Holiday Shopping Cyber Security – Better Watch Out

Update everything. One of the easiest and best things consumers can do to boost their digital security this holiday season is make sure that all of their devices are up-to-date, says Kelvin Coleman, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance.

When software providers find out about bugs, they send out patches to fix them. But hackers are constantly on the lookout for old, unpatched systems.

NCSA is working to remind people of the importance of this through a new campaign called UpdateMeow, a reference to the popularity of cat videos on the internet. The website includes an online tool kit designed to make updating easy.

In a nutshell, make sure the operating systems on your computers and mobile devices are up-to-date, as well as all the apps on them that you use to shop.

And don’t forget about your antivirus software. Don’t have any? There are many good free and paid versions out there. Consumer Reports members can consult our ratings for help in picking one.