Secure Your Shopping During the Holidays

Posted By Ant Pruitt in Culture, Holiday, Lifehacks

BreakingModern — Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, but this doesn’t mean the holiday shopping season is done. Nor does it mean the holiday hackers are taking a break. During this holiday shopping season when things get busy be sure to keep your shopping strategy secure and safe. Allow me to share a few simple and easy ways to shop online and in brick and mortar retailers.

Safe and Secure Holiday Shopping Tips

If you’re a savvy shopper, you’re probably picking up deals at retail giants like Amazon and Wal-Mart on your personal computer. That’s well and good, but be mindful of the personal data that’s being passed between your computer and the retail servers. Granted, your connection is ideally over an SSL connection (https), but this can’t be trusted 100 percent. It’s wise to add an additional layer of security. Here are a few ways:

Don’t Use Your Bank Information

Many of today’s banks offer debit cards or Visa gift cards. These cards can be used with most retailers in store and online. The account number on the debit card isn’t associated with your bank account. It’s funded by cash that you put in. Debit cards can be purchased and loaded at most retailers and are even offered through services such as PayPal and Google Wallet. Using these debit cards reduces your risk in brick and mortar retailers that use the easily accessible credit card scanners at the register. Hackers can sometimes place skimmers on those readers that can read your credit card’s magnetic strip. If you’re using a debit card and not your personal credit card, you’re a little more protected.

Use Your Own Internet Connection, Not Free Public Wi-Fi

Please don’t use free public Wi-Fi such as at your favorite coffee shop to shop online. Not only is your transaction exposed to the network, but other network traffic you create on the connection is visible to hackers. So, your purchase of the HTC Nexus 9 is visible to prying eyes of the network, as are your Twitter posts and emails. Use your secured Wi-Fi at your home when shopping online. And if you’re able to install a VPN client on your home computer to encrypt your network traffic, that’s even better. Software such as CyberGhost is a reliable option.

Once your orders have been placed, you can sit back and wait for delivery. This means checking your email for tracking numbers. Watch for fake emails mentioning your shipping information. If you open an email with shipping tracking numbers in them, DO NOT CLICK THE URL in the email. In almost all cases, the original website where your order was placed lets you track your package on its website. By going directly to the online retailer, you reduce your risk of compromising data. Sometimes the URLs in the email are fake and someone is trying to phish your personal data, or even install a keylogger on your computer without your knowledge.

Lastly, when you’re out in a store or at the mall, be careful with your credit cards. Be mindful of who you speak to about your purchases. Sometimes we share too much information. The worst case is when an attacker follows you to your car. If possible, shop in a group to be safe.

This is a joyous time of the year. Don’t let nefarious folks steal your joy by taking your personal data or property. Don’t give them the opportunity by keeping your data secure. Please be safe this holiday season, everyone.

Happy holidays.

For BMod, I’m Ant Pruitt.

First image: Ant Pruitt

Featured image: “Security” by John Loo via Flickr Creative Commons