Shop Safely This Holiday Season With LastPass

'Tis the season for holiday shopping – online shopping, that is. But are you feeling ready to safely shop online this year? Along with a few basic precautions, using LastPass can help you protect your personal information and reduce your risk of theft or fraud.  So, this Cyber Week, follow our do's and don'ts of safe online holiday shopping.

1. Avoid public WiFi. Unsecured WiFi is convenient. Unfortunately, it also allows cyber thieves to spy on your Internet activity and steal personal information or payment card data. Save your shopping for when you're on a password-protected and encrypted WiFi connection.
2. Use a VPN. Go a step further and protect your browsing with a Virtual Private Network (VPN), especially if you have no choice but to use unsecured, open WiFi. Using a VPN is as simple as downloading an extra piece of software that you run before connecting to the Internet. It gives you a more anonymous presence while shopping online and prevents websites or cyber thieves from gathering data or stealing your information.
3. Secure passwords with a password manager. Passwords might be the last thing on your mind during the holiday shopping season. But cyber thieves don't take a vacation. There are many ways to steal passwords, like phishing scams, social engineering attacks, and using databases of leaked passwords. 
4. Turn on dark web monitoring alerts. When using a password manager to create and manage strong passwords, staying on top of cyber incidents is part of a good cyber security strategy. That means updating passwords when a known data breach has occurred. Dark web monitoring alerts you to leaked account information, so you can immediately take action and remain vigilant for suspicious activity.
5. Enable two-factor/multi-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication adds extra protection to accounts by requiring more information before granting access. By completing an extra step, like providing a one-time passcode or swiping your fingerprint, you're proving that you are who you say you are while blocking anyone trying to gain unauthorized access to an account. 
6. Back up your information. If you're using cloud apps, double-check that your data is automatically synced and backed up. (Usually, you can specify that back-ups only happen when you're on WiFi, so you're not using up data.) Back up everything else to either a third-party cloud storage solution or a hard drive - or both, for redundancy! 
7. Use common sense. We all love a good bargain, but sometimes good deals are too good to be true. Shop with reputable companies, always double-check return policies, and know how to report fraudulent sales. For example, don't pay a vendor with PayPal's friends and family option - you won't have any protection if it turns out to be a scam. 

By taking basic precautions this holiday shopping season, you'll be able to steer clear of cyber theft and focus on what’s really important -- the gifts!  For the best password protection, at home or in the office, get LastPass Premium, Families or Business.