According to CPA Practice Advisor, 50 percent of holiday gifts were purchased online in 2016 compared to 43 percent in stores.
Online shopping is getting lots of buzz as the festive period approaches becoming more popular by the day.
Ecommerce websites are rolling out fantastic deals which many online shoppers are finding exciting. No doubt that popular sites are receiving heavy traffic as online shoppers search for special discount.
However, it is also a good time for hackers to start targeting such websites. If these websites are vulnerable to attack, then it becomes easy for any cyber attack to be launched.
“This holiday season will likely see the online swing intensify, says Dr. Ray Klump, professor and director of the Master of Information Security program at Lewis University.
Aside from the security measures already adopted by these online stores, shoppers are also expected to play their role in making sure that they are safe.
Apparently, as shopping online becomes easily accessible, it also becomes risky for shoppers.
Here are some ways to shop online this festive period be assured of safety.
Use Cellular Connection: Always use your mobile data plan or cellular connection if you are shopping online. Do not use a public wifi because an open wifi is not encrypted, a cellular connection is.
Do not be overconfident: Some websites have developed a reputation for providing a secure buying experience over the years.
And sometimes we tend to have so much confidence that we no longer limit how we shop. Try to limit how you shop on these websites.
Use different passwords: Avoid using one password for different websites and start using different password for every site you visit.
If a hacker eventually hacks your password and uses it for those websites you shopped, then it becomes too disastrous.
Be careful while clicking on links: Links can be malicious especially if they are sent through email from online stores you don’t know. Instead of clicking the link, copy the link and paste on your browser.
Use personal computer: Shopping online through a public computer can be risky therefore it is more safer to shop using your personal computer.
Some people go to a cyber cafe and use those computers to shop online. This is damn risky because other people could have access to your log details.
Never save passwords in your browser: Saving your password on a browser is risky. Let’s assume you shop on any of the online stores and you save your password and username and someone’s
Update your anti-malware software: There is no point to emphasize this because an outdated anti-malware software does not protect you from malware.
