As the convenience of online shopping and e-commerce gains more and more traction with Filipinos, it’s only a matter of time before cyber criminals strike the proverbial hot iron. Of course, that amount of time depends on two factors: the store’s threat detection and prevention measures, and your own diligence when making online transactions.
While you can do little to influence the former, Kaspersky Lab noted eight ways to improve the latter. Below are some tips on how to avoid cyber Grinches.
- During the first quarter of 2015, 23-percent of new malware threats were coded to either steal or extort money. Steer clear of these ransomwares by ignoring emails and attachments from unknown senders. Additionally, make sure you have a backup of important files.
- Avoid clicking on external links contained within unwarranted emails, SMS, and messengers. These links are regularly phishing scams which gather your personal information.
- “password,” “12345,” and “your birthday” are not safe passwords. For your online shopping profiles, mix letters, numbers, special characters, and upper- and lowercase characters to make your password harder to hack.
- Afraid of making online credit card transactions? Kaspersky Lab says 65-percent of shoppers are. Ensure you’re vising a safe and trusted site before entering your information.
- Though free public Wi-Fi seems like a huge boon, it’s also a lurking ground for cyber criminals. Never enter your personal credentials when connected to these hotspots.
- Turn off your Bluetooth, NFC, and other wireless connections when not in use. It’s also safer to use your personal cellular data when going online.
- Freeware, whether on your PC or smartphone, may come with adware that has effects ranging from simply annoying you with popups to wrecking your device completely. Read the fine print before installing these.
- Double check that you’re inputting your credentials in the proper field and is for a legitimate purchase. Cyber criminals like phishing for an easy click.
Follow the above and you’ll be safer when you’re filling up your virtual shopping cart. If those are not enough for you, Kaspersky Lab also has an online guide on how you can verify if a website is legit or malicious.