With the holiday season upon us, hackers, scammers and online thieves are gearing up for creative ways to steal your information. As millions of online shoppers begin looking for the best deals, hackers are looking to take advantage of people by searching for weaknesses in their devices, internet connections and failure to update to current software versions.

There are several key ways to prevent leaving yourself open to hackers and giving your information to the wrong individuals:

• Stop, Look, and Think before you click on unknown links! When in doubt, if a message or email is real visit the company’s website or verify the sender through another method.
• Never install unapproved software or download attachments without verifying they are safe. Always ensure your computer is up-to-date with the latest approved security patches.
• Don’t download any e-gift card or other links if you do not know the sender. Downloading links from unknown senders can lead to ransomware installs and encryption of data.
• Secure your devices by keeping them close and using strong passwords.
• Password managers are a great tool, and help to create and store strong passwords. They make it secure and easy to not use the same password for all websites, and accounts – a bad practice. If one site is compromised, then the hackers will try the same password on many other sites.  If the password is unique per site, then you only have one account to worry about instead of all your accounts!
• Make sure not to leave any devices unattended or connect to any unknown Wi-Fi networks. When possible, always use MFA.
• Be cautious of websites that are not well known and offer special deals or promotions if you sign up.

With these steps, you can minimize your risk of browsing online and have a happy and secure holiday season.