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In what promises to be waay worse than the whole Y2K thingy, hackers have officially notified us that they are planning a massive attack to take over your machine.  Confirmed by privacy and security company, PC Tools (no jokes, please), the threat comes after analyzing more than 500,000 machines this year.  Computer users are warned not to fall trap the basic snares: fraudulent websites, emails from unknown peoples, or the infamous banana in a tailpipe.  (Beverly Hills Cop, anyone?)

PC Tools says that last years highest incidence of spyware attacks came three days before Thanksgiving in the US.  This year they expect an increase of 15% based on Shop.org’s eholiday study, thanks to bargain hungry shoppers who will take to the net after the stores run out of their early Black Friday specials.

PC Tools acquired their data from their installed base of Threatfire.  The software reports back threats it has quashed.  Below, the company offers 8 online shopping tips to keep your info safe.

Keep a sharp lookout, as always.

Read [telegraph]

PC Tools’ 8 Tips for Safe Online Holiday Shopping

1. Use web browser protection

While shopping online you may come across what appear to be legitimate-looking websites created with the express intent of committing financial or identity fraud.

Hackers can also infect legitimate or reputable websites, such that by merely going to a website, you could infect your family’s computer and expose your personal details and financial welfare to risk.

Reputable browser protection, such as PC Tools Browser Defender®, warns you about potentially dangerous websites and identifies websites that are trying to infect or harm your computer.

2. Install comprehensive security protection

You can also help protect yourself from malicious attacks by installing reputable security software such as Spyware Doctor® with AntiVirus or PC Tools Internet Security™ which are recommended by leading independent publications. Make sure your security product has real-time and browser protection, which can block attacks as they happen and while you surf the web, as well as behavioral protection, which helps protect against new and unknown threats.

3. Do your homework

Check out the website’s refund and returns policies, privacy policy and legal notices. These documents should be readily available on online websites.  You will want to know for example, what your rights are in relation to any goods you buy on line and how a company deals with your personal details.

4. Be click aware

Be wise about clicking on links in emails from online retailers. Cybercriminals wanting to steal your personal information can now create emails that look exactly the same as those that come from well-known online stores. So even emails that may appear to be from a legitimate company may be dangerous.  Make sure you have a powerful spam filter that automatically detects suspicious emails as they arrive in your inbox.

5. Look for the signs

When processing payment, the address of the webpage should start with “https” or “shttp” and there should be a security icon at the bottom right hand corner of the screen, such as a padlock or an unbroken key, which indicates that the website has a security certificate.  A security certificate is designed to give you comfort that the information you send from your computer is kept secure from access by other parties.  You should also check that the security certificate is registered to the website you are visiting.  You can do this by double clicking on the security icon and verifying that the name in the certificate matches the name of the retailer.

6. Pay using a secure method

If you use a debit card when purchasing from an online shopping site, the purchase amount will be immediately withdrawn from your account and will be more difficult to get back if the transaction turns out to be fraudulent.  If you use a credit card you can contest transactions before you pay your monthly statement.  Frequent online shoppers should consider setting up a separate credit card with a low limit, so that if their details do get stolen, a thief will be limited in the amount of money they can charge to the card.

7. Don’t give out too many details

Online retailers should only require your basic contact details (for example, name, billing address and contact number) and card details in order to process a credit/debit card payment.  If you are concerned that a retailer is requesting too much information, contact them by phone to find out why they need so much information, how they plan to use it and if they have a privacy policy to protect you.

8. Keep records of the transaction

Make sure you print and save records of any online transactions, including the product description, price and the receipt of payment.  If the site turns out to be fraudulent, you’ll need this information to advise the relevant authorities in order to try to get your money back.

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