Here's the latest advice from our IT department, some tips for safe shopping on the internet during the holiday season:
1. Keep Your PC Secure: The bad guys are trying to get in to your computer. They are releasing 70,000 (that's thousand) malware variants daily. Keep your Antivirus and Firewall up-to-date. We cannot overstate this enough, having seen so many computers get infected just because their security software was out of date.
2. Don't Be Stupid: Really I hate to put it so bluntly, but truly if you knew how many PC's got infected just because the user did something dumb, you just might scream. You have to stay aware. Avoid going to controversial sites, aka porn, file sharing sites, etc.
3. Think Before You Click: Is that photo of Angelina Jolie or Justin Bieber really that important that you are willing to risk the security of your computer?
4. Look Where You Are Going: Be certain you are doing business with a legitimate merchant. Don't just click on a link as it may be a scam. Phishing tips: lousy grammar, poor spelling and of course incorrect URL's.
5. Secure Site: And before you whip out your credit card make sure you're on a "secure "site. The URL should have instead of http, an https at the beginning (s for "security") and there should be a small gold lock in the lower right corner of the browser. This isn't an iron-clad guarantee, but still worth looking for.
6. Check Your Accounts: When you are shopping online, you want to make sure there haven't been any "accidents" of a financial nature. It is a good idea to regularly scrutinize your accounts to make sure they are not being abused.
7. Avoid Public 'Puters: Don't do your banking or any other financial transactions on public computers or terminals, which could have keystroke loggers or other malware on them, and while we are at it, also do not use a laptop and Wi-Fi doing financial things in public places.
8. Reviews: A good way to check on merchants and products is to read user reviews and ratings. But even these can be spoofed. So read with a critical eye, and use your judgment.
Still, you wonder what do they think you do when you are on the internet, downloading watching porn. I think they should give there employee some cread. There are other things outthere, like... gay porn
