Over the past few years, especially since COVID-19, online shopping has accelerated rapidly. During the lockdown, everyone was forced to shop online, and as consumers didn’t have to stand in long queues while shopping or fight for parking spots at malls, they better understood what online shopping stands for. Today, you can buy almost anything from the comfort of your home and deliver your purchases right to your doorstep.
The Rise of E-commerce and Cybercrime
While e-commerce is rising, cybercriminals like scammers and hackers are also keeping pace. And that is one of the worst issues of online shopping; to make it even worse, most consumers believe it is a safe experience without any risks. However, that is not the case because while you shop online, these sophisticated cybercriminals attempt to either steal your financial information or your online identity, which can be later used to steal financial details.
VPNs Providing an Extra Layer
The best course of action is to add an extra layer of security while making any online purchase to prevent all this from happening. This extra layer can be added using a VPN to mask your unprotected IP address and encrypt your online data. This would make it extremely tough for cyber criminals to identify and steal your personal information.
When To Use VPN While Shopping Online
It would be best always to use a VPN while surfing the web; however, to ensure complete safety, here are some occasions when you must not forget to use a VPN while shopping online.
- When connecting to a public network or Wi-Fi
- When visiting new e-commerce websites or when you feel like a website is shady
- When traveling to a different country
Why Use the VPN Extension Firefox
While you shop online, a VPN is an intelligent choice; an even wiser decision would be using a VPN extension Firefox. The reason for that is that VPN extensions are easier to use and come with numerous added features that make the online shopping experience even better, such as ad blocking, pop-up blocking, and phishing prevention. You must have noticed that we mentioned Firefox, and that is because Firefox is widely known for its security and privacy features. When paired with a VPN extension, it creates a highly safe online environment.
Benefits of Using a VPN Extension for Online Shopping
Here are some of the main advantages of using a VPN while you make online purchases.
Prevents Man-in-the-middle attacks
MITM attacks are one of the most common types of cyber-attacks; in these attacks, the hacker injects himself in the middle of an online transaction and tries to steal your data. This technique is also known as spoofing; however, with a VPN extension on Firefox, you can quickly eliminate these kinds of threats as the VPN encrypts your data and makes it almost impossible for the hacker to make sense of them.
Prevents Phishing
The other famous technique or online threat that is widely popular is phishing, phishing mostly happens because of ads and pop-ups, but most VPN extensions block them, so there is nothing to worry about as long as you have it installed on your browser.
Provides Discounts
Besides the fact that a VPN extension provides you with online security, it also gives you additional benefits while shopping online. For example, with the VPN extension, you can easily change your IP address and access markets from different regions; in these online markets, you can easily find discounts unavailable in your local market.
How To Setup a VPN Extension on Firefox
Follow these simple steps to get a VPN extension Firefox
- Find a VPN on the Firefox store and click ‘Add to Firefox.’
- Download the VPN add-on and enable it
- Click the extension on the top right corner and hit ‘Connect.’
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