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Cybersecurity experts say the holidays often bring sales, parties, and unfortunately scammers who want to play the Grinch with other people’s gifts and money.
Cybercriminals “have developed a number of tactics to trap online shoppers and separate them from their banking, credit card and personal data,” he says. Saket Modi, CEO of Palo Alto, California-based Safe Security.
Mr. mode advises consumers to be particularly wary of “holiday deals” emails that appear to come from institutions like Amazon or a cell phone company, asking recipients to confirm financial information or open an attachment.
“Consumers should follow cyber best practices such as using multi-factor authentication wherever possible, shopping only from trusted and secure websites, and carefully reviewing emails, especially attachments,” he said. mode He told the Washington Times.
Scammers often use “phishing” emails to drain victims’ bank accounts and credit lines or force them to download malware known as “ransomware” from an email attachment that crashes their devices and requires payment to be removed.
Mr. modeCo-founder of Safe Security in 2012 says the best way to prevent an email scam is to not respond to it and not open any attachments.
This means comparing one email on that website with another to see if the addresses match and if there is anything that looks different from previous messages.
Multi-factor password authentication allows online shoppers to add an extra security question that requires specific information to authenticate anyone who uses their information, while trusted and secure websites always have an “https” in front of the address that verifies that another website is correct. not to impersonate in the browser.
“But following such protocols alone is no longer enough,” said Mr. mode He noted that many shoppers will be visiting unfamiliar websites this year “while searching the Internet for the best holiday shopping deals”.
Her The clues come as Ikea is reeling under an ongoing cyberattack that began when it infected “all” phishing emails in employees’ inboxes via compromised Microsoft Exchange servers.
To thwart more sophisticated scams circulating around passwords, Mr. mode It says consumers who spend large sums online this year should consider getting a security tool “to uncommonly scan their devices and monitor potential exposure on the darknet while reporting any vulnerabilities.”
“This will help consumers understand which apps are most risky, identify personal vulnerabilities, learn how strong their passwords are, and know when their devices are most vulnerable to attacks.” he said.
Mr. mode He warns that “cybercriminals are constantly using new ways to hack people,” as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes more Americans to do their holiday shopping exclusively online or through a combination of digital and in-store purchases.
Adobe predicts US customers will spend a record $209 billion online between November 1st and December 31st, a 10% increase over 2020, and cybercriminals are getting more and more attention.
On Thursday, the Portland FBI warned of growing threats from online scammers in Oregon, where 17,000 incidents occurred last year.
“Small-scale cyber plans can be equally devastating for a family frantically searching for the perfect gift and possibly cash-strapped,” Kieran Ramsey, special agent for the FBI’s Portland Field Office, told ABC News. subsidiary KATU-2.
“Suddenly you get scammed and bam, your holiday season begins, which is very disappointing,” added Mr. Ramsey.
Security Intelligence, a cybersecurity news site, reported on September 13 that “retail cyberattacks have increased during the pandemic, increasing by 1280% from the beginning of 2020 to the end of the year.”
But despite the importance of creating secure passwords for online shopping, cybersecurity blog Beyond Identity reported on October 27 that 58% of 1,024 online consumers prefer to check-out as a guest when shopping online, avoiding the time-consuming security process. a password protected account.
The Times reported last Friday the California-based cybersecurity firm’s latest eCrime Index forecast. crowd strike While online fraud peaks during the holiday season each year, this year’s threat level has increased with the rise in online commerce.
Cybercriminal gangs in countries like China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran are targeting shoppers’ financial information through data extortion, phishing, ransomware, malware, and retail websites that store promotions and fake emails.
crowd strike He added that merchants and banks handling large volumes of digital transactions will remain at high risk during this year’s supply chain crisis until the period between Christmas Day and Orthodox Christmas.
Adam Meyers crowd strikeThe Senior Vice President of Intelligence said in a video briefing that hackers will “take time off” and “spend time with their families” during this time.
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