Taipei, Taiwan / Munich, 10th of December 2009 — Since there are Christmas markets, there will always be pickpockets who operate them. And since the Internet exists, so do Internet criminals. "Shopping online is after all not more dangerous than visiting shopping centres," says Steve Ro, CEO at EgisTec. "However, similarly to the fake cash dispensers that steal account details, there are fake web pages on the Internet that can pick up login details. You are no safer browsing the virtual shopping world than the real one." Security expert EgisTec suggests ten rules of etiquette which can make life online safer.
1. Enhancing PC security
Make sure that your computer is in principal "safe". Download the newest updates for the operating system. Don‘t deactivate the automatic update function. Also always use the latest version of your web browser. Get a security software and a virus scanner with real-time monitoring as a background feature. In addition, activate the virus scanner before buying anything online.
2. Don’t enter every virtual shop
To open an online "shop" is simple and cheap – even for crooks and cheats. Make sure the webshop is reliable before you log on. Pay attention to the vendor’s transparency – is the identity and address of the supplier clearly visible in the small print, as are the terms and conditions, guarantee, cancellation and return policies? Are the policies easy to find and understand? Are all prices clearly indicated? Are there any reports in the media about the shop? This information, and other web-users’ reviews, can easily be found with the help of a search engine. Most importantly, the longer a shop has been in business, the more trustworthy it’s likely to be.
3. Avoid credit cards, when possible
Many shops offer the possibility to pay by invoice, debit or credit card. The majority of shop owners go through the trouble of protecting their customers’ information, however, customer records are known to appear on the web or are traded in hackers' forums. The only remedy is not to enter any such information on the web at all. Always try to pay by invoice or do a bank transfer. Only use credit cards and pre-payment in emergencies.
4. Choose secure SSL data transfer
The information you enter on a website makes invisible stopovers on the Internet along the way – in theory anyone can tag along and read it. That‘s why it‘s important to use encrypted routes to transfer confidential information such as account details and credit card numbers. Never send your account details or credit card numbers per e-mail. Make sure when entering data on a web page that the browser displays a web address beginning with https://, as the additional "s" stands for an encrypted ("secure") connection. In addition, the browser should display a padlock icon. If a shop doesn‘t offer a secure data transmission for your account information and payment method, it’s advisable to shop elsewhere.
5. Use safe passwords
Most online shops provide you with access, as long as you register a username (or e-mail address) and password. Caution: anyone possessing this information can shop in your name! Make sure you therefore choose a safe password. A safe password is at least 10 characters long and includes both lower and upper case letters as well as numbers, for example "PRLsna2410". Avoid complete words ("sesame"), parts of your name, nicknames for partners and pets or similar terms that can be easily guessed and cracked.
6. Use several passwords
If a hacker has cracked an account, he will possess one password. If you use the same password for every shop, a hacker can theoretically gain access to other shops. The trick is to use an individual, secure password for each shop and not to use the same password in any two shops at the same time.
7. Safely encrypt data
Many users store their account details on their PCs or laptops in order to easily cut & paste the details. Login details are often also stored on computers. If the device falls into the wrong hands, so will the confidential login details. EgisTec offers a solution: EgisTec MyWinLocker 3 can encrypt an entire Windows-system or individual files with the help of the AES process. Data will be inaccessible to hackers, spies and laptop thieves if you save your account details and passwords in the so-called Yo-Safe, a virtual disk. If you let MyWinLocker 3 encrypt the entire Windows-system, then access codes stored in the browser will also remain safe.
8. Data protection
Use your information sparingly. Simply put, what you enter online is difficult to delete. An online shop needs your name, your postal address for delivery and your e-mail address for the order confirmation – the shop doesn’t need more personal information than that. By the way, German law states that a shop is to collect only the absolutely necessary information for a business transaction.
9. Delete data
Also store as little data as possible on your PC. If you use your Christmas bonus to buy a new computer or for an upgrade, you might flog the old one or the used hard drive on a second-hand market. Files that have been "unsecurely deleted" with normal methods containing login details and account information may then fall into the hands of unauthorized persons, as the deleted information can be made visible again with hacking tools. The EgisTec Shredder provides a cure. This tool for highly secure deletion of sensitive data files destroys the files so they no longer can be read even with the help of expensive expert tools. Another helpful tool is EgisTec Trust Delete. This remote deletion software enables a laptop user to delete sensitive data, even from a distance, if the computer is stolen.
10. Be aware of phishing
An "employee" of a legitimate shop will never call or e-mail you claiming "urgent technical" reasons for asking for your password. Also be aware of e-mails luring you with links to online shops – if you by clicking on the link land directly on a registration page, it might be a phishing attack by which someone tries to entice you to reveal your account data with the help of a deceivingly real-looking but fake website. Advice: always begin your purchase on the home page of a shop whose web address you type in the browser yourself.
More security with EgisTec products
The convenient security products from EgisTec complement the existing security functions of Microsoft Windows, runs on all Windows versions (Windows 7 32/64-bit, Windows Vista 32/64-bit, Windows XP 32-bit) and are available to download as test versions for a limited period from www.egistec.com.
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