news hardware Has your credit card code leaked online? This tool from NordVPN will show you how
VPNs seem to have hidden powers. In this highly competitive sector, key market leaders must offer more and more features for less and less to differentiate themselves. Just poking around at Nord VPN, we came across one that’s pretty handy: analyzing the dark web to protect your credit card and email address.
Hacking: To prevent your credit card codes from being leaked, stop it
Today everyone shops on the Internet. Entering your bank card codes on any website has become an extremely everyday gesture. Well, everyone knows that. On the other hand, what you certainly don’t know is thisThis banal gesture is very often exploited by hackers.
Millions of people are scammed online every day. Credit card codes can be easily stolen, and often people pay for items that never arrive.
To deal with this problem, big merchant sites often offer to store your data and guarantee that they are safe from any attack… but should you trust them? Cybersecurity experts strongly discourage this practice. They don’t know where your codes are stored and it’s not uncommon to see leaked databases.
Similarly, storing your bank details on your smartphone or PC is not much more secure. Yes, Entering all the numbers on your credit card every time is tedious, but it’s the most recommended setting.
Hackers put your credit card codes at risk
Cyber criminals are smart people. Your techniques for circumventing the various protections you have put in place are numerous and we cannot list them all. Consider the 2 most common hacking methods (by far):
- The most common technique is that of phishing, or phishing in good French. All you have to do is click on fake advert or fake alert link that you received via email/SMS and hey presto, malware gets installed on your PC/smartphone. Say goodbye to your data, especially your bank card codes.
- Another well-known method: the creation of fake shopping sites. Imagine: you think you’re safe on a well-known platform, you make your purchase, you submit all the information necessary for the transaction… but your order never arrives. Worse still, if you fall into the trap of the fake website, any information you may have provided can be used against you.
Don’t think you’re immune. Online scams aren’t just for the elderly or the naïve. Far from there.
Shopping via Nord VPN to shop on the Internet: the best solution?
In your online life, some digital hygiene is essential. Here are some basic tips:
- Before every purchase Check the URL of the website you are on. First check his name: the spelling must be perfect and no superfluous words added. Also, make sure you have a small one padlock icon stands in front of the link you are on. This icon indicates that the website is secure (with an address that starts with HTTPS and not just HTTP).
- As already saidavoid storing your payment information anywhere. It’s better to lose a little time with every purchase than to lose your data.
- Never click on a link if you are not sure where it came from.. Emails like text messages, everyone is bombarded with phishing attempts. Always keep your eyes open. For all the times when your vigilance isn’t enough, Note that a VPN with the Anti-Threat Protection feature will automatically block access to a dangerous website. Nord VPN has this feature, eliminating the vast majority of even the most sophisticated phishing attempts.
- Stop using the same bad password over and over again. Every password must be unique, long and varied. Use capital letters, special characters and numbers. It is highly recommended to use an external password manager. Personally, I don’t know any of my passwords and again I leave it to Nord VPN (with its Nord Pass feature).
- Use a VPN. A VPN not only protects your IP address (always useful for privacy reasons) but also protects you when using a network WiFi public.
Finally, let’s answer the big question raised by the title of this article. If you are concerned that your credit card details have been stolen, you can check the status of your protection online using a tool that you can always find at Nord VPN : Dark Web Monitoring.
At lightning speed, the VPN scans the dark web to see if your email or data is circulating. You will be notified at the slightest suspicion of a leak. Its relaxing. To use this tool, just go to the last tab of the NordVPN PC application.
This page contains affiliate links to some products that JV have selected for you. Any purchase you make by clicking on one of these links will not cost you more, but the e-merchant will pay us a commission. The prices quoted in the article are those offered by the retailer sites at the time of the article’s publication and such prices are subject to change at the sole discretion of the retailer site without notice to JV.
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