With the fast approaching holiday season we once again find ourselves looking for a deal while shopping from the comfort of our office chair, all while finishing up the last email you need to write before the long holiday weekend starts. Sound familiar? It should. Chances are if you are reading this you are either a business owner or decision maker and want to insure your success and be able to still take care of your family. I hope this will resonate with you. Here are some tips that we have to help make your shopping experience better while keeping your business assets safe.
- Use verifiable websites. Many websites are very easily faked and will look the same. Meaning go to the companies site you want to buy from not the first page you find on google.
- Don’t click on links that are sent through email unless you know the sender. Clicking those links can lead to malware being loaded onto your system that can lay dormant for months before being either used or detected.
- Use secure websites, if you don’t see the padlock next to the URL you should not be putting any information into the site………. Including Payment info……. Site should begin with HTTPS:// of SHTTP://
- Credit Cards are the preferred payment method. Most major credit cards have a “ZERO Liability” clause when it comes to fraud.
- Use a unique password when setting up a payment account through a company. 12-16 characters and not something easy like your kids names and birth dates
- Use a secure network or VPN
- Do not click on Pop-ups. Please say this 5 times out loud. This is one of the easiest ways to get malware onto your computer and into your network.
- Update your internet browser!!!! Your head of IT security will thank you!
While nothing can get you complete security the list above can help you stay very safe and keep the company rolling. Think about the time and money lost to your business if you get hit with a work stoppage because of a cyber Monday deal. 60% of cyber attacks on small business result in the business closing. Do the easy thing right and keep your network and company safe.
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