Six Tips to Stay Safe Online This Holiday Season

The holidays are a time of love and giving, but they are also a time when hackers run rampant. If you don’t want to get a stolen identity in your stocking this year, we recommend you practice the following safe shopping security measures.

Shop Through Trustworthy Vendors and Marketplaces

While it might be tempting to search for fun and unique gifts for your friends and family this holiday season, you have to be careful about who you shop through, as there are plenty of online marketplaces that could very well steal your information. Stick to the ones you know you can trust whenever possible.

Shop Through Secured Websites That Utilize Encryption

To minimize the chances of your information becoming compromised, we recommend you shop through secured websites that utilize encryption. Look for the “https” in the website’s URL, or a green padlock icon in the address bar, which can indicate that the website is properly secured—especially on the payment portal. Don’t enter financial or personal information into a website unless you see this.

Keep Your Devices and Software Up to Date

As with most online security issues and threats, it helps to keep your devices, software, and applications up-to-date with the latest patches and updates. Spyware and keyloggers that can steal your passwords and usernames can often be prevented entirely through simple security measures like this.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

For your online shopping accounts, be sure to enable multi-factor authentication. This adds a secondary layer of security that is difficult for most hackers to bypass, as it relies on them needing more than just a password to access your online shopping accounts.

Review and Monitor Your Bank Statements

If you want to ensure that no one is using your payment information for anything fraudulent, your best bet is to continuously monitor your bank accounts throughout the holiday season to ensure there are no unauthorized purchases.

Be Wary of Phishing Scams

The holidays are a perfect time for hackers to masquerade as reputable retailers like Amazon, so if you get text messages or emails asking you to confirm anything by clicking on a link, be very cautious. We recommend you log into your account through the official website and check for messages there, as messages like those above are often phishing attempts in disguise.

Want more tips on how to stay secure, even outside the holiday season? Reach out to Heart of Texas Network Consultants at (254) 848-7100.