Is it safe to buy online?
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Learn about aspects of safe online shopping and why it may not matter what you think
You are not alone if you wonder how safe it is to buy online or even if you have decided to never put your banking information on the Internet.
* The FTC logo (as seen at www.ftc.gov) is displayed as a reminder to visit their site for consumer protection, online fraud, ID Theft and other important information and tools to help You, the consumer * This page was written with your online protection in mind. *
Is it really safe to buy online? YES, it can be. It can be made as safe as possible and in many instances safer than buying in person. Disagree already? Read further. You may agree by the time you get to the end. If not, argue your point. I'm interested in learning more, myself.
Myth: My banking accounts, credit cards, etc will never be used on the Internet because I prefer more security by shopping in person, using paper checks and other payment methods that do not involve the computers and use of the web.
Fact: Your bank account is already online! That is why many banks offer "online access". They are offering you the option of looking at what they have already put out there!
Fact: When you pay with plastic at a cash register the verification goes to the National Verification Credit Card Center via the INTERNET. No to include you have left a paper trail in addition to the electronic trail. Do you trust the cash register folks are even the janitorial staff that has access to locations in the store where your paper trail resides between shifts, close-outs of registers etc?
Fact: When you pay at the pump - you just used the Internet! How else did you get the money to pay for that tank of gas. They queried your account and also they most likely placed a $1.00 hold on the card until the amount of the purchase is actually paid days later.
Fact: Your Cell phone is also on the Internet! This is how companies are able to offer web browsing, etc.
Fact: No matter what service you use in this digital age (cable tv, digital telephone, specific internet usage such as via your ISP, using ATM machines, etc), you are using online services because just about everything is stored on a computer these days, can be accessed via another computer and this is all because ALL of your account and personal information is already ONLINE!
So, what this means is if you can not -- not use the Internet, then I say learn how to use it safely!
The reason most folks do not want to use their home computer for shopping is the risks from what they call "hackers, online scams like phishing/spear-phishing, fake sites and services, viruses, spyware and other things that usually lead to potential Identity Theft or online Fraud against the consumer.
You are in luck! You have found my Lens! By understanding what I have taken time to share with you on this page, you will be well on your way to becoming the type of consumer that bad guys pray the don't find. Sad part at the moment is most have not yet seen this page! Please share with your friends, family and anyone you care about regarding their security, privacy and overall well being in their computing experience at the gas pump or at home, its all very closely tied together.
So when you ask the question "Is it safe to buy online?", your answer comes from your knowledge of safe techniques, safeguards and basically have the mindset in being determined to not become a statistic. Do not fall for ID Theft, do not get Scammed, do not worry any longer and do not think you are fine by not being concerned.
Are you interested in keeping your family, your business or yourself safe in this day and age? Of course you are! That is why you are here.
Read on further to learn the details!
* The FTC logo (as seen at www.ftc.gov) is displayed as a reminder to visit their site for consumer protection, online fraud, ID Theft and other important information and tools to help You, the consumer * This page was written with your online protection in mind. *
Is it really safe to buy online? YES, it can be. It can be made as safe as possible and in many instances safer than buying in person. Disagree already? Read further. You may agree by the time you get to the end. If not, argue your point. I'm interested in learning more, myself.
Myth: My banking accounts, credit cards, etc will never be used on the Internet because I prefer more security by shopping in person, using paper checks and other payment methods that do not involve the computers and use of the web.
Fact: Your bank account is already online! That is why many banks offer "online access". They are offering you the option of looking at what they have already put out there!
Fact: When you pay with plastic at a cash register the verification goes to the National Verification Credit Card Center via the INTERNET. No to include you have left a paper trail in addition to the electronic trail. Do you trust the cash register folks are even the janitorial staff that has access to locations in the store where your paper trail resides between shifts, close-outs of registers etc?
Fact: When you pay at the pump - you just used the Internet! How else did you get the money to pay for that tank of gas. They queried your account and also they most likely placed a $1.00 hold on the card until the amount of the purchase is actually paid days later.
Fact: Your Cell phone is also on the Internet! This is how companies are able to offer web browsing, etc.
Fact: No matter what service you use in this digital age (cable tv, digital telephone, specific internet usage such as via your ISP, using ATM machines, etc), you are using online services because just about everything is stored on a computer these days, can be accessed via another computer and this is all because ALL of your account and personal information is already ONLINE!
So, what this means is if you can not -- not use the Internet, then I say learn how to use it safely!
The reason most folks do not want to use their home computer for shopping is the risks from what they call "hackers, online scams like phishing/spear-phishing, fake sites and services, viruses, spyware and other things that usually lead to potential Identity Theft or online Fraud against the consumer.
You are in luck! You have found my Lens! By understanding what I have taken time to share with you on this page, you will be well on your way to becoming the type of consumer that bad guys pray the don't find. Sad part at the moment is most have not yet seen this page! Please share with your friends, family and anyone you care about regarding their security, privacy and overall well being in their computing experience at the gas pump or at home, its all very closely tied together.
So when you ask the question "Is it safe to buy online?", your answer comes from your knowledge of safe techniques, safeguards and basically have the mindset in being determined to not become a statistic. Do not fall for ID Theft, do not get Scammed, do not worry any longer and do not think you are fine by not being concerned.
Are you interested in keeping your family, your business or yourself safe in this day and age? Of course you are! That is why you are here.
Read on further to learn the details!
Safety & Security Tips, absolute must do's and points to ponder.
How you are affected is based on your knowledge and your efforts. Here you may find your solution(s).
OK - Let's cut through the bull and get right down to business.
ONLINE SECURITY 101
a) Different Passwords for Different online accounts!
If you feel the way I do then this one is the most painful. We all hate passwords because the are super inconvenient, hard to remember and just gets in the way of getting things done!
However, " to a hacker , this is great news! If I get just ONE password to one of your accounts then I have them ALL.. and I Will Try! ;) I even have a program to handle all the effort. Only work for me is to discover you".
b) Use STRONG and COMPLICATED Password structure!
Ouch, again! As if it wasn't bad enough...
The evil hacker / cracker is happy once again! Passwords are NOT a guessing game. There are 100's of free password cracking utilities out there that are available to everyone, period. It takes less than a hundredth (or less) of 1 second to crack most passwords that do not meet the requirements.
Fact: ALL Passwords Can Be Cracked! Period! The key here is a Strong password becomes a very very good deterrent!!!! Even though all passwords can be cracked, strong password structure could take hours, days, weeks or longer to crack. The Hacker would be discovered LONG before this. They also know there are too many folks out there who don't know these details.
c) Don't write your passwords down?
OK, I personally disagree. I can't imagine the stress of trying to actually remember one strong password, let alone many!
The KEY here is knowing why this is a rule and how it won't matter with a little common sense applied.
Writing down a password increases the risk of it being compromised simply bec no hack is required. I simply wait for you to leave and look under your keyboard, look in your lil black book, wait for it to fall out of your pocket, or like many who just write it on the wall mean I don't have to do anything but look at the wall. Geez!
Point is, its not the writing it down that is so bad, but rather the Loss of Control that gets us. IF you can write it down and maintain 100% control, then I say go for it! I do! ;)
Now, enough about passwords.
d) Purchasing thru a web site? OK, this one gets interesting because there is much more to know about than just "the" web site..
- TCP/IP Protocol. OK, skip the TCP/IP part. Lets just look at the word Protocol. Do most care? Of course not. That's sometimes computer jargon we don't need in every day life online, right?
WRONG!
Let's take a look at what we normally see in front of the WWW of some website .com.
"http" The "p" stand for protocol. The "ht" stands for Hyper Text. OK - that just means the fancy text you can Click on and it does something.. too easy. The second "t" represents the word "transfer". That is because viewing a website means a copy of that web document was transferred (aka. downloaded) to you.
"https" The http is explained above but what about the "s". Think of that lil "s" as your Saving grace, your Security, your Safety thru encryption or look at it in techie terms represents Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), the key here being "secure".
Well how secure is secure or safe? Good question!
Rule #1 NEVER enter data onto a web form if it does not use SSL.
Rule #2 ALWAYS look for the little pad-lock located in your browser window and click on it if necessary to determine How Secure this SSL site really is?
The Magic number for SSL is 128 or higher.
Note: This 128bit encryption of this SSL page implies the level of encryption used during its transfer to/from you (htTpS). So the second letter "t" should be remembered and should remind you to always look for the "s" at the end.
Reminder: Do NOT enter Personal Identifying Information (PII), Privacy Act (PA) or other sensitive data on any web page/web form that does NOT use httpS!!!
Reminder: Anything less than 128bit SSL is near useless and if you can do business with folks whose web servers may offer 1024bit, etc then all the better. Good luck.
Note: Do you log into a Blog, an Online Game Site, etc that is FREE? Did you check to see if they use SSL with their http?
*enough of the http and https
- Who owns the site you are purchasing from?
Their may be ample security on the site to protect your credit card but if the owner is also a terrorist then who did you just give your personal information to? Always purchase from legitimate, well-known and specific companies. Using systems like PayPal may be of benefit to the buyer!
- Are they a member of the BBB?
YES, the Better Business Bureau now tracks online businesses as well. Look them up before buying. Once you verify they are a good business operator that meets your expectations, enjoy your shopping experience.
- Where are the server's located for this business?
This point is not normal to consider and may often be too difficult to answer for it to be of a primary concern.
Word of advice is if you are purchasing from "joe's backyard sales" (a phony name used in this example) there is a good chance this small business owner doesn't have the income to afford a server farm in its own facility. Joe, in this case, probably uses his home computer as his business server in some cases.
Your questions for Joe would be: What do you do with that computer and data after hours? What security mechanisms do you have in place for that computer? Who else has physical access to the terminal, etc. Basically, if you stick with the well-established and larger companies you will have a better chance they have more security in place (but not always - just be aware of these points and make an educated decision as necessary). Good to go!
e) Protection of data residing on end systems is critical.
We have already looked at data in transit (http/https, etc). Now lets take a look at the copies of that data that remain at the points of origin or destination.
- data on the end system. If you look at the examples above regarding "joe's" business on his personal computer then you have the information necessary for the End Points.
The primary concern of the end point is the Security Policy, Privacy Policy and business rules of said company. Be sure to read over these items to help you in making smart choices about who you may do business with.
- data on the system of origin. Here we am speaking of your home PC or maybe even your work PC. For the point of this article we will focus on the Home PC as you would normally be the one responsible for its security posture, whereas, your work computers should already have an IT Security Professional in place. IF they do not, be extra careful out there.
The following is critically imporant for home computer security.
* Quality Anti-Virus program, is kept up-to-date daily and routine scans performed.
* Quality Anti-Spyware program, is kept up-to-date daily and routine scans performed
* Quality Firewall program, properly configured and kept up to date
* Stable Operating System. In other words, this computer is NOT the one with peer-to-peer file sharing programs (like bearshare, limewire, etc), programs are not downloaded and installed daily just because we like to try new things and critical software updates are properly installed as they become available.
* Stable software. This one is a pain. Not all software is compatible with your MS Windows just because the box cover says it is. FACT: Yes, the program may have been compatible with your Windows but because Windows shares core Dynamic Linking Libraries (DLLs), there is NO guarantee (and often major conflicts) due to programs not being compatible with each other!!! Ever experience a "run-time error, DLL not registered, DLL not found, computer freezing", etc? Most likely you now have an unstable system.
** Want to know more about Spyware, Security of your system and more. Do check out http://nolimitz-4u.synthasite.com (copy/paste into browser). There are guaranteed high quality software listed there that will keep you safe as any! Don't take my word for it.. Go look!
** Also, learn more at www.ftc.gov ~or~ www.onguardonline.gov
ONLINE SECURITY 101
a) Different Passwords for Different online accounts!
If you feel the way I do then this one is the most painful. We all hate passwords because the are super inconvenient, hard to remember and just gets in the way of getting things done!
However, " to a hacker , this is great news! If I get just ONE password to one of your accounts then I have them ALL.. and I Will Try! ;) I even have a program to handle all the effort. Only work for me is to discover you".
b) Use STRONG and COMPLICATED Password structure!
Ouch, again! As if it wasn't bad enough...
The evil hacker / cracker is happy once again! Passwords are NOT a guessing game. There are 100's of free password cracking utilities out there that are available to everyone, period. It takes less than a hundredth (or less) of 1 second to crack most passwords that do not meet the requirements.
Fact: ALL Passwords Can Be Cracked! Period! The key here is a Strong password becomes a very very good deterrent!!!! Even though all passwords can be cracked, strong password structure could take hours, days, weeks or longer to crack. The Hacker would be discovered LONG before this. They also know there are too many folks out there who don't know these details.
c) Don't write your passwords down?
OK, I personally disagree. I can't imagine the stress of trying to actually remember one strong password, let alone many!
The KEY here is knowing why this is a rule and how it won't matter with a little common sense applied.
Writing down a password increases the risk of it being compromised simply bec no hack is required. I simply wait for you to leave and look under your keyboard, look in your lil black book, wait for it to fall out of your pocket, or like many who just write it on the wall mean I don't have to do anything but look at the wall. Geez!
Point is, its not the writing it down that is so bad, but rather the Loss of Control that gets us. IF you can write it down and maintain 100% control, then I say go for it! I do! ;)
Now, enough about passwords.
d) Purchasing thru a web site? OK, this one gets interesting because there is much more to know about than just "the" web site..
- TCP/IP Protocol. OK, skip the TCP/IP part. Lets just look at the word Protocol. Do most care? Of course not. That's sometimes computer jargon we don't need in every day life online, right?
WRONG!
Let's take a look at what we normally see in front of the WWW of some website .com.
"http" The "p" stand for protocol. The "ht" stands for Hyper Text. OK - that just means the fancy text you can Click on and it does something.. too easy. The second "t" represents the word "transfer". That is because viewing a website means a copy of that web document was transferred (aka. downloaded) to you.
"https" The http is explained above but what about the "s". Think of that lil "s" as your Saving grace, your Security, your Safety thru encryption or look at it in techie terms represents Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), the key here being "secure".
Well how secure is secure or safe? Good question!
Rule #1 NEVER enter data onto a web form if it does not use SSL.
Rule #2 ALWAYS look for the little pad-lock located in your browser window and click on it if necessary to determine How Secure this SSL site really is?
The Magic number for SSL is 128 or higher.
Note: This 128bit encryption of this SSL page implies the level of encryption used during its transfer to/from you (htTpS). So the second letter "t" should be remembered and should remind you to always look for the "s" at the end.
Reminder: Do NOT enter Personal Identifying Information (PII), Privacy Act (PA) or other sensitive data on any web page/web form that does NOT use httpS!!!
Reminder: Anything less than 128bit SSL is near useless and if you can do business with folks whose web servers may offer 1024bit, etc then all the better. Good luck.
Note: Do you log into a Blog, an Online Game Site, etc that is FREE? Did you check to see if they use SSL with their http?
*enough of the http and https
- Who owns the site you are purchasing from?
Their may be ample security on the site to protect your credit card but if the owner is also a terrorist then who did you just give your personal information to? Always purchase from legitimate, well-known and specific companies. Using systems like PayPal may be of benefit to the buyer!
- Are they a member of the BBB?
YES, the Better Business Bureau now tracks online businesses as well. Look them up before buying. Once you verify they are a good business operator that meets your expectations, enjoy your shopping experience.
- Where are the server's located for this business?
This point is not normal to consider and may often be too difficult to answer for it to be of a primary concern.
Word of advice is if you are purchasing from "joe's backyard sales" (a phony name used in this example) there is a good chance this small business owner doesn't have the income to afford a server farm in its own facility. Joe, in this case, probably uses his home computer as his business server in some cases.
Your questions for Joe would be: What do you do with that computer and data after hours? What security mechanisms do you have in place for that computer? Who else has physical access to the terminal, etc. Basically, if you stick with the well-established and larger companies you will have a better chance they have more security in place (but not always - just be aware of these points and make an educated decision as necessary). Good to go!
e) Protection of data residing on end systems is critical.
We have already looked at data in transit (http/https, etc). Now lets take a look at the copies of that data that remain at the points of origin or destination.
- data on the end system. If you look at the examples above regarding "joe's" business on his personal computer then you have the information necessary for the End Points.
The primary concern of the end point is the Security Policy, Privacy Policy and business rules of said company. Be sure to read over these items to help you in making smart choices about who you may do business with.
- data on the system of origin. Here we am speaking of your home PC or maybe even your work PC. For the point of this article we will focus on the Home PC as you would normally be the one responsible for its security posture, whereas, your work computers should already have an IT Security Professional in place. IF they do not, be extra careful out there.
The following is critically imporant for home computer security.
* Quality Anti-Virus program, is kept up-to-date daily and routine scans performed.
* Quality Anti-Spyware program, is kept up-to-date daily and routine scans performed
* Quality Firewall program, properly configured and kept up to date
* Stable Operating System. In other words, this computer is NOT the one with peer-to-peer file sharing programs (like bearshare, limewire, etc), programs are not downloaded and installed daily just because we like to try new things and critical software updates are properly installed as they become available.
* Stable software. This one is a pain. Not all software is compatible with your MS Windows just because the box cover says it is. FACT: Yes, the program may have been compatible with your Windows but because Windows shares core Dynamic Linking Libraries (DLLs), there is NO guarantee (and often major conflicts) due to programs not being compatible with each other!!! Ever experience a "run-time error, DLL not registered, DLL not found, computer freezing", etc? Most likely you now have an unstable system.
** Want to know more about Spyware, Security of your system and more. Do check out http://nolimitz-4u.synthasite.com (copy/paste into browser). There are guaranteed high quality software listed there that will keep you safe as any! Don't take my word for it.. Go look!
** Also, learn more at www.ftc.gov ~or~ www.onguardonline.gov
Links to finding tools to keep you safe!
Shop online - Its Safer
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Dee
Jan 16, 2009 @ 11:03 pm | delete
- I'm always looking forward to your next lens.They are worth reading and I learn a lot from them. I recommend that everyone must read this and all your lenses. Nice job always!!!
-
by nolimitz
Hi! My name is Jeff. I'm a technology geek in various ways but was not always in that position.
I began my journey of graduating HS in '88. However...
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