Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
I originally wrote this for black Friday, but circumstances meant it never went. It is also still very valid.
Open and free WiFi is good and well, but do not do any shopping on one. If you can, avoid using them all together. If you think of a gift at McDonalds, by all means, look it up, but do not enter any info into your browser. Make sure you have all the latest OS updates, and maybe invest in Clam AV. Do not let your device out of your sight, if you need to do something, lock it, as you never know when the cat will buy you that new BMW. If you are going to shop, make sure your browser uses SSL everywhere. If there is no SSL, don’t buy there.
This brings me to another point, if it's too good to be true… it’s a scam. Look up any website you have never dealt with first. Something like hellopeter can also give you an idea of what you are dealing with. If you use a credit card, why not load up a virtual credit card first, before you buy? No matter what you may think, a cellphone is never safe, be sure to read your bank’s, or Apple’s, or whoever’s terms of service when it comes to the payment app. Some do not refund you if you get scammed.
Be mindful of payment/refund emails. The main trend of the outgoing year has been malicious mail disguised as the genuine article. They want you to open an attachment or download a linked file. Malware is often placed in an encrypted archive, the password is then given in the body of the message. If you were not expecting an encrypted archive, delete the email. (You can always find it in your deleted items if it was genuine.) You can always call the other party if in doubt. However, NEVER use the number provided on the email.
Always check the headers of an email you were not expecting. Even if you receive an email from your mom, you need to make sure there are no clicky shenanigans. The top prize for a criminal is sending emails from one friend to another and taking advantage of that trust.
If you are willing to make the effort, the best way to see who is compromised or selling your information is to compartmentalize. Create a different email address for your dentist, your optician, your bank, etc. Keep an eye on that bottom line while you are shopping and it may also tell you if someone absconded with some of your hard earned dosh.
This may seem like weird advice, but when you leave home, turn off bluetooth and WiFi on your phone. If you used the guest house’s WiFi, remove that network when you leave. I know you all are lazy, because I can prove it by checking your phone and finding tens of networks. Don’t just install apps for the kids to play with, I know it is tempting, but the less apps you have on your phone, the smaller the chance that one of them is malicious. Most people don’t know their phones are compromised. Even app store apps get compromised, so don’t be lulled into a false sense of security.
Do not buy anything on a shared computer. You can look up why you have spots in your vision on WebMD, but never enter any information or passwords on one. Even if you have multi-factor authentication, don’t. Multi-Factor authentication just means the criminal has to wait while you provide both passwords for him, then he just jacks your session.
Do not trust others with your passwords, if your sister/brother wants to use your computer, make an account for them.
You may laugh, but it happens, never photograph or photocopy your credit card. Don’t let it lay on the table waiting for your waitress, or play with it while you wait, cameras are getting better by the day. The same goes for your identification documents.
Just keep this little article in mind when you are looking online for my pressie.
As always, misc@fullcirclemagazine.org if there are errors.