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With the online holiday shopping season upon us, please keep these tips in mind to help protect yourself from identity theft and other malicious activity on Cyber Monday, and throughout the year:

-Look for “https” before you click “Purchase.” Before you submit your online transaction, make sure that the webpage address begins with “https.” The “s” stands for secure, and indicates that communication with the webpage is encrypted.  A padlock or key icon in the browser’s status bar is another indicator.  Also, make sure your browser is current and up-to-date. 
-Do not respond to pop-ups.  When a window pops up promising you cash, bargains, or gift cards in exchange for your response to a survey or other questions, close it by pressing Control + F4 on Windows devices, or Command + W for Macs.
-Be alert for potential charity donation scams. Cyber criminals try to take advantage of people’s generosity during the holiday season and can use fake charity requests as a means to gain access to your information or computer/device. Think before clicking on emails requesting donations. Don’t give your financial or personal information over email or text.   Contribute by navigating to the trusted address of the charity, never through a link in an email.  To check if an organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions, visit the IRS website.

For more information check http://msisac.cisecurity.org/newsletters/2013-11.cfm

Your Technology Advisor,
Virtual October Helpdesk Team