How to Stay Safe Online

As we all know, the world’s most widely viewed sporting event kicked off last weekend - the FIFA World Cup.

Although online security may not be a focal point during the World Cup - it should be! Such high profile events will, without a doubt, encourage an onslaught of cyber crime, as users are tricked into performing certain actions and disclosing confidential information. Throughout the games, cyber criminals will be setting online traps aimed at gaining public interest surrounding those searching for World Cup footage, news and event information.

Scammers will undoubtedly take advantage of the latest breaking football news to distribute malware and con potential victims. The major concern is that a large volume of people interested in the games will be turning to online and social media for the latest news and information and they are exposing themselves to a number of risks.

Football fans, hungry for game information, may be more susceptible to visiting unfamiliar and untrustworthy websites and opening unsolicited e-mail offers, thus exposing themselves to viruses, malware, rogue security programs, and phishing attacks.

Here at Student Beans, we have called on the geeks at AVG to help make sure you enjoy the month-long tournament without becoming the target or victim of an attack:

Our advice

1. Think before you link - install a URL scanning tool to ensure you don’t click on links that lead to infected web pages. The link needs to be scanned and checked BEFORE you load it into your web browser and the way you can do it, is by using AVG LinkScanner. It’s free and it works with all other security and anti-virus programs.

2. Look for the “S” - make sure the websites you are purchasing from, whether World Cup paraphernalia or food for your game night-in, are secure and have https:// in the URL as supposed to http:// when you are in their checkout/purchase process. The “S” ensures security. When you are in the secure section of a web site, you will also see an icon of a locked padlock on your browser, either on the address bar or on the bottom right corner.

3. Stay current on security software - this means making sure you have the latest virus protection software updates from your security software provider. This is extremely important because fraudsters move around frequently, but security software companies are working to stay one step ahead of them. If you are up-to-date, you are staying one step ahead, too.

4. Keep your private information private – when shopping online, create a separate e-mail account that is just for shopping. Use a unique password, different from any other accounts you have. Your dedicated shopping e-mail account should be in no way affiliated with your personal, everyday e-mail account. Also, keep records of your online shopping — print confirmation pages and e-mail confirmations.

5. Mix up your passwords - each shopping account, bank account, credit card account and e-mail account should have a unique password. Write them down and keep the information in a secure location – not on your computer. Unique passwords for each account make it tougher for a thief to steal your personal information.