“Security is not a product, it is a process” – Bruce Schneier

Black Friday, which occurs every year on the fourth Friday of November, after Thanksgiving, marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States. The following Monday, “Cyber Monday,” kicks off holiday online shopping.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are mostly about impressive retail discounts. In recent years, the shopping mania has shifted online, elevating the risk of cyber crime for online shoppers.

Black Friday online shopping sales in 2021 reached $8.9 billion, and Cyber Monday sales hit $10.7 billion.

Retailers gearing up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and the consumers should be aware of the rising cyber fraudulent activities, particularly when shopping online. Common attacks are Phishing, Smishing, Malvertising, Pre-installed and POS Malware, Ransomware, E-Skimming and Open-source software vulnerabilities.

“Safety starts with Awareness, Awareness starts with you”

How to stay secure from Cyber threats

We’ve compiled a list to help avoid some of the common traps and dangers online during this season of increased cyber crime activities, which is also relevant all year long.

For a secure and seamless purchase

  1. Never do any online shopping using open Wi-Fi hotspots.
  2. Trust and use only secure and legitimate online shopping sites (site that uses HTTPS) / retailer websites and avoid shady third-party sellers.
  3. Check return policies.
  4. Avoid deals that are too good to be true from unknown retailers.
  5. Don’t assume all is good if you see no complaints.

Beware of Phishing

  1. Avoid clicking on unknown links and always verify the sender of the email.
  2. Be wary of pop-ups, redirects, or anything that looks like it could be a fake page.
  3. Don’t click on anything sent via social media or email – go to sites directly to verify coupons.
  4. Hover over links before clicking them and watch for misspellings or inauthentic handles.

Protect your financial information

  1. Opt for credit cards, not debit cards and never save card information.
  2. Consider using a virtual card number.
  3. Pay securely with a payment provider.
  4. Watch out for skimming.

Track your spending

  1. Check your bank accounts and statements.
  2. Monitor your online accounts and credit reports regularly.
  3. Report fraud right away.

Protect yourself with extra security

  1. Use unique, secure passwords on all online accounts.
  2. Enable 2 Factor Authentication (2FA / MFA).
  3. Make sure you have updated anti-virus software.
  4. Add security to your store accounts.
  5. Use a secure network.
  6. Control app permissions.

For Retailers

  1. Protect customers by over-communicating with them about your official sources for deals and discounts this season.
  2. Look for impersonator accounts on social media and work with the social networks to take down fraudulent accounts.
  3. Monitor social media for malware or phishing posted with your hashtags, images or messaging.
  4. Implement zero trust solutions.
  5. Backup your data.
  6. Monitor your security events closely.
  7. Be hyper aware of Phishing attempts.
  8. Train and educate your staff.
  9. Monitor and segment the networks.
  10. Consider a quick vulnerability scan.

The Bottom line: Stay cyber safe

Instead of just looking for great deals and discounts, be on the lookout for potential cyber threats as well. Even the most secure websites can get hacked, letting the cyber criminals obtain your Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Following security practices for online shopping can avert serious risks.

For retail companies, it’s crucial to ensure that systems, software, apps and websites have built-in cyber security that is developed in the right way and correctly tested.

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