McAfee cautions users on cyber attacks this festive season
As we herald the festive season with Diwali, Id and Christmas that are fast-approaching, the scammers are out in full force scheming to lure innocent victims in cyberspace. The best way for consumers to protect themselves is to stay educated about the criminal's tricks, so they can avoid them.
On must check out the following tips to ensure a safe and happy festive season: Only download apps from official app stores, such as iTunes and the Android Market, and read other users' reviews before downloading them. Use products like the McAfee Mobile Suite on your smart phones to protect yourself from malware, data loss and device theft.
Consider using a safe search tool such as McAfee SiteAdvisor software, which tells you if a site are safe to click on right in your search results. Ensure that you shop from a "certified secure" mark on the websites that you shop from. This mark is a reliable indicator of a website's security.
Watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers on social networks (like free airline tickets), and never agree to reveal your personal information just to participate in a promotion. Especially be very careful when clicking on short links that don't give anyone a clue as to what the destination site might be. Again tools like SiteAdvisor from McAfee will come in extremely handy as they warn you when you enter such sites.
Watch out for "too good to be true" offers. While it could be the best kept secret on the web, such offers could also be part of a counterfeit operation designed to get your credit card details. When receiving such online offers or discounts, use the same caution you would as if an unknown person came up to you on the street trying to sell you designer goods at an irresistible price. Never click in an email from unfamiliar mail addresses. Secondly, never share personal information such as credit /debit card numbers, bank details etc on an email. From a solutions perspective, it is no longer sufficient to have anti-virus solution alone. Consider add on features in a security solution such as anti-phishing toolbars; pass word encryption and so on.
Don't accept requests from people you don't know in real life, and wait to post pictures and comments about your vacation until you've already returned home. Some social networking sites allow you to publish your current location. Please check your default Social Networking settings to ensure you have the most appropriate settings that will give you an adequate level of security and privacy. Uncheck ones that are likely to reveal information that should not go out to the general public.
For More Details See
www.varindia.com