The Sunday News
Nyasha Alford
The holidays can be a hectic time of the year – buying gifts online, making travel arrangements and wanting to give back to charitable organizations. Given the spike in digital activity predicted over the holidays, cybercriminals, too, will be making their lists and checking them twice this year. It is particularly a risky time of the year as shoppers of all ages flock to search engines and online channels to place orders before holiday delivery date cut-offs.
Cybercriminals are preparing to spoil the party. Attacks are almost certain to become more prolific during this period as cybercriminals attempt to dupe shoppers into taking unsafe actions that could compromise their personal and even financial data.
The increase in cyberthreats is in part being driven by greater digitisation of various aspects of our personal and professional lives, creating valuable sources of information for threat actors as well as potential areas of weakness to exploit.
Shoppers and travelers across the globe and in particular Zimbabwe need to be wary of cybercriminals who are trying to take advantage of their shopping and travelling arrangement. Research has shown that consumers use their smartphone or tablet to research or make purchases during this festive season, however, consumers can fight back against thieves and better protect their personal information if they follow these basic steps as well as simple cybersecurity tips and practices before and while shopping online.
ONLINE SHOPPING TIPS
Keep a clean machine. Before picking out that perfect gift, be sure that all internet-connected devices ‒ including PCs, smartphones, and tablets ‒ are free from malware and infections by running only the most current versions of software, web browsers and other apps.
Use secure Wi-Fi. Using free public Wi-Fi to shop online while at your favorite coffee shop is tremendously convenient, but it is not cyber safe. Don’t make purchases while connected to public WiFi; instead use a virtual private network (VPN) or your phone as a hotspot.
Lock down your login. Create long and unique passphrases for all accounts and use multi-factor authentication wherever possible. Multi-factor authentication will fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics or a unique one-timecode sent to your phone or mobile device.
Exercise Due Diligence. Be wary of offers too good to be true – no matter how tempting they might be. Buy only from trusted and established online retailers and avoid websites of retailers you’ve never heard of.
Think before you click. Pay attention to emails you receive. Don’t open emails from unknown senders or click on links in suspicious messages. Cybercriminals may tout fraudulent mobile apps or web pages related to holidays or current events, such as Christmas holiday discounts, with the goal of convincing victims to enter personal or financial data.
Beware of being diverted. Not only should you make sure your internet connection is secure. Check to make sure you’re shopping on a site that uses SSL protection.
The easiest way to tell is to check your browser’s address bar. Look for https is the URL. Sites without the s are not safe to submit payment information or other personal details.
Monitor your accounts. Check your online financial accounts regularly for suspicious spending. Also, take advantage of text and email alerting services that many banks and credit card companies now offer.
Phishing: Mobile phishing attempts are especially common for e-commerce shoppers. Online shoppers may receive fraudulent text messages that appear to come from retailers they’re familiar with and these messages typically contain a link that, once clicked, redirects to a fraudulent website that looks like the retailer’s legitimate site but is designed to extract your personally identifiable information (PII).
Vishing and Smishing: Regarding vishing, cybercriminals use phone calls to solicit personal information, relying on “social engineering” tactics to trick you into providing information such as login credentials or bank account information. Vishers often leverage our innate fear of cyber scams and attacks to pull off these attacks. For example, a voicemail message may state, “URGENT: Your bank account has been locked due to suspicious activity. Call us back immediately to restore access.” When
the victim returns the call, they are then asked to provide sensitive information that is
then stolen and used maliciously.
You can avoid vishing by confirming that the phone number from which you received a call or text message does, in fact, belong to the organisation it is claiming to have sent it.
Always remember banks and government agencies almost never contact customers or individuals to provide sensitive information.
Always Remember to Slow down
Cybercriminals want you to react quickly and rashly so they can get their hands on your data. They may use language designed to scare you so you will immediately respond. Or they may dangle a carrot – that hard-to-find item that you can only get from them, and their “stock is running low!” – to get you to bite. In both scenarios, resist the urge! Take a deep breath, don’t let your impulses dictate your reaction, and
then follow all of the advice above.
TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS
No one is exempt from the threat of cybercrime, at home or on the go, but you can follow these simple tips to stay safe online when traveling.
Avoid free Wi-Fi. Although connecting to free public Wi-Fi sounds great, it is often unsecure and can expose your devices and personal information to hackers.
Instead, use a VPN or your mobile phone as a hotspot when going online.
Confirm your network. If you do connect to public Wi-Fi, be sure to confirm the name the name of the network and exact login procedures with appropriate staff to ensure that the network is legitimate.
Disable auto-connect on your devices. If your mobile phone or tablet automatically connect to wireless networks or Bluetooth devices, disable those features and connect manually only when you want to.
Secure your devices. Keep track of your laptop, smartphone, tablet and even accessories such as USB drives – especially while on the go, and don’t leave your devices unattended in public places.
Avoid shared computers. If using computers at hotel business centers and other places that offer shared systems, avoid making purchases or logging into email. You don’t know if the systems are up to date with the latest security software or if the machines are safe.
I would now like to propose a toast: To happy – and SAFE – holiday shopping for us all! Cheers!
About the Author
Alford Nyasha (PhD Candidate) is a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Certified
Cyber Crime Expert, Trainer and a senior law enforcement agent who has international and regional
exposure in the field of Cybercrime Investigation. A holder of a Masters Degree, Diploma in
Telecommunication Systems and multi certifications in Cyber Forensics and Cyber Investigations; has
been active in the field of Cyber Crime investigation, IT security and information assurance for more
than a decade. His passion is to train people to be digitally aware through cyber-awareness
programmes. He writes in his personal capacity. Feedback Email: [email protected]
