Cyber awareness tips- keeping safe this Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner and more and more people doing their shopping online, we thought we would share a few Cyber Awareness tips and what to look out for, to make sure your online shopping experience is safe and stress free!

Before you click ‘BUY’ and enter your details make sure you look out for these:

• At the beginning of a vendor’s URL make sure there is an addition of an ‘S’ at the end of http:// (https://) This is a good indicator that your session is secure and that the site is using encryption to protect your personal data. This is known as SSL—Secure Socket Layer—encryption. It protects online transactions by keeping data in transit confidential through encryption. In other words, your information is not visible to hackers.

• A lock symbol at the beginning of the address bar or the green colour are good indicators of site safety.

• Use a VPN when you browse. This encrypts your traffic so even if someone manages to eavesdrop, they’ll just have a bunch of encrypted data. VPNs, or virtual private networks can turn Wi-Fi into secured private connections, important on your mobiles too!

• Always use strong passwords, update them regularly, and never reuse the same password for multiple accounts.

And finally,

• There may be deals popping up in your emails that look too good to be true. They most likely are! Keep your guard up for phishing emails that have bogus links. These will direct you to potentially harmful websites.

We hope you have a safe and secure online shopping experience, with your newfound Cyber Awareness knowledge, happy browsing!