Even consumers who make their purchases in stores start with online research. Nearly 70 percent of online shoppers who shopped in-store during the 2011 season said online research influenced the brands they bought, the retailers they shopped and the gifts they selected, according to a Google/OTX Post-Holiday Survey.

As people spend more time shopping online, there is more potential for hacker attacks, compromised passwords and stolen identities. What can consumers do to protect themselves? Mozilla—the mission-based organization that aims to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Web—put together this checklist for keeping consumers safe while shopping online.

Safe Online Shopping: The Mozilla Firefox Checklist

1.) Download a secure browser: Download a Web browser like Mozilla’s Firefox, www.mozilla.org/firefox, that supports anti-phishing and anti-malware to protect you from spyware and warn you about potentially fraudulent sites.

2.) Keep your software updated: Make sure any software you download to your desktop or your mobile phone—including apps and add-ons—stays up to date. Manufacturers regularly release security updates to protect customers from evolving threats.

3.) Secure your passwords: Using a variety of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation, create a unique password for each account you log into. The Firefox Password Manager securely stores user names and passwords.

4.) Look for the S: Never buy anything online from a site that doesn’t have SSL encryption. You’ll know because the site’s address will start with https:// instead of http://, and make sure not to provide your credit card information via e-mail.

5.) Don’t sacrifice security for mobility: Don’t just stop at your home computer. Extend your security to shopping from your mobile phone by making sure you’re always connected to a secure wireless network or your mobile provider’s 3G network before you enter any personal information or passwords.

Talk To The Entire Family About Online Safety

If your kids are active on the Web, get smart about privacy settings and set parental controls: http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/block-and-unblock-websites-with-parental-controls. Just like in “the real world,” there is no better way to protect your children than giving them the knowledge and tools to make smart decisions. The FBI—http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide/—and American Academy of Pediatrics—http://safetynet.aap.org/—both have comprehensive guides to Internet safety for parents.

Find further facts online at www.mozilla.com.

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)