It’s that time of year – Thanksgiving is one week away and then the busiest shopping days of the year commence. ‘Black Friday’, followed by ‘Small Business Saturday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ are some of retailers biggest and busiests days. Recent research suggests that credit card data is the most sought after data in a breach. Here’s our two (or three!) cents on protecting your credit card data during the holidays busiest shopping days.

1 . Use credit cards more than debit cards.

It’s considered a ‘best-practice’ to use credit cards over debit cards, especially when shopping online. You’re not as liable for fraudulent purchases, you have longer to dispute false charges, and the fight to get your money back is less of a challenge.

2. Shop on secure (SSL) sites

Shop on sites that ALWAYS are secured and encrypted – look for HTTPS or the lock icon in your browser (typically to the left of the URL in the address bar or the status bar down below; it depends on your browser.) Only use your credit card on a site that has an SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed.

3. Think mobile

Really, there’s not a lot of difference in shopping on your desktop or laptop versus your mobile device. Larger retailers, like Amazon and Target, have apps that you can download and purchase items directly – without even going to their actual website.

If you have questions about how to secure your business data, or need help navigating the IT world, give us a shout. We’re always happy to help you out. Call us at 970-243-3311. #networksunlimited