Cyber scrooges are looking for free gifts this holiday season


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Use these cybersecurity tips to freeze them out this holiday season 

Someone gives a present to another

You may not feel it yet with all of the warm weather, but the holiday season is fast approaching. As you look for that perfect gift, keep these security tips around phishing, texting and other scams in mind:

  1. Keep your software up to date by turning on automatic system updates for your devices and make sure that your web browser has automatic security updates set up.
  2. Use strong passwords and never use the same one twice. 
  3. Use two-factor authentication to add another layer of security.
  4. Don’t save payment details on a site unless you shop there regularly. 
  5. When shopping online, make sure the connection is secure. Look for a padlock or “https” in the URL.
  6. Avoid phishing schemes: In 2020, 6.95 million phishing and scam pages were created, using subjects like COVID-19 and gift cards to lure people in. Here’s what you can do:
    • Don’t open email from people you don’t know.
    • Know which links are safe and which are not—hover over a link to discover where it directs before clicking on it.
    • Look for grammatical errors.
    • Remember that malicious links can come from friends who have been infected.
  7. Don't give out your personally identifiable information (PII) such as name, address, phone numbers, data of birth, Social Security Number, IP address, location details or any other physical or digital identity data. Fake texts and emails impersonating shipping companies are asking for confidential credentials to confirm or track deliveries and these scams are only going to increase as holiday shopping picks up.
  8. Back up your data regularly. IT and security managers follow the simple 3-2-1 backup rule: keep three copies of your data on two types of media (local and external hard drive) and one copy in an off-site location (cloud storage).
  9. Review your online accounts and credit reports regularly for changes.
  10. Report it! If you think you have been contacted by a scammer, report it to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint.

By Megan Tobias, Agency Communications Manager