I just came across this tip and I just had to share it with you. No one knows for sure if their computers are infected with some malware that records their financial information. To be on the safe side, some experts advice that since Linux distributions offer a live CD that will boot up a modem functional OS, all windows users who shop online should obtain it and use it anytime they want to shop online. Since the OS can be booted directly from the CD, malware on your PC won't be loaded which means that you can shop without worrying about someone getting access to your financial information.
Nice tip, although I still don't know how to use 2 OS in one pc, since I've always used a pc that has 1 OS only. I think shopping using your smartphone or feature phone is considered safe too. I've done it several times already, and you are definitely safe from getting malware.
I am not all that technical, but I have a way to minimise possible losses when I shop online. I have a Load and Go prepaid visa card that I purchased in the post office. I preload the amount of money that I want to spend on the internet, usually small amounts, no more than $100 at a time. I can just go to the post office load money onto the card and use it straight away. There are only minimal fees involved.
So when shopping online am supposed to run a live CD? I think that is just a lot of work. I also think that you need to have some internet security and I think you will be okay. I have no problems with shopping online while running my normal operating system.
That tip may be useful for a technical user, but highly unusable for the every day consumer. Take my aunt for example. The most extensive computer knowledge she has is read people's posts on Facebook and Like them. She had her daughter setup FB for her. She also buys things online, but wouldn't know when or how to make an email to ask if the thing she is buying has a Live CD, etc. Personally, I think if you are going to buy electronics online, buy it from a reputable company like Futureshop, Bestbuy or The Source, unless you have shopped at an independent online store before and they are reliable. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy entire computer systems online, let alone hard drives from independent sources.
I don't even need to use a LiveCD, I run Ubuntu 13.10 on my computer It's an extremely secure operating system, you don't need virus protection, and as long as you're smart on the internet, you'll never catch a virus. I'm aware that it's not for everyone, but it's got such a simple UI that it's worth using if you want to buy things online securely and without worries. Don't forget to get 14.04LTS!
Seems a little excessive. I find that buying online stuff through Paypal is enough online protection for me. Also, something you can do from your credit card company is request "online cards" that give you a unique card number and a limited balance to use. So if you have a $25 purchase, you use the unique card that's different from your normal credit card and only has a $25 balance on it. Good way to avoid having to use your card.
I'm in love with PayPal lately. It really does make me feel secure. You can easily dispute any charges to the account and you can limit how much can be spent a day. The fact that I have those options are good enough for me. I also suggest anyone with a bank account to not only limit what can be spent in a day (this can be a good or bad thing depending on your spending habits), but to also set up the account to NOT allow money that's not in it to be spent. When card information is stolen, the user(s) tend to buy expensive items in bundles which will immediately set off a red flag or not take money at all. If it's minimal, it's also not too serious as you can take on several actions to secure yourself again. Also setting up apps on your phone and notifications make it easy to monitor your account. Other than that, I'm actually not too concerned about stolen card information. Generally nothing you do is a full-proof way to be safe. It's more convenient to just be careful about visiting suspicious websites. It doesn't have to be a site that accept purchases for your PC to be invaded and reveal all kinds of personal things. Sucks, huh? =/ Shopping in public is not even safe (Target being the most recent incident), but that's another topic.
Instead of using Linux (which a lot of people won't bother with,) people really need to be educated about what they download online. They need to become friends with their anti-virus software, and get in a routine of scanning their computers. It's not that difficult once you know where to start. PayPal isn't going to be that secure of an option if you have a hidden keylogger installed on your computer. They might not see your payment information, but that doesn't matter if they have your e-mail and password for your PayPal account, or your banking information.
It is more like a bother we normally don't really give importance to these things because finally this is what that needs to be according to our statistics but yeah when you get to understand things appropriately it can help for sure in quite a positive way.
I don't really take precautions when I buy online, though it'd probably be smart too. I've bought a lot of stuff online and nothing bad has happened though so oh well I guess... Better to be safe than sorry though so I see why it'd be smart to take precaution.
I didn't know that could work. It's sounds safer than having a dual boot operating system. If you have Windows and Linux installed on your computer, the malware from Windows might work on Linux.
