"The holiday season is unsurprisingly lucrative for online phishers," said Entrust President and CEO Bill Conner. "And while they do employ sophisticated techniques for obtaining consumer identities, simple awareness can be a shopper's most valuable tool in having a safer and more secure online experience."
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How to make safe Online-Shopping During the Holidays – ClickSSL.Com
1. How to make safe Online-Shopping During the Holidays –
ClickSSL.Com
Once reserved for crowded malls and brick-and-mortar stores, shopping for the holidays has experienced a dramatic shift to online
retailers. Unfortunately, it's also a lucrative season for phishers and fraudsters, who use the jump in online traffic to illegally obtain
the identities of unsuspecting online shoppers. To help, Entrust Inc. provides easy security tips to help customers remain safer w hile
shopping online during the holidays.
"The holiday season is unsurprisingly lucrative for online phishers," said Entrust President and CEO Bill Conner. "And w hile they do
employ sophisticated techniques for obtaining consumer identities, simple aw arenesscan be a shopper's most valuable tool in
having a safer and more secure online experience."
Know PhishingTactics. Consumers can't be expected to identify every advanced trend in phishing. But they can be aw are of
common red flags that could signify a potential phishing attack, w hich may include suspicious URLs, misspellings and urgent
requests for banking or personalinformation.
The SSL Standard. (Secure Sockets Layers)SSL Certificate -- more commonly know n as SSL -- helps ensure that Internet
transmissions are encrypted and the identity of the organization has been verified. Consumers can verify if a site uses SSL via the
"https://" in the address bar instead of the standard "http" format.
Look for the GreenBar. Some online retailers have even deployed advanced EV SSL, w hich turns most brow sers' address bars
green during secure transactions. EV SSL Certificate is the highest levelof security on the Web today.
Find the Golden Lock. One of the main security featuresof basic SSL, consumers should become familiar w ith looking for the gold
padlock w ithin their brow ser -- especially during the checkout process or when supplying personalinformation. This indicator should
also be present w hen "https://" is displayed before your site's URL in the address bar. Want further assurances?Double-clickthe
gold padlock. Within the dialog box, you'll be able to verify the name of the company before completing the transaction.
Know Your Path. Tempting offersoften arrive in your e-mail inbox. If something looks out of place, how ever, don't clickon the links
-- especially if they're not froma vendor or organization you currently have a relationship w ith. Instead, navigate to the site yourself
to avoid scams and to validate the offer fromthe organization.
Seek the Seal. Respectable organizations willdisplay the site sealof their SSL certificate provider either on their home page or
during the checkout process. Take it a step further by clicking on the site sealto ensure it's legitimate. Verify that the date and name
of the organization are consistent w ith the site you're visiting.
Update the Browser. If you're using a new er computer, make sure you're using today's most advanced browserslike Microsoft®
Internet Explorer® 8, Mozilla Firefox 3 and Apple Safari4.0. They all feature more advanced anti-phishing tools (e.g., EV SSL) than
older brow sers-- helping make it even easier for you to stay safe.
Card Security. Most online retailers w illrequire the three-digit Card Verification Value (CVV or CV2) number from the backof your
credit card. If they don't, think tw ice about completing the purchase.
Be Leery of Wi-Fi. Whenever possible, it's best to avoid online transactions w hen connected to a public Wi-Fi -- particularly if it's
unsecured. You never know who could be listening.
Logical Logout. This may seem obvious, but log out of any Web session that store personalaccount or banking information. This
simple practice is criticalif using a public computer.
Avoid Browser Plugins. Sometimes the offer of a free toolbar for your browser may be too good to be true. Make sure you know
w ho's providing the plugins and that they're not a clever disguise for something more nefarious.
Monitor Your Account. While it's a good habit to keep an eye on your banking account throughout the year, take a closer look
during the holiday season -- particularly after purchasing products online. If your identity or account has been compromised, you
may be able to limit fraud loss if it's caught early.
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