TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Online shopping has become a quick, popular, and easy way to buy gifts, especially on this Cyber Monday, but it's also a big day for criminal hackers.
We wanted to find out just how common cyber attacks are, and how you can protect yourself.
Richard Parker, a technology expert with New Horizons Computer Learning Center, says cyber attacks happen every day.
Parker says, hackers gain access to personal information using many different avenues and they are constantly trying new ways to get in to databases. According to Parker, the most common method hackers use is phishing schemes.
Around Cyber Monday, promotional emails are sent out about sales, and it's not unusual to click a link from your email. What you don't realize is that the website is actually a clone of the one you intended to visit.
If a website is safe, the URL address will start with 'https', where the 's' ensures the site is secure.
Parker adds, the reality is that there is no such thing as a perfectly safe network. Always go to a website instead of following a link, use an anti-virus software, and monitor your credit.
Technology experts make it as difficult as possible for hackers to gain access to personal information, but it's an ongoing battle, so take the extra step in protecting yourself.
