Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • Small Business

    Online Security Tips for Black Friday, Cyber Monday

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    November 25, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Consumers may have concerns about shopping online during the holidays, but that is not going to keep many of them away from their computers.

      In a survey by Sunbelt Software, 90 percent of the more than 650 respondents said they plan to shop online, despite the fact that many (56 percent) were concerned about security. Sixty percent of the participants said they planned to do more shopping online this year than last.

      But while the holidays may be a busy time of year for consumers and retailers, it is also a busy time for attackers. According to Consumer Reports, cyber-criminals have stolen about $8 billion from consumers in the past two years. In a survey by Tufin Technologies released at the Defcon conference held July 30 to Aug. 2 in Las Vegas, 81 percent of the hackers surveyed said they were “far more active” during the winter holidays than during the summer. Fifty-six percent named Christmas as the best time to engage in corporate hacking, while 25 percent named New Year’s Eve.

      “Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the beginning of the busiest time of the year for consumers, retailers, and cyber-criminals,” Sunbelt Software CEO Alex Eckelberry said in a statement. “Cyber-criminals feast on the fact that consumers are increasingly participating in e-commerce and online social networking with machines that are unprotected against the latest threats.”

      For businesses, that means being ready for an increase in activity. In an eWEEK Knowledge Center article here, Mark Sarbiewski, senior director of products at HP Software, advised businesses to test for security vulnerabilities and validate all user input to prevent common attacks such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting. He also recommended that businesses make sure credit card information and other private customer data is encrypted, and urged companies to analyze traffic patterns so they can prepare for an explosion of activity.

      As for online shoppers, SonicWall in a Nov. 23 news release advised a number of precautions:

      “1. Online Purchases: Online transactions not only increase, they are also likely to be with vendors (i.e. retailers, shippers, etc.) you do not deal with often. If you receive an email that your “Credit Card was Denied” the best course of action is to contact the vendor directly using a phone number or email address you obtained from their website – not the rejection email. Also, type in the URL of the vendor into your browser. Do not click on a link in the email itself.2. Greeting Cards: Millions of e-greeting cards will be sent this holiday-some of them will be scams. When you open such messages, they may want you to download a program, codec, or other “code” to see a picture. Before you do anything, stop right there. Contact the sender through some other means and find out if the card is real before you proceed. Also, consider using alternative methods for greetings like using photo sharing service to share pictures.3. Strange Searches: The holiday season brings web searches for “dog knickers” and other less typical items and the list of web sites may be less than familiar. Following a “Christmas” search result can take consumers to a web site hosting malware. If you click on a search link and you are asked to download anything to continue to that site, stop the search immediately. If you arrive at the site and you are asked to download a “plug-in,” don’t. If you think the site could be legitimate then go to the web site of the plug-in vendor (Adobe, Microsoft, etc) and download the plug-in from there. Then go back to the original site and see what happens.“

      “This holiday season, online consumers should be wary of any e-mail or social interaction that looks suspicious,” SonicWall Product Manager Andrew Klein said.

      “When shopping online, know how the online merchant communicates, especially in case of shipping delays and credit card matters,” Klein added. “Assume that e-mail that either directly asks or indirectly asks for your account, financial or identity information is fraudulent. Lastly, double-check your credit card statement–especially in January–for incorrect expenses. With these simple steps, consumers have a baseline for protection.”

      Brian Prince

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×