12 basic rules of safe online shopping
A Life Technologies / / December 19, 2019
Alexander Pavlov
Academic Director of the Graduate School of Information Technology and HackerU security.
According to preliminary informationRussian e-commerce market. Results for the 1st quarter of 2017.For 2017, Russians made purchases of more than one trillion rubles. This is good news for e-commerce. But the growing popularity of online shopping has attracted criminals who are looking for vulnerabilities and hack services for profit.
May 21, 2014 the world's largest Internet auction site eBay reportedeBay Inc. To Ask eBay Users To Change Passwords. that it was hacked. Then the hackers gained access to a database, store names, passwords, email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers and other information. Hit 145 million users, eBay administration has recognized that these data can be used with malicious intent.
A year earlier, the American retailer Target stolen data on 40 million customers, and to do so on the eve of "black Friday"- the risk of attacks on online shopping during big sales increases.
Because of such breakups customers have to change their passwords en masse, not only from your account at the store, but also by email. And attackers are personal data of people who can be used to access internet banking and e-wallets. If you do not want to get into this situation and become a victim of fraud, always follow the simple rules of safe shopping.
1. Study reviews of the store
If the site is fraudulent, something about it already wrote a lot of cheated customers. appropriate groups in "VKontakte" reviews on third-party platforms, media reports - all it costs beforehand to search the internet. Note the physical address and phone number of the store: if the data is, it inspires confidence. You can make a phone call to check whether he is a worker.
2. Do not register with the help of social networks
You do not necessarily want to steal the money right now. Social networks - this is the first and principal source of information for hackers who collect personal data, which are then used for fraud.
Be sure to adjust the profiles privacy in Facebook, "VKontakte" and "Classmates" and do not let the online shopping access.
3. Get a password manager
Yes, create a password for each service difficult. But to use the same password everywhere (for e-mail, social networks, e-commerce) - the idea of so-so. It is better to install convenient password manager, Remember only one master password and use it.
4. Do not specify the primary e-mail address
Surely in your main mail stored keys from the accounts, or it can help them can be easily accessed. To her, as a rule, tied Internet banking, with it there is an active correspondence with quite personal details.
In your best interest to fraudsters do not know your address. For online shopping is better to create a separate email account that in the event that it was not a pity to lose.
5. Get to the online shopping a separate card or wallet
The same principle with a payment card - if suddenly information about it is stolen, will not be so annoying. Refill it in small amounts before shopping. Be sure to connect the SMS-banking to monitor the safety of money, and service payments are short number. Another good idea - to set a limit on withdrawals from the card.
6. Enter the Web address manually
Malicious sites can use domain names that are very similar to the names of popular resources, relying on user error. The difference between the amazon and amaz0n that second site fraudulent, although quite similar to the original online store. Therefore safer not to copy the URL in the address bar, and enter the address manually website.
7. Keep track of the connection security
Address safe-life begins with https, where the letter s stands for secure - «safe». Platform for building online stores Ecwid recommendsThe HTTPS protocol: how to increase the trust of customers and the search engines to the online store. use HTTPS and the SSL-certificates that protect data transmission channel between the Internet user and the website.
If the online store address starts with http, better to refrain from buying in it, because your payment details may be stolen.
8. Do not pass the data through a public Wi-Fi
In "Kaspersky Lab" claim"Kaspersky Lab": Moscow is potentially dangerous one in five public Wi-Fi network.That 18% of public access points, Wi-Fi in Moscow unsafe. This means that cybercriminals can easily get access to your electronic payment, which was made in a cafe, a hotel or a large shopping center.
When you select a public network, select password protected, activate the settings of your device select "Always use a secure connection" and connect through a virtual private network (VPN), If possible.
9. Carefully read the links before you go to him
At one time, users Avito sent out CMC, which offered to go to a fake resource avito-inbox.com. People to a fake site downloads a virus that stole their personal information and money.
Furthermore, attackers are actively using e-mails. They can be attached to the email-message document or image that will actually be disguised malware.
10. Do not settle for a prepayment
If this is not your friend or seller with whom you are cooperating for a long time, it is better to hold the money until the transfer of the goods. Otherwise, you can fool the most banal way - simply do not send anything. Therefore it is better choose payment upon receipt of the order: cash on delivery or cash on delivery. And to give your money's worth already after make sure that the goods all right.
11. Keep receipts and receipts
If you want return the goods, Challenge the withdrawal of funds from your account or to start legal proceedings with an online store, you'll find all the receipts - paper and electronic. Keep them.
12. regularly update
On all devices that you use to work with online shopping, you need to establish reliable protection: the current antivirus updates critical applications, browser and operating system. Developers regularly improve the program and close the loopholes for criminals.
see also
- Fraud on the Internet: how you can cheat in social networks →
- How to cheat on AliExpress, and what to do →
- Shopping on the Internet: English words that you need to know →