The global pandemic and economic fall-out has changed nearly every aspect of our lives, and the holiday shopping season will be no different.While the increased availability of online shopping may be a lower-risk alternative than going to stores, it also makes it more lucrative for scammers to trick buyers into paying for goods they won’t receive or obtain their personal information for financial gain.

Treat links, attachments, and other clickable pathways in your inbox with extra caution. During the holiday season, hackers disguise malware-ridden documents like receipts, gifts, delivery status updates, and order confirmations.

If you are receiving or giving technological presents this holiday, then follow these cyber security tips: Ensure the device is updated and running the latest software. Devices running outdated software could have vulnerabilities that have already been exploited. Fortunately, if your device is running the most up-to-date software, then it should be patched against any recently discovered vulnerabilities.

Take cyber security measures to secure any internet of things (IoT) devices. IoT devices have a poor track record when it comes to cyber security, do not make it easier for hackers by not securing your devices.

Watch what information you share. Be alert to the kinds of information you are asked for to complete your transaction. If the merchant is requesting more data than you feel comfortable sharing, cancel the transaction. You only need to fill out required fields at checkout. Do not save your payment information in your profile. If the site autosaves it, after you complete your purchase, login and delete the stored payment details.