is often unsecure, making your browser activities and purchase transactions susceptible to cyber criminals. A Virtual Private Network creates a sort of 'safe passageway' protecting your personal information. 
3. Be wary of phishing attempts. With all that is going on in our world, phishing is at an all-time high. Be sure to have your guard up this holiday season for emails or text messages promoting incredible holiday deals. Do not click on those promotions as the connected webpage may be capturing your information without you even knowing it. Instead, search for the promotion on the retailer's direct website. Pro Tip: Phishing attempts typically contain spelling and grammar mistakes.
4. Passwords. We've said it before and we'll say it again- use unique passwords when signing up for online accounts. A lot of online retailers will require you to set up an account to purchase items and/or get a certain promotional deal. Using the same password across multiple accounts makes it that much easier for hackers to compromise those accounts. 

By following these few rules, you can provide you and your family with a little peace of mind while maneuvering the World Wide Web for those special gifts. All of us at BDK, Inc. are wishing you and your loved ones a safe, happy and healthy holiday season.