Cybersecurity Awareness: Tips on How to be a Safe and Savvy Online Shopper (Insight)

  Documentation during the webinar

The Webinar entitled Cybersecurity Awareness: Tips on How to be a Safe and Savvy Online Shopper was guested by Engr. Rogelio Tiglao, I have learned a lot of knowledge. He first discusses an Essential part of our daily life which shopping online. We are using different types of shops to buy different kinds of things. According to him, there are two types of shops: Physical and Virtual.  Physical shops manage to sell more products because they can guide customers on where the products are located meanwhile in virtual shops, customers should know the name of a product to search for it. Virtual shops are famous nowadays because of the pandemic. The common threats of these online shops are adware, fake online stores, identity theft, unencrypted data, fake apps, data breaches, and avoiding using debits cards.

The guest speaker also discusses how to secure yourself. He stated that protecting yourself online is a starting point. To secure yourself, you must update your browser and Operating System. Newer browser versions are equipped with the resources that help you improve the look and functionality of the website you are visiting. Next is the Use of Powerful Antivirus/Anti-Malware Software. Without anti-virus, there is a tendency that your personal information, your data, and even your bank account to be at risk. The third one is Implement Script Blocker. A smart blocker is a smart extension that provides extra security for your browser. It can control JavaScripts, iframes, and plugins per tab on the domain basis on edge chrome. The fourth security is Steer Clear of Unsecured Websites.   You must avoid malicious websites. The fifth one is to Use a Virtual Private Network or VPN. The main purpose of a VPN is to hide your online activity. VPNs are often used to guard against hackers and snoops on public networks, but they are also useful for hiding your IP address, browsing activity, personal data, or any WI-FI network even at home. Next is to switch to HTTPS. The main benefit of HTTPS is that it makes your site more secure. The “S” in HTTPS means Secure. The seventh security is Payment Gateway Security. It provides a secure connection to carry out transactions on behalf of a merchant. The eighth one is Use Multi-factor Authentication. The main benefit of MFA is it will enhance your organization’s security by requiring your users to identify themselves by more than a username and password. While important, usernames and passwords are vulnerable to brute force attacks and can be stolen by third parties. Lastly, Use Powerful Passwords. The stronger your password, the more protected your computer will be from hackers and malicious software. 

To spot fake apps, you must: check the reviews. Online review are very helpful to a vast majority of consumers and they are also responsible for securing your online visibility in search rankings. Next is look for grammar mistakes, it tends to be unprofessional. Check the number of downloads, it is a great way to know how popular a particular app is. Research the developers. Be cautious about images and screenshots and lastly, you have to review permissions.