Top Tips to Stay Safe During Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Two of the biggest days for online shoppers — Black Friday and Cyber Monday — are almost here. Check out five tips to maintain security hygiene when shopping online during the 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 Sjouwerman, 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.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) built a resource to help consumers during holiday shopping. It recommends being cautious about holiday shopping scams by shopping at reputable vendors, using safe purchase methods, and using strong passwords.
“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 Blaine, Chief Marketing Officer at Jitterbit, told Spiceworks in 2020.
When Do Americans Spend the Most?
Black Friday may feel like it is one of the biggest retail events of the year. In reality, Cyber Monday has brought retailers more revenue. According to Adobe, in 2023, Cyber Monday sales hit $12.4 billion. On the other hand, Black Friday sales only hit $9.8 billion in the US.
Common Black Friday/Cyber Monday Scams
“Web-based attacks are the new frontier for hackers,” said Mark Beare, GM of the Consumer Business Unit, Malwarebytes. “For years, attackers needed to get on your desktop to access files or private information. Today, most consumers readily enter and store passwords, credit card numbers, home addresses, and a list of other personal information into browsers and websites. It’s become a playground for criminals looking to make big money. While many consumers think they’re not a target, I caution that it’s not about you—it’s about you at scale.”
Phishing, malware, and account takeover scams are also common. Fraudsters also use low-tech tactics during the holidays. For example, you may discover that your payment has been processed, but you never receive your items. The Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2023 report found non-payment and non-delivery scams cost US residents over $300 million. Credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in losses.
Going by these numbers, there’s a high chance that attacks against shoppers will only rise this year as well.
Stay Safe this Holiday Season
To mitigate the looming threat as the holidays approach, Jenny Griesdorn, KnowBe4’s Senior Manager of Global Social Media Strategy, shared these smart shopping strategies with the Spiceworks Community:
- Verify websites: Always double-check URLs and look for secure “https” connections
- Use trusted platforms: Stick to well-known retailers and official apps
- Compare prices: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is
- Read reviews: Check customer feedback before making purchases
- Protect your data: Use strong, unique passwords and avoid public Wi-Fi for shopping
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