In an interview with This Is Money former hacker, Mustafa Al-Bassam, has revealed what he thinks about the state of digital security, providing people with advice about how to carry out safe shopping online.

Al-Bassam was caught up in the LulzSec hacking scandal back in 2011 when he was just 16 years old; his involvement netted him a 20 month suspended sentence and 300 hours of community service.

Now attending King’s College London, his days of targeting major corporations and even the CIA are behind him. But he is still aware of the dark side of the internet and offered guidance for those looking to shop and bank online.

The first piece of advice he gave tallies with recent recommendations made by the police, which is that people who want to be protected from the impact of fraud should make use of a credit card to conduct safe shopping online.

The reason for this is that any fraudulent charges made on a credit card can be recouped by the customer in full, protecting people from taking a financial hit, if they do become the victims of ID theft.

Al-Bassam also said it might be a good idea for people to use a separate bank account specifically for making online orders, so as to keep the bulk of their savings and income safe from cybercriminals.

He was critical of the lack of security provided by banks via their online platforms, pointing out that many of the UK’s biggest financial institutions have yet to embrace full encryption on their sites.

Ultimately, he believes that people should be taught about online security from an early age, equating the need for thorough education on this topic with ensuring that kids understand the importance of sexual health and other practical social skills.