Christmas is a cyber-criminals favourite time of year with plenty of ways to take advantage of vulnerable shoppers online it is better to be cautious than run the risk of having your personal details compromised.
Here are 5 tips for staying cyber-safe this Christmas:
1)Use Two-Factor Authentication
Having an extra layer of protection is always advisable! Two-Factor Authentication is a key security feature you should be considering this Christmas. It’s great protection for when hackers are trying to get into your account and even prevents them from entering your accounts with a guessed password.
2)Fake customer reviews
Hackers posing as companies will often pay for fake reviews. These normally appear on social media platforms without any comments. Be wary of buying any products through review links like this it is most likely a cyber-criminal lying in wait, waiting for you to share your personal details.
3)Social media scams
With platforms like Facebook, at this time of year there tends to be plenty of active cyber criminals around especially if you’re listing things for sale on Facebook Marketplace this makes you a prime target with plenty of phishing scams within messenger. Look out for profiles with limited friends and photos, this is usually a sign that a cybercriminal is involved.
4)Watch out for public Wi-Fi
After a long day of Christmas shopping, the coffee shop is probably calling your name, however, be aware of joining Public Wi-Fi networks. Be cautious entering your personal details on websites you visit when connected to public Wi-Fi, insecure connections and public domains are often targets for cybercriminals as there is no VPN protection.
5) Shop on trusted websites
Before purchasing any products from a website it’s a good idea to check whether the website is legitimate or not, there are a few ways to spot this. See if the website has an SSL certificate, the padlock symbol in the search bar, if it has an SSL certificate will state ‘HTTPS’. SSL creates a secure connection to protect sensitive data such as your name, address and payment card details from cyber-attacks.
