Shopping on free WiFi? Be careful where you buy
Have you ever made a purchase online? Sales from online retailers are predicted to hit more than $500 billion in 2017 - up from just $317 billion in 20121, so chances are you have. People browse the web for new items at great prices all the time, and online shopping, or at least research, has become commonplace before heading to a physical store.
However, if you're out with your friends and you get an email about a spot sale, you might want to check it out online, right? So you connect to the free WiFi in your area, find something you love, and enter your details to pay for the goods. That's where you can get caught out, and have your identity information stolen.
How can people steal identity information from the web?
If you're browsing online, you'll be using cookies, whether you're aware of it or not. Cookies are small pieces of information built into the script of a website that collect information about you while you browse. Data such as what you click on, what you read and how long you spend on each page are important for marketing purposes and they are generally used to improve user experiences. Some people, as reported by McAfee, are jumping through hoops in the code of these websites and free WiFi providers, and stealing banking information while people browse2.
Shopping has become a much different experience with technology.
It's a complex process, and it's not something that just any old cybercriminal can do. It requires either lots of security permissions, or hacking through firewalls and protections put in place to keep the information of people using the WiFi safe2. Once someone has access to people using the web on their mobile devices at these free WiFi hotspots, such as in shopping centres or cafes, they can gain backdoor entry to the data on devices, or information entered onto the website2.
Particularly around summer when people are on holiday, or enjoying themselves at cafes and shops, it's an easy time for people to target unprotected devices or WiFi hotspots. If you're an avid shopper while on-the-go, it might be worth checking that you haven't been compromised, or that your phone or tablet is well protected against cyberattacks.
How can you protect yourself?
Mobile devices are on-hand virtually all the time - when we go to the bathroom, when we're on a bus or train, when we're walking to meet a friend or find a cool new bar. It's hard to get away from them simply because they're so convenient, and we can have everything we need in them, from calendars to banking apps to social media. Aside from all that, they're great for communicating with people as well.
We're constantly on our phones - because most of our lives are on them now.
That's why mobile devices are targeted - we're on them so often, that we're unaware of the threat they could pose. You protect your computer or laptop at home with an antivirus system, right? You should do the exact same thing with your phone. A sound antivirus protection system on your mobile device will protect you from unwanted attacks on public WiFi connections, and it will help you to keep your identity and banking information private.
Without it, however, you're leaving yourself open to being hacked from a number of sources, including through unsecured online shopping channels. Antivirus and firewall systems aren't too expensive, but the investment you make in your own security is worth a whole lot more.
If you have been online shopping on public WiFi recently, or you've noticed some strange activity in your bank statements, subscribe to one of our identity monitoring plans today so we can get started on finding out if you've been compromised.
1. CMO. 15 Mind-Blowing Stats About Online Shopping. Accessed January 2017.
2. McAfee. Shopaholics: Beware of Risky Wi-Fi. Accessed January 2017.