How to stay safe online during the Mid-Autumn Festival

Online shopping

During the Mid-Autumn Festival (also called the Moon Festival), people search for gifts online to give to their loved ones. Unfortunately, the internet is not a safe place, and online shopping scams have seen a spike in recent years.

Hackers can redirect you to fake websites, infect your device with malware, and even steal your credit card details. Before making any purchases online, research the seller and check if the e-shop has a good reputation. Be extremely cautious about online ads, and never click on them if something smells fishy.

One of the best methods to enhance your online security is to install a VPN on your device. A VPN encrypts your traffic and hides your IP address. If hackers were to redirect you to an unsecure website, with your VPN on, they wouldn’t be able to intercept your data.

NordVPN even has the Threat Protection feature, which blocks ads and websites known for hosting malware.

Online gaming

Even if you can't be with your family in person this year, you might still want to meet them online, perhaps to play multiplayer video games. But it's worth remembering that online gaming is extremely vulnerable to DDoS attacks. Some players cheat to get advantage over other players and might clog your network with unwanted traffic.

This may cause in-game lags, and you might lose all your gaming progress. Since every second matters when you’re in the middle of a mission, a DDoS attack could ruin your evening.

Luckily, it’s easy to fight cheaters and trolls: connect to a VPN, and they won’t be able to launch an attack on you. When your real IP is hidden, perpetrators can only launch an attack on the VPN provider’s server, which will take the blow instead of you.

Video conferencing

If your family members are thousands of miles away, you’re probably no stranger to video conferencing platforms. Whether you use Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, or any other app, it’s important to understand the security risks.

Make sure to use an app that supports end-to-end encryption so nobody could view your messages and videos. Otherwise, hackers could intercept your traffic and use their knowledge for wrongdoing.

Emailing

During the festival season, we receive many emails from online retailers, service providers, partners, and our relatives. When you see a familiar name in your inbox, you probably don’t hesitate and open the message immediately.

Criminals often impersonate well-known brands, banks, government agencies, or even your employer. They can then send fake emails with malicious links inside. If you click on that link, you might download malware, and hackers could take control of your device or monitor everything you do online.

Always closely inspect every email you get and make sure it’s legitimate. If there’s a link or an attachment included, be extremely careful.

Top tips: stay safe online during the Mid-Autumn Festival

• Use strong passwords. “Password” and “123456” are probably the most popular passwords in the world, but hackers can crack them in seconds. Always use upper-case and lower-case letters combined with numbers and special characters in your passwords. It’s important to create a unique password for every account.
• Update your software. Outdated software can cause you trouble, as criminals might exploit known software vulnerabilities. Make sure that your apps and operating system are up to date. Otherwise, you’re putting yourself at risk.
• Get an antivirus. While most operating systems nowadays have some kind of threat protection, it's a good idea to use a third-party antivirus and scan your device from time to time.
• Use a VPN. If you want to enhance your security during the Moon Festival and spend time with your family without having to worry about cyber threats, get a VPN. With one NordVPN account, you can protect up to six devices: laptops, smartphones, tablets, and more.

  The app is easy to use, so you don’t need to be tech-savvy to navigate it. You can even install NordVPN on your router and protect your whole household.