Top 5 ways to stay safe online — and avoid the holiday horror stories
In the lead up to the Christmas holiday period, it’s easy to let your guard down online
2 min
We’re all aware of the dangers of cyber hacking and identity theft and most of us will take care when connecting online not to give away too much information. But at this time of year, when online shopping hits its peak and families head off on holiday, it’s easy to let your guard down. Here, the experts share their top tips for staying safe online when you’re out of the office and going on holiday.
Keep your OOO simple
Senior Information Security Consultant in Westpac Group’s Cyber Culture team Sally Youden says online security starts before you leave your desk.
“While switching on your out of office message is an easy task, you might want to reduce the amount of information you provide,” she says. “It could be used for malicious purposes by cybercriminals looking for opportunities to find a ‘way in’ to an organisation.”
While it’s important to communicate clearly, she said you should avoid adding too much detail like mobile numbers and job titles for external OOO messages.
Secure your spend
Shopping online over the Christmas and January sales periods is a convenient method for purchasing from the comfort of your living room, but it can expose you to data breaches and identity theft. Experts at the University of Queensland advise sticking with a service like PayPal for payment, or even setting up a separate credit card with a low limit specifically for online purchases. Saving details like passwords to online accounts will also expose your bank accounts to theft. Instead, set up multi-factor identification to minimise risk.
Parcel scams
Most of us are aware of the parcel scams where hackers send a SMS advising a parcel is being delivered to your address. However, at this time of year when there are so many deliveries happening, it can be hard to discern the real from the fake, especially when they are impersonating services such as Australia Post. Ms Youden’s best advice is to pause and think before you click on a link. If you’re not sure whether it’s your parcel, reach out to the delivery service independently to confirm the details.
Pop-up precautions
Pop-up ads and social media offers can be tempting but cyber security experts at NAB suggest it’s better to avoid clicking on them. If you find the temptation too much, consider installing a pop-up blocker.
“Those bright and shiny ads that pop up on your screen when shopping online or using social media are clever and persistent marketing tactics looking to promote products or services,” NAB advises. “They can also be used to deliver malicious software, direct you to dodgy webpages, or fake sales.”
Instead, if you see an attractive offer, go to their website independently and check reviews before handing over your details.
Frequent flyers
It’s the easiest thing to do when you’re waiting for your flight, but recharging at the airport can be a risky business. Known as ‘juice jacking’, public charging stations such as those at airports and hotels can be hacked by cybercriminals, Ms Youden says. NAB experts advise that the same goes for public wifi services.
“If you have to use public Wi-Fi, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to create a secure connection. Avoid using free Wi-Fi to do any online banking or shopping, as this information may be exposed and misused.”
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The lunar flyby would be the deepest humans have traveled in space in decades.
4 min
It’s go time for the highest-stakes mission at NASA in more than 50 years.
On April 1, the agency is set to launch four astronauts around the moon, the deepest human spaceflight since the final Apollo lunar landing in 1972.
The launch window for Artemis II , as the mission is called, opens at 6:24 p.m. ET.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration teams have been preparing the vehicles to depart from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on the planned roughly 10-day trip. Crew members have trained for years for this moment.
Reid Wiseman, the NASA astronaut serving as mission commander, said he doesn’t fear taking the voyage. A widower, he does worry at times about what he is putting his daughters through.
“I could have a very comfortable life for them,” Wiseman said in an interview last September.
“But I’m also a human, and I see the spirit in their eyes that is burning in my soul too. And so we’ve just got to never stop going.”
Wiseman’s crewmates on Artemis II are NASA’s Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
What are the goals for Artemis II?
The biggest one: Safely fly the crew on vehicles that have never carried astronauts before.
The towering Space Launch System rocket has the job of lofting a vehicle called Orion into space and on its way to the moon.
Orion is designed to carry the crew around the moon and back. Myriad systems on the ship—life support, communications, navigation—will be tested with the astronauts on board.
SLS and Orion don’t have much flight experience. The vehicles last flew in 2022, when the agency completed its uncrewed Artemis I mission .
How is the mission expected to unfold?
Artemis II will begin when SLS takes off from a launchpad in Florida with Orion stacked on top of it.
The so-called upper stage of SLS will later separate from the main part of the rocket with Orion attached, and use its engine to set up the latter vehicle for a push to the moon.
After Orion separates from the upper stage, it will conduct what is called a translunar injection—the engine firing that commits Orion to soaring out to the moon. It will fly to the moon over the course of a few days and travel around its far side.
Orion will face a tough return home after speeding through space. As it hits Earth’s atmosphere, Orion will be flying at 25,000 miles an hour and face temperatures of 5,000 degrees as it slows down. The capsule is designed to land under parachutes in the Pacific Ocean, not far from San Diego.
Is it possible Artemis II will be delayed?
Yes.
For safety reasons, the agency won’t launch if certain tough weather conditions roll through the Cape Canaveral, Fla., area. Delays caused by technical problems are possible, too. NASA has other dates identified for the mission if it doesn’t begin April 1.
Who are the astronauts flying on Artemis II?
The crew will be led by Wiseman, a retired Navy pilot who completed military deployments before joining NASA’s astronaut corps. He traveled to the International Space Station in 2014.
Two other astronauts will represent NASA during the mission: Glover, an experienced Navy pilot, and Koch, who began her career as an electrical engineer for the agency and once spent a year at a research station in the South Pole. Both have traveled to the space station before.
Hansen is a military pilot who joined Canada’s astronaut corps in 2009. He will be making his first trip to space.
Koch’s participation in Artemis II will mark the first time a woman has flown beyond orbits near Earth. Glover and Hansen will be the first African-American and non-American astronauts, respectively, to do the same.
What will the astronauts do during the flight?
The astronauts will evaluate how Orion flies, practice emergency procedures and capture images of the far side of the moon for scientific and exploration purposes (they may become the first humans to see parts of the far side of the lunar surface). Health-tracking projects of the astronauts are designed to inform future missions.
Those efforts will play out in Orion’s crew module, which has about two minivans worth of living area.
On board, the astronauts will spend about 30 minutes a day exercising, using a device that allows them to do dead lifts, rowing and more. Sleep will come in eight-hour stretches in hammocks.
There is a custom-made warmer for meals, with beef brisket and veggie quiche on the menu.
Each astronaut is permitted two flavored beverages a day, including coffee. The crew will hold one hourlong shared meal each day.
The Universal Waste Management System—that’s the toilet—uses air flow to pull fluid and solid waste away into containers.
What happens after Artemis II?
Assuming it goes well, NASA will march on to Artemis III, scheduled for next year. During that operation, NASA plans to launch Orion with crew members on board and have the ship practice docking with lunar-lander vehicles that Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have been developing. The rendezvous operations will occur relatively close to Earth.
NASA hopes that its contractors and the agency itself are ready to attempt one or more lunar landing missions in 2028. Many current and former spaceflight officials are skeptical that timeline is feasible.
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