By Gopi Ramamoorthy, Head of Security at Symmetry Systems
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, consumers are eagerly preparing to kick off their holiday shopping. Simultaneously, malicious actors are also preparing to take advantage of this busy shopping season. This is the season most of us make a huge number of online purchases and it warrants we be aware of the fundamental cybersecurity principles that will protect consumers from different kinds of cyberthreats and frauds. This piece will provide tips for cybersecurity readiness for a better and safer shopping experience this holiday season.
Be Aware
Every holiday season, during the months of November and December, phishing attacks and fraudulent promotion offer emails raise drastically in volume and it is vital for consumers to be aware of these scams. Malicious actors will masquerade as a trusted entity and trick people into opening an email, instant message, or text message. Triple-check the authenticity of every link and email. To ensure you don’t fall victim to a phishing attack, do not click the suspicious links in the emails or on the websites you are in. Be aware that the email subjects may be very compelling and may request urgent responses from you.
Let your family members know about these pitfalls and potential risks associated as well. Some best practices to be aware of:
- Do not open attachments in emails unless you know the source and relevance. These attachments could have potential malware or ransomware
- Do not fall victim to fake phone calls coming from bad actors
- Be wary of the deals that sound too good to be true
Build your defenses
To ensure you don’t fall victim to malicious actors’ antics, make sure all your devices are adequately protected and safe enough to use them for all the online shopping activities you plan to do during Thanksgiving and holidays season. To make sure your devices are protected as much as possible, ensure an antivirus or malware security virus is running on all of your laptops and mobile devices, consider incorporating an ad-blocker, block websites that are using internet security software or plugins. Another tip that may seem like common sense, but often falls through the cracks is ensuring all spam mails are marked appropriately.
Start Right and Follow Through
Most of the online shopping starts with typing URLs for the store. Consumers should pay close attention to the sites they are entering. Some simple things to follow are to always check the URL / website URL for correctness, check for https and for certificate errors, if any shown by browser. Lastly, steer clear of using public WiFi as malicious actors will be ready to trick shoppers into using fake WiFi networks that can compromise devices and install dangerous malware and spyware. In short, shoppers should be wary of any type of free solution masquerading as a public service.
Consumers should also check their bank account statements regularly. Even if the tips above are strictly followed, there is still risk. Setting up alerts from credit card and bank accounts, along with frequent checks of the accounts is highly recommended to prevent fraudulent activities.
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, it is crucial for consumers to prioritize cybersecurity to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday shopping experience. By staying informed and implementing the recommendations above, consumers can navigate the online shopping landscape with confidence, safeguarding themselves against cyber threats during this holiday season and beyond.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gopi Ramamoorthy is the Head of Security and GRC engineering at Symmetry Systems, where he focuses on engineering and automating security and compliance into our product. His extensive experience and vision for the future of data security and compliance help shape our product with features purpose built for practitioners. He is also responsible for managing Symmetry Systems multiple compliance certifications. Gopi has extensive experience with building end to end security infrastructure and achieving multiple security compliance across highly regulated industries such as Banking & Payment industry and Life Sciences & Healthcare for the last 15 years.
