Tips for Staying Cybersecure This Cyber Monday | Resilience

Resilience
3 min readDec 1, 2020

With many shoppers eschewing in-person stores this year due to Covid-19, experts are predicting that Cyber Monday and the entire online holiday shopping season will see record amounts of traffic. Before you hit Add to Cart, make sure that your personal cybersecurity protocols are ready for all that retail therapy with these quick tips!

1. Shop on secure sites (look for the lock!)

Security should be the foundation of your shopping habits so make sure that your favorite e-commerce sites are secure by looking for the lock icon in the URL bar and making sure the sites start with HTTPS instead of HTTP. Secure websites help protect data that you share when making purchases.

2. Use familiar sites — or do your research

Using sites you’re familiar with can help cut down (but not eliminate) risk. If you’re considering a new retailer, make sure to do a little research first to make sure they’re legitimate and in line with your security needs. A great place to start is genuine customer reviews and the privacy policy of an online retailer.

3. Beware “too good to be true” deals

Threat agents have gotten increasingly talented at using ads, email, and social media channels to trick unsuspecting customers into scams. If an offer seems too good to be true or if a retailer feels questionable to you, trust your gut!

4. Use your credit card instead of a debit card

Credit cards protect you because they don’t give a retailer direct access to the money in your bank and they typically have extra protections against fraud built into their policies. Just make sure to pay your bill on time to protect yourself against your financial planner too!

5. Don’t browse on public Wi-Fi

An oldy but goody worth bringing back up, especially when you’re shopping online. Make sure you’re conducting your purchases over a secure network.

6. Use strong passwords

As you create new accounts with retailers or access stored information to make purchases, take a moment to double-check that your passwords are up to snuff and make sure that you’re not reusing your credentials on multiple sites.

7. Keep an eye on your accounts

The holidays are a time of increased threat when it comes to fraud and cybersecurity online. We recommend checking your accounts regularly and keeping on top of your purchases to make sure everything runs smoothly. Report any suspicious activity to your bank, retailers, or authorities immediately and be watchful.

With a few careful habits, you can stay secure online and get your shopping done from the comfort of your own couch. Do you have tips for shopping online? Be sure to share them with us on LinkedIn — we’d love to hear them!

Originally published at https://www.resilienceinsurance.com.

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Resilience

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