At the end of the month the annual shopping season begins with Black Friday. From then on out shopping reaches a peak and as we’ve seen over the years, much of this shopping takes place online.

While convenient, one should be aware of the dangers that lurk in the digital space. Just as you maybe looking for deals, cybercriminals are looking for ways to take advantage of shoppers who aren’t on their guard.

With that in mind, ahead of the shopping season we recommend conducting a security audit on yourself and spending a bit of time securing your digital presence. We’ve outlined a few tips below:

Update your passwords

While you really should be changing password regularly, there is no time like the present.

We highly recommend plugging your email into Have I Been Pwned to check if any existing passwords have been compromised. Even if none have, it’s a good idea to change things up just in case.

This is even true for those using a password manager. Take some time to update your Master Password as well as the websites you intend to use throughout the festive season.

Give yourself the gift of security software

Updating your passwords is great but if your device has been breached and a miscreant has installed malware on your device, it’s a moot point.

Security software is not only a requirement for PCs. Malware can make its way onto any device that connects to the internet so we highly recommend installing a security suite for devices you intend to access sensitive information on.

Both Absa and FNB offer customers free access to Trend Micro security software so take advantage of that if you’re a client.

Set up virtual cards

Speaking of banks, virtual cards are very useful for online shopping. All major South African banks now offer a virtual card solution and we highly recommend using them as they offer an extra layer of security and don’t put your physical card at risk.

This is especially useful during the festive season where replacing a card is a pain.

Lower your spending limits

In the event that your card details, physical or virtual, are compromised, you’ll want to mitigate that damage.

With that in mind, take some time to lower your spending limits. Should you need to raise them, do so as needed but it’s better to have these lower just in case.

Verify the contact details of your bank

If you don’t have your bank’s fraud department, card cancellation and other security contact details saved to your smartphone, do that now.

While these can be found rather easily online, you don’t want to be hassling with a 3G connection trying to find the number to cancel your card.

With loadshedding persisting data networks are often unreliable so preparing can save you some stress and time.

Enable spam call protection

Spammers and scammers are likely to take full advantage of the festive season and the lowered defences of folks.

As such we highly recommend you make use of spam call protection on your smartphone to block any unwanted or potentially dangerous callers. Should a call get through, hang up.

Trying to scambait can be dangerous and could potentially open you up to more perils.

Update your apps and operating system

Updates are vital as they help address security flaws in software that appear over time. These flaws can and are actively exploited by bad actors so its best to err on the side of caution and install updates as soon as possible.

This goes for all applications as bad actors will try any method they can to slip in through the backdoor.

Check for the lock

Your connection to a website should always be secure especially if you are entering sensitive information into that website. A secure connection means that the data you are sending is encrypted and cannot be seen in plain-text by a bad actor.

Make sure you check the URL as well to ensure you are visiting the correct website.

Check email addresses before responding or clicking links

At this time of year, you may receive emails from big brands claiming you have an order waiting or that you’ve won a prize for a contest you never entered.

A surefire way of sorting the wheat from the chaff is by checking the email address the message is sent from.

Be observant though as often times ne’er-do-wells will get crafty and edit an email to look as if it was forwarded from a higher up at the company. As this can be easily edited in the message body, it can catch folks off guard as it gives an air of authenticity.

[Image – rupixen.com on Unsplash ]