To shop safe online in 7 simple steps
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Given the current economic problems, people are increasingly turning to online shopping in order to save money. A convenient way to browse and compare gift ideas, online shopping provides a more effective way to find the cheapest prices available in supermarkets.
Buying your gifts online offers the advantage of comparing the prices of the items you choose quickly and efficiently. Manual price comparison often leads to positive results, or price comparison sites such as Pricerunner or Kelkoo often help find the best prices in the least time. In a difficult economic climate, the ability to save your budget is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the growing popularity of online shopping.
Online shopping is generally a very safe and convenient platform for today's busy shopper, but to ensure a productive shopping experience, it's worth sticking to the top 7 tips for safe online shopping.
1) SSL Security Certificate
It is important that the website from which you purchase an SSL certificate is uploaded to pages where you enter special information such as credit card information and invoices. The term "SSL" refers to the "secure socket layer" and is used to encrypt sensitive information sent over the Internet.
Information transmitted via SSL cannot be read by unauthorized third parties, so your details cannot be decrypted even if they are not intercepted. To check if the website you're buying from uses SSL (a requirement for websites that transmit credit card details), just check your page's URL to get https: and/or the security lock code under the browser window.
2) Internet browser updates
To ensure a hassle-free online shopping experience, in general, you should always make sure you update your internet browser as much as possible. The latest browser updates are constantly released to address security errors and vulnerabilities. Downloading and installing for free, updating your browser is fast and easy, so there's no reason not to install the latest version of your browser.
3) Operating system updates
As with internet browsers, operating systems can also be vulnerable to new errors and security vulnerabilities, which is why it's important to update your operating system for a secure online experience. This is particularly important for Windows-based operating systems, which are installed in most home computers/laptops, and are therefore particularly vulnerable to security violations.
Most modern operating systems provide automatic software updates. Alternatively, you can manually download the latest software updates for free online. Either way, you should always make sure your operating system is updated to ensure optimal security at all times.
4) Keep your antivirus software up to date
Most of us understand the importance of installing a good antivirus kit, but it's worth reaffirming this point. Viruses often arrive in the guise of email attachments or website downloads, but can also be downloaded without the knowledge of malicious websites once you visit that site.
A variety of premium antivirus packages are available, some of which are free, so locking your computer against potential virus threats is as simple as finding and installing the package that suits you.
You should also make sure that the antivirus software set is updated by installing the latest definitions of viruses when available. Updated virus definitions contain code used to identify new virus threats, so to make sure your device is adequately protected, it's important to install these updates. The antivirus package usually automatically downloads these definitions, and Windows-based operating systems will see if the antivirus is up to date.
5) Adware/Anti-Spyware/Malware software
There are other forms of malware that pose a potential threat to Internet users. Spyware and hackers usually install themselves on your computer as soon as you visit an infected website. At its worst, this type of software can install malware such as keylogger, which can record keystrokes on the keyboard on an infected device and can be used to hijack sensitive information such as credit card numbers.
There are a number of very good free software packages that prevent malware such as spyware/ad software/malware from running on your device, so it is wise to install such a package on your device.
6) Install a firewall
The firewall is part of the program that prevents unauthorized users or software from accessing your computer. If you don't have a firewall installed, your computer may be vulnerable to hacking and malware such as trojans, viruses, and worms, so it's important to make sure one is installed. Again, there are a variety of excellent firewall programs available for free download, and in modern installations of Windows operating systems, the firewall is included as standard.
7) Don't fall into deception
Phishing is a widespread security problem where a malicious user/organization can access sensitive information such as credit card details/username/password by using a website and/or fake email.
Normally, the user will receive an email