Cyber Monday has emerged as one of the most lucrative times of the year for cybercriminals. Given the massive volume of transactions and shared financial data, is it a wonder? Cybercriminals increasingly exploit the holiday period to conduct malicious campaigns, spear-phishing, and malware delivery. It shouldn’t be surprising that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have emerged as one of the most lucrative times of the year for cybercriminals.
The main distinction between them is that while this day is an e-commerce event specifically created for online shopping, Black Friday is a brick-and-mortar store that belongs to the retail shopping sector. A good rule of thumb is that Black Friday is a better time to buy newer, higher-priced items and go shopping. Cyber Monday typically offers special online promotions and discounts on tech and small gifts; you’ll also find slightly lower online prices.
Spotting mobile phishing attacks
Social media and SMS obnoxiously inform consumers of new sales and delivery information. Cyber Monday-based phishing efforts mimic those communications.
- Never click a link: Contact the sender and confirm the message before interacting with the link. Read the complete URL in the browser before clicking any of these links.
- Use a secure Wi-Fi network when shopping online. While shopping at coffee shops is convenient, your connection might be hijacked. If possible, go home to shop. If you must shop on the go, use a VPN. Use a secure device. Malware and keyloggers can steal your information from infected computers, phones, or tablets. Ensure your antivirus software is running and your operating system and browser are up-to-date.
- Shop from secure websites: Check that the site you are shopping from uses SSL protection. Does the address bar have “https:” in the URL? That “s” is required before payment or personal information.
- Shop from unique credentials: If you shop from the same website often, having an account is helpful. Sometimes, the retailer will require or create it when you make your first purchase. One mistake is to use the same password for each of their retailer accounts, thus making it easy for the person to remember. However, you don’t know what the data protections are for each of those retail websites, and you don’t want a single breach on one retailer site to grant a thief access to all of your accounts, so make each password unique.
- Pay securely: No one wants one minor purchase to lead to a balance-emptying series of fraudulent charges suddenly. Use a secure credit card rather than a bank debit card for online purchases. Alternatively, ask your financial institution for a travel card or prepaid debit card that you can use for your online shopping. This would allow you to load up just what you want to spend this season (keeping you in budget!), and if there are any issues with retailers, they don’t have access to your regular debit card account.
Collaborate
Cyology Labs can help you build a defence strategy that safeguards your business and future. That’s why having a strong cybersecurity partner by your side can be the ultimate weapon in your arsenal—partner with us to leverage advanced technology and verify links in your defences. Contact us today to schedule a no-obligation consultation at www.CybersecurityMadeEasy.com
