Western Eagle Security focuses on physical security, naturally, but during the holidays, cyber-security becomes an important point to focus on as well. In short, cyber-security is making sure what you do online is protected, because everything you do online is effectively done with a million strangers. So how do you make sure you’re being safe online, especially when it comes to shopping?
Here are a few tips:
- Use a credit card online: Your debit card is attached to your credit card, and in the event you use it for payment and it gets hacked, the hackers now have access to your debit card.
- Shop secure sites: What does that mean? Sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble will have encrypted the check-out process for your security, but how do you tell? The easiest way to do that is looking at the web address; if it says httpS, that means that it’s a legitimate, secured site.
- Be smart about your email: If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t open the email. Sites like Amazon and other shopping sites will always put the company name in the address, and they will never ask you to email them your username and password. If something doesn’t seem right to you, call the company whose website you’ve ordered from.
Overall, it’s good to practice common sense online. If you’re uncomfortable with technology in general, your local library or community center will likely offer computer classes. If you are able to ask family members for help, do that as well. Younger generations have grown up with this technology at their fingertips, and they’ll make sure that you don’t go wrong when trying to do a bit of Christmas shopping!