Secure Online Shopping Guidelines

With the pervasiveness of the Internet, online shopping websites are employed by e-commerce businesses for retail sales directly to consumers.

Generally, privacy and security are major concerns for electronic technologies. Organizations engaging in e-commerce are faced with security issues almost on a daily basis. Certain guidelines have been provided for systems and networks security available for the implementation of e-commerce. It is strongly recommended to have an updated antivirus on any system that regularly accesses the Internet.

Although the benefits of online shopping are appealing, developing, deploying, and running the system is not always easy. The protection of buyers and sellers on any e-commerce site is of utmost importance to the business.

Confidentiality, integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation and privacy are focal points in e-commerce. Any information exchanged on e-commerce networks must be kept from unauthorized parties. The e-commerce infrastructure should also ensure that the exchanged information is not altered in any form. The acceptance of e-commerce however has led to a myriad of security threats and online shopping is not left out. There are numerous guidelines for a successful online shopping experience and these are outlined as follows.

Secure Online Shopping Guidelines:

1. Always Shop at Secure Websites: Secure websites start with https instead of http. HTTPS is a protocol for secure communication over a computer network which is widely used on the Internet. Secure sites use encryption technology to transfer information from your computer to online merchant's computer. Encryption scrambles the information you send in order to prevent hackers from obtaining it. Only those with legitimate access privileges can decipher the code.
2. Research the Website Before You Order: Do business with companies you recognize and trust only. If a company is unfamiliar, carry out your due diligence before buying their products. If you decide to buy something from an unknown company, start out with an inexpensive order to learn if the company is trustworthy or not.
3. Read the Website's Privacy and Security Policy: Every reputable online website provides information about how it processes your order. It is usually listed in the section titled Privacy Policy.
4. Be Aware of Cookies and Behavioural Marketing: Online merchants monitor shopping and surfing habits by using "cookies," an online tracking system that attaches codes to Internet browsers to track which sites online shoppers visit as they search the web. It is very important online shoppers block pop-ups before visiting any online shopping site in order to reduce malware risk. You may however allow pop-ups when the need arises in the process of shopping.
5. Always shop with a credit card: The safest way to shop on the Internet is with a credit card. In the event something goes wrong, you are protected under the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act (in the United States of America). 
6. Disclose Only the Bare Facts When You Order: When placing an order, you must provide certain information to the web merchant such as your name, email, phone number and address. Often, a merchant tries to obtain more information about you and you must be careful.
7. Keep Your Password Private: Many online shopping sites require the shopper to log-in before placing or viewing an order. The shopper is usually required to provide a username and a password. Never reveal your password to anyone. Never save passwords on any shopping website. It is better to keep your password on your system.
8. Check the Website Address: The address bar at the top of your browser page contains the website address (also called Uniform Resource Locator - URL). By checking that address, you can make sure that you are dealing with the correct company.
9. Don't Fall for Phishing Messages: Identity thieves send a number of emails to Internet users soliciting them to update their account information for their banks, credit cards, or popular shopping sites. The email may state that your account information has expired, is being compromised or lost and that you need to immediately resend it to the company. Never attempt such as it exposes you to online fraud.
10. Always Print or Save Copies of Your Orders: After placing an online order, you should receive a confirmation page that reviews your entire order. It should include the costs of the order, your customer information, product information, and the confirmation number. If any of these is missing, you may not have a gratifying online shopping experience. You should glance through this document to confirm its correctness.

Conclusion

The e-commerce industry is faced with many challenges but has a promising future. With increasing technical knowledge and increased Internet access, cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in the deceptions and attacks they can perform.

Awareness of the risks and the implementation of multi-layered security protocols, detailed and open privacy policy and strong authentication and encryption measures will go a long way to assure the consumer and ensure the risk of compromise is kept minimal.

Have A Safe Shopping!!!

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