Two of the biggest days for online shoppers Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 are almost here. Check out five tips to maintain security hygiene when shopping online during the upcoming holiday season.
Traditionally, as the holidays approach, hackers start to ramp up their attacks, and it will be no different this year. In fact, with online shopping becoming the norm, retail-related scams are on the rise. As Stu SjouwermanOpens a new window , Founder and CEO of security awareness training company KnowBe4, puts it, it’s the holiday season for the bad guys too, who go into the scam-overdrive mode.
Two U.S. government agencies, the CISA and the FBI, sounded a warning to be cautious about holiday shopping scams and applying a greater level of scrutiny when sharing data with third-party sites.
“Cyber Monday and Black Friday are the proverbial holiday shopping seasons for cybercriminals and their strategic cyberattacks, including malware, ransomware and phishing attacks. Eager online shoppers are hurried to fill holiday dreams — often at the detriment of cybersecurity best practices and common sense,†Geoff BlaineOpens a new window , Executive Vice President for Corporate Marketing at SonicWall said.
Black Friday sale is one of the biggest retail events of the year. In 2019, Cyber Monday sales hit $9.4 billionOpens a new window , while sales on Thanksgiving touched $4.4 billion in the U.S., per data from Adobe. For comparison, the 2019 Amazon Prime Day generated $4.2 billion in the U.S.
See Also: Amazon Prime Day: A High-Value Target for Phishing, Credential Theft
“Criminals know that consumers will be looking for deals and will be receiving more packages than any other time of the year. These criminals use this to trick people into making purchases on shady websites and falling for phishing emails that focus on missed deliveries and cancelled orders,†Jacqueline JayneOpens a new window , KnowBe4’s APAC Security Awareness Advocate told a news outletOpens a new window .
Researchers at SonicWall Capture Labs observed a spike during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2019:
- 129.3 million malware attacks (63% increase over 2018)
- 639,355 ransomware attacks (14% decrease over 2018)
Going by these numbers, there’s a high chance that attacks against shoppers will only rise this year as well.
Sjouwerman lists the top cybersecurity tips to mitigate the looming threat as the holidays approach:
- Update devices: Devices need to be up to date, at least with the basic security safeguards.
- Be wary of unknown networks: Never connect with unknown WiFi networks or access points. While connecting to known ones, make sure network names aren’t marred with typos or extra characters that give away their illegitimacy.
- Strong passwords: All passwords need to be unique (different passwords for different web accounts), strong (i.e., having a combination of numbers, symbols and alphabets)
- Be careful what you share on social media:Â Be cautious about what you share on social media and take the time to review your privacy settings on the platforms you use.
- Monitor Credit Card Activity: Regularly assess bank and credit card statements for any discrepancies.
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