Internet Security

INTERNET SECURITY

Internet Security is something we all need to take seriously, particularly if we are wanting to make a living online. To be successful online you will need competence in many areas such as; search engine optimization, content writing, key word selection and an understanding of Internet marketing methodologies. 

It takes hard work, commitment and a solid understanding of what you are doing and it all could come apart, very quickly if you have poor internet security or you aren’t aware of the security loopholes that can be exploited.

Internet Security

Five Security Tips Every Affiliate Marketer Should Consider

The internet has been growing immensely and it has opened the doors for many companies and vendors to sell their products and services online. That allowed the affiliate industry to grow significantly as well. New opportunities opened the doors to big rewards, but also risks.

In this article, we’ll talk about five internet security tips that every affiliate marketer should consider and what to look out for.

1. Affiliate Network Reputation

The availability of affiliate networks is endless with countless of networks in all sorts of different niches. Almost naturally, with that many networks, there are also shady networks. You’ll read many success stories of affiliate marketers that have made millions in collaboration with a certain network while other marketers have been cheated by other networks.

Internet SecurityTherefore, it’s extremely important to check and validate whether the affiliate network you might want to go for is a legit one. A particular network might have drawn your attention because of the high commissions, but what does it matter if the network doesn’t pay you – it could be a scam.

A recent example of an affiliate scam is M.O.B.E. You can read more here

However, if you want to be on the safe side, it’s recommended to join a reputable affiliate program that has many active (and happy) members. I’m talking about (but not limited to) ClickBank, AliExpress Affiliates or Rakuten.

“I can also recommend a great place to begin your education (for free) and learn everything you need to know about building an online business”. 

You can see my review about Wealthy Affiliate and learn more, or go directly to their site using the link within the image below.

Internet security

2. Not Getting Paid

It’s a major risk to join a program that has no reviews, little background and is relatively unknown. But even with trusted affiliate programs, you might not get paid. It happens more often that you might realize.

What do you do if you’re not getting the commissions you’re entitled to?

Obviously, that depends on various factors. Did you sign a contract with the affiliate partner? What country are they located in? And so on. Imagine if you live in the U.S. but you want to file a lawsuit against an Asian affiliate program. Without major resources, there’s probably not much you can do, timewise and financial wise.

At the end of the day, you simply want to avoid such a situation from happening in the first place, thus, I highly recommend to only join a program if you’re absolutely sure it’s a legitimate one.

3. Affiliate Fraud

Investopedia defines affiliate fraud as:

“Affiliate fraud refers to any false or unscrupulous activity conducted to generate commissions from an affiliate marketing program.”

That basically means any kind of illegal activity aimed at cheating program members, merchants and even buyers. Hackers or other types of cyber criminals use different tactics to commit fraud, potentially leading to the downfall of a merchant or affiliate.

Here are a few examples of tactics used to commit affiliate fraud:

1. Website cloning

Cloning an existing affiliate website aims to mislead potential buyers and to redirect them to other sites to make a purchase. It could even happen that people are redirected to another malicious fake site and make a purchase there. But in fact, their credit card details are stolen and then sold or used for fraudulent activities.

2. Mislead buyers

It may happen that someone creates various domains with small variations of an exisiting affiliate domain in order to mislead buyers. Then, the domains are registered to sign up for affiliate programs.

3. Stolen credit card purchases

This is mainly an issue for merchants, because if the merchant already paid out the commission to the affiliate but then finds out the purchase was made with a stolen credit card, the purchase has to be refunded – even though the commission for the sale was already transferred.

4. Malicious software

Hackers could run scripts or write software that generates fake clicks and transactions.

4. Website SecurityInternet Security

The security of your website should be taken very seriously. Regardless whether you’re just starting a new site or already own a well-established one. Don’t think that hackers aren’t interested in your website, simply because it’s a “small” site.

Hackers could use your website in a botnet, steal customer data for fraudulent activities or install malicious scripts that will redirect your visitors to other websites.

“Its like going to the beach naked (you are very exposed) and without any sunscreen (you’re likely to get burned)”.  

Make sure to follow the best practices when it comes to the security of your website and, again, take it seriously.

5. Website Plugins

When you build your affiliate website(s), there are plenty of plugins you can install to improve customer experience, create funnels, run little scrips, and so on. Unfortunately, hackers often abuse weak and outdated plugins and infect it with scripts.

An infamous threat was the “Man-in-the-browser” attack. The script allowed hackers to install a Trojan horse and modify web pages, transactions and content without the website owner or visitor realizing it happened.

In short, only install plugins of trusted developers with many good reviews and always update your plugins. If word breaks out your website is infected and people know, you can start all over again.

Many Ways To Increase You Online Security

There are many way to improve your online security and for some using a VPN. A VPN is a Virtual Private Network and is a way of connecting your computer (or smartphone) in order to circumvent the restriction on access to blocked sites. But also allows for privacy when browsing online. For more about using VPN (in other countries – such as China) you can see my post here 

About This Post

Much of this post was written by Bill Hess from PixelPrivacy.com who are all about making the world of online security accessible to everyone. They pride themselves in writing guides that they’re certain even their own mother could understand! Be sure to head over to their blog if you’re interested in keeping your private information just that: Private!

PixelPrivacy.com

Finally

Take a look at other posts on my site and you will see that I discuss a variety of topics to do with making money online.

I also have a book that will provide you with information and the resources to help build an Online Affiliate Marketing business, piece by piece.

I willing to give it away to you, to get you started in affiliate marketing.

Here’s how you can get my book for free.

Internet Security

Peter V Crisp

Internet Security

If you enjoyed this article “Internet Security” please feel free to socially share and leave a comment below. 

Do that and I will reward youwith a free PDF copy of my book; Affiliate Marketing Made Easy. 

So, what are you waiting for. The book is awesome as are you for leaving a comment – Thanks!

Internet Security

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16 comments

  • tim

    Hi Peter,
    What a fantastic presentation mapping out some of the many pitfalls and scams of affiliate marketing. There is so much misinformation online that’s its hard to find relevant and straightforward info on how to start your own business.

    Thanks for cutting through the clutter and breaking it down for us!

    Valuable info…thanks for sharing!

    • Peter

      Hello, Tim. Thanks for your comments and I am pleased you have found the topic interesting. I trust you will also enjoy the PDF version of my book I am sending your way. Enjoy . Peter

  • Steve

    I agree with your points, especially on plugins. You have to be sure these are from a trusted source and are up-to-date, otherwise, you are opening yourself up to all kinds of potential trouble. I have been interested in VPN, but I don’t really know where to start. I will have to take a look at your other post on that. One question for you on VPN though, does it slow down your internet connection? Thanks, I look forward to hearing back from you.

    • Peter

      Hello, Steve. Thanks for your comments. If you are in China using a VPN is absolutely essential if you want to connect to the outside world. So if it is slower you certainly don’t notice. I haven’t run a speed test with my VPN to measure a difference so I can’t answer that question about them slowing down your connection. I haven’t noticed it being slower but as I said I don’t know definitively. Hope you enjoy the PDF version of my book I am sending your way. 🙂 

  • saj

    This is an interesting website, about affiliate programs, there are tens of thousands of affiliate programs are out there, but how many are legit, I wonder.
    Reputation and Fraud are two things one must always consider before deciding on an affiliate program.
    One must always use discretion when signing up with affiliate programs.

    • Peter

      Hello, Saj.  You are right of course and I agree with you. That is one of the key things to be aware of. Getting scammed is such a common occurrence online.  Fortunately though not everyone ids like that and when you do find a good source of information and content you need to stick with it . Thanks for your comments and watch out for a PDF copy of my book hitting your inbox shortly. Enjoy 🙂

  • Eric Chen

    Hello Peter,

    You are absolutely right! Security is extremely important for any business. It’s almost like opening the backdoor allowing someone to come in and ruin everything.

    You have clearly listed things to look out for. I have personally used VPN’s to hide my identity on the internet. I’ve never tried Pixel Privacy before, but I will definitely look into it.

    Cheers,
    Eric

    • Peter

      Hello, Eric.  I was using a VPN while I was in China just so I could actually get online (get outside China) and go to sites like Google, Youtube and others, for research and information gathering (which is banned in China) You can only access Government approved ‘sites’  So, it was an essential tool while I was there and also if you were looking at any https URL’s. Anyway yes, security online is become even more important that every before. Thanks for your comments and I hope you enjoy the book I am sending your way. Enjoy 🙂

  • kmv

    Hey there Peter. I learned some valued info on internet security from your post.

    I was wondering if you could go into a little more details on a couple of things?

    What can I do to prevent hackers from taking over my website? I don’t have a crack IT team to take care of all the patches, updates, etc. Are there hosting companies that handle this for you?

    At the very least, what should I be doing to protect my WordPress website?

    Thanks again for getting me thinking about security!

    • Peter

      Hello, KMV If you are using WordPress and are hosting via WA then you are pretty all covered as they have a great security set up to protect you from most things.  Plus the support team is second to none! But total security? Well, that might be a difficult as the hackers are always coming up with new ways to hack. So the rule is some security is better than none and just be aware that nothing is foolproof for long. Thanks for your comments and watch out for the book I am sending your way. Enjoy 🙂

  • DorcasW

    Hi Peter; Thanks for this great information on Internet Security. I never knew how the fraud work but I realise that there is fraud.

    Peter, do you believe that there is any trusted affiliate platform where people can host their websites and be at ease that all is well?

    Should there not be cause for concern when there are occurrences on your website that deserves the aid of support, and a blind eye is always turned to you. Your Plugins that can monetise your site is continuously disabled?

    Your vital plugins lifespan is two or three days; as soon as you activate them, they become inactive again.

    How can a novice to web development and SEO ensure security on their website?
    DorcasW

    • Peter

      Hello, DorcasW Great questions and the best thing to do to protect your site is to take advantage of the WA premium package that gives you all the internet security any novice would require. They work hard to give you the best internet experience possible. Most of the big affiliate platform are reputable and of course WA has its own affiliate programs so of course they are worthy of promoting also. You might like to see my post Lifetime Residual Affiliate Programs to get a few more ideas. Anyway thanks for your comments and watch out for a copy of my ebook indoor inbox shortly. Enjoy 🙂

  • Christopher

    Hi Peter:

    I am contemplating joining Rakuten because quite a few people, including yourself, have recommended it.

    Something you mention here alarms me. And that is website cloning. Does that mean someone could actually clone my site along with the URL?

    Another question. Is there a plug in within the WA platform that addresses the issue of hacking?

    Thank you for this informative and thought-provoking post!

    • Peter

      Hello, Christopher The website cloning is a scary thought and yes it can happen.  However, as for cloning your URL not so much. But it will be very close to your web address with a slight change which is why clicking links as opposed to typing in the URL is a security risk. Fortunately WA has taken major steps to protect your website and their security features are world class. Thanks for your comments and please enjoy the PDF book I am sending your way. 🙂

  • Chris

    As time goes on it seems more important than ever to keep your eyes open regarding internet security.

    As an affiliate I try to stick with the reputable affiliate networks. At least you know your information is safe and you will get paid.

    Can you recommend a trusted host for affiliate websites where I don’t need to worry about getting hacked?

    • Peter

      Hello, Chris Fortunately Wealthy Affiliate provide excellent security and online security as part of there overall package. So its buy recommended place to get my domains and hosting. Thank you so much for your comments. Enjoy the PDF of my book that is coming your way. 🙂

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