January 12, 2007, Newsletter Issue #47: Shopping Online is Safe

Tip of the Week

If you're nervous about shopping online, then you're not alone. Studies have found that a good portion of consumers are still nervous about purchasing products online because of a fear that their credit card numbers are going to be easily stolen by malicious hackers listening on the internet for credit card numbers.

Long gone are the days where remote security of transmitted data was dangerous. Modern cryptographic software included in any major web browser is strong enough that even the NSA won't be able to decrypt your safely transmitted credit card number in less than a week, and that's with some of the most powerful computers on the planet. In fact, it's far easier for a server at a restaurant simply to write down the numbers on the merchant's copy of the bill than it is for anyone to snag the number you transmitted to a secured, remote machine.

Far more important in protecting yourself from online credit card or identity theft is your password choice. Remote access security experts have long stressed that people should choose obscure passwords having nothing to do with their name, nickname, username, maiden name, school, etc. etc., but should instead opt for a set of numbers and letters as random as possible. But how are you to remember that, you ask?

Write it down. Seriously, writing down a random password and putting that in your wallet is far less likely to let your credit card or identity stolen online than by using a stupid and easy-to-remember password.

Shopping online is safe, perhaps safer than shopping at a store downtown, just be smart, use common sense, and a good password.

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