The holidays should be a joyous time for everyone, full of goodwill and harmony. Unfortunately, it is also a period when scammers, fraudsters, and hackers around the world increase their efforts to defraud people of their hard-earned money.

And, given how these criminals have exploited the COVID-19 outbreak as a cover for their unlawful operations, now is the moment to double-check that the communications you receive are real and that your internet accounts and activities are as safe as possible.

So, to help you keep your accounts safe as you hunt for gifts and prepare for the post-Christmas sales, we’re providing advice from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, which launched a marketing effort earlier this month to assist members of the public in combating un-festive fraud.

Preventing Cyber Attacks

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever are completing their holiday shopping online this year, meaning that hackers have an even greater potential to carry out cyber attacks via email and website frauds, as well as malware – software that can allow a hacker to enter your system or harm it. 

Once a hacker has obtained access to your device or accounts, they may be able to access your money as well as personal or commercial information.

The Cyber Aware campaign urges people to adopt six behaviours to protect their online accounts and devices:

1. Use a strong and separate password for your email
2. Create strong passwords using three random words
3. Save your passwords in your browser
4. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
5. Update your devices and apps
6. Back up your data.

Improve Your Password Security

Because hackers can use software to obtain your passwords, generating strong, unique passwords and storing them securely is an excellent approach to protecting yourself.

Use a unique and strong password for your email.

If a hacker gains access to your email, they will be able to change your other account passwords as well as access any information you stored about yourself or your business. To make it more difficult to hack or guess, your email password must be strong and distinct from all of your other passwords.

Using three random phrases to construct a strong, unique password that you can recall is an excellent way to get started. This is also a good idea for other crucial accounts, such as banking or social networking.

 

Create Strong Passwords Using Three Random Words.

Using three random phrases to build strong passwords is an excellent idea. Avoid terms that are easily guessed and, if necessary, use numbers and symbols, such as RedPantsTree4!

We understand that remembering different passwords might be difficult, but keeping them in your web browser will make it much easier.

 

Save Your Passwords in Your Browser

This implies allowing your online browser to remember your password for you, which can help you avoid forgetting your passwords and protect you against cybercrime such as phony websites.

It’s still a good idea to safeguard your saved passwords if your device gets lost or stolen.

Turn on Two-factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication (2FA) prevents hackers from accessing your accounts even if they’ve got your password. Some online banking automatically employs 2FA by requesting additional information to verify your identity, such as a PIN, a username and password or code, or biometrics such as a fingerprint or Face ID.

Update Your Devices

Out-of-date software, programs, and operating systems include flaws that render them vulnerable to hacking. Companies who own the software and systems tackle this by distributing updates so that when you upgrade your computer, devices, and software, you prevent hackers from infiltrating your system. 

Some gadgets and programs must be manually updated, while others give automatic updates. In any case, keeping things up to date will assist in keeping you safe online.

Back-Up Your Data

This entails making a duplicate of all your data and saving it to a new device or online ‘Cloud’ storage. Regular backups ensure that your data is always saved and can be recovered if it is lost or stolen.

You can do this either manually or using your device’s automated backup feature. 

Ensure Your Safety and Security During This Holiday Season

Be wary of anyone pretending to represent an official organisation, such as your building society, bank, or the police, and request you to pay money or submit personal information. 

If something appears to be improper or out of the norm, it most likely is, and real people and organisations will not urge you to do anything that makes you feel uneasy.”

Anyone who contacts you claiming to work for a company and tries to persuade you to perform any of the above is a criminal, and you are not required to do what they say.

Happy holidays and stay cyber-safe everyone!