Safe Online Shopping in 7 Simple Steps

Given the current economic problems, shoppers are increasingly turning to internet shopping in attempts to save money. A convenient way to browse and compare gift ideas, shopping online offers an attractive alternative to the often gruelling experience of researching the best prices on the high street.

Buying your gifts on the internet provides the distinct advantage that you can quickly and efficiently price match your chosen items, either by manually comparing prices on a selection of websites, or through price comparison services such as Kelkoo and Pricerunner. In a turbulent financial climate, being able to economise your budget is, without doubt, one of the main driving forces behind the rising popularity of online shopping.

Shopping online is generally a very safe and convenient platform for today's busy shopper, however to ensure a productive shopping experience it is worth following the following guidelines for online shopping.

1) Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate

Ensure that the website you are buying from provides a valid SSL certificate on pages where you are entering private information such credit card and billing information. 'SSL' stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is used to encrypt sensitive information transmitted over the internet.

Information transmitted via SSL cannot be read by unauthorised third parties, so your details cannot be deciphered even in the off-chance they are intercepted. To check whether the website you are buying from uses an SSL certificate (a requirement of websites which transmit credit card details) simply check the URL of your page for the https: and/or the secure padlock symbol at the foot of your browser window.

2) Updates for Your Internet Browser

To ensure a secure online shopping experience, and in general, it is important to ensure your internet browser is kept as up to date as possible. New browser updates are regularly released to address security bugs and vulnerabilities. Free to download and install, updating your browser is quick and easy, so there is no reason not to have the latest version of your browser installed.

3) Keep Your Operating System Up To Date

As with Internet Browsers, Operating Systems are also open to new vulnerabilities, so it is important to keep your operating system up to date for a safe online experience. This is especially important for Windows based operating systems, which are installed in most home computers/laptops, and as such are particularly liable to security breaches.

Modern operating systems allow automatic software updates. Alternatively, you can manually download the most recent updates for free online. Either way, you should try to ensure your operating system is current to ensure your computer is secure.

4) Regularly Update Your Anti-Virus Software

Most of us are aware of the importance of installing a good anti-virus package, but it is worth re-iterating this point. Viruses often arrive disguised of email attachments or website downloads, but they can also be unknowingly downloaded from malicious websites simply by browsing website.

There are a selection of excellent anti-virus packages available, some of which are free, so ensuring against potential viruses is as simple as finding the correct package for you and installing it.

You should also make sure your anti-virus suite is up-to-date by installing the most recent virus definitions when they become available. Updated virus definitions contain code used to recognise new virus threats, so to make sure your computer is adequately protected it is important to install these updates. Most anti-virus packages normally download these definitions automatically, and Windows based operating systems will recognise whether or not your virus protection is up-to-date.

5) Adware/Anti-Spyware/Malware software

There are other forms of malicious software which pose a potential threat to internet users. Spyware and Adware usually install themselves on your computer simply by visiting an infected website. At worst, this type of software can install malicious programs such as keylogger software, which logs the keypresses of the keyboard on a compromised machine, and can be used to hijack sensitive information such as credit card numbers.

There are a number of very good free software packages which prevent malicious software such as Spyware/Adware/Malware from running on your machine, so it is a wise move to install such a package on your device.

6) Install a Firewall

A Firewall is a piece of software which prevents access to your pc by an unauthorised user or software program. Without a Firewall, your computer might be vulnerable to being hacked and malicious software such as viruses, trojans and worms, so it is important to ensure you have one installed. Again, there are a number of excellent Firewall programs available for free download, and in modern installations of Windows operating systems a Firewall is included as standard.

7) Phishing Websites/Emails

'Phishing' is a fairly common security threat whereby a malicious user/organisation can gain access to secure information such as usernames/passwords/credit card details by means of a fake website and/or email.

Typically, a user will receive an email, e.g. from a reputable bank, requesting that the recipient of the email update their online information. The phishing email normally links to a illegitimate website designed to collect your details for illicit purposes. Fake phishing websites often closely resemble the original website they are based upon, and recipients of phishing emails can be duped into entering their sensitive information to fraudulent third parties.

Modern Internet Browsers come with anti-phishing tools which advise users of potential phishing threats. Vigilance is also recommended, as banking websites will never email clients requesting full passwords or usernames.

By adhering to these guidelines for secure online shopping, you can ensure your shopping experience is as secure as possible, whilst making significant savings in the process.


David Webb is the senior web developer for GiftyGifts, an online gift store specialising in Novelty Mugs, Money Pots, and Edward Monkton gifts.