Today is one of the biggest online shopping days in Ireland. Black Friday may be the day we queue outside shops to pick up a bargain, but Cyber Monday is when we become keyboard warriors in search of great deals.
Cyber Criminals Love it
While the retailers love the extra revenue and we certainly love the deals, unfortunately the hackers also love this special day. They can really catch us off guard today. We can get caught up in the drama of the day and in a frenzy we may click on dangerous email links leading us to dodgy websites.
New websites
On this day we know time is limited and there is a real FMO (fear of missing out), our friends may get the bargain of the day. So we are more likely to be on new websites searching for the best offers. Most of these websites are absolutely fine but we can end up on a dangerous one very easily if we don’t take care. We are watching social media for offers and when we click we arrive somewhere that looks kind of familiar but on closer inspection it can be a website that is collecting payment details for products that don’t exist. Many of these sites are created to look very like a popular retailer so you must be vigilant.
Phishing emails
While looking for bargains, all sense goes out the window. We might get an email telling us about this amazing deal and normally we would be wary but on the day that is in it, we will probably just click without thinking. Stop! Phishing emails, social engineering, identity theft are all rife on a day like today. Offers that are too good to be true, are normally not genuine.
What to do
Ensure your security software is up to date and all patches have been updated. Check that the firewall and antivirus is working. In the office, share your cyber security knowledge with your team to help them stay safe.
It seems obvious but here is a reminder: Think before you click, only visit trusted sites, check carefully before you give any payment details, look for any signs that the email might be fake or spam. Stay safe this cyber Monday.