4 Cyber Safety tips for Cyber Monday 2020

Last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday celebrations became a hot target for cybercriminals.

According to Security Magazine,  SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers recorded a 63% malware spike) in the U.S alone during cyber sales.

This year, many shoppers will choose to do their festive shopping online this year due to the pandemic, but will this lead to more cyber attacks?

For now, we will have to wait and see, but after a spike in attacks, last year’s it’s not looking good. Statistics from the 2019 cyber sales show an alarming number of attacks over the Thanksgiving period (25 Nov to 2 Dec 2019).

• 129.3 million malware attacks
• 639,355 ransomware attacks
• 51% increase in phishing attacks on Black Friday (compared to the average day in 2019)

Source: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/91425-malware-spike-during-black-friday-and-cyber-monday

With Cyber Monday sales going on throughout the day, we list our top cyber safety tips.

Keep your eyes peeled for phishing attacks

Phishing is one of the most common cyber security threats around. A phishing scam normally takes the form of an email, though the technique has now started to spread into social media, apps, and messaging services.

The scam tries to trick the target into doing what the hacker wants.

Hackers will target inboxes during the cyber sales as users are inundated with promotional emails, which makes theirs easy to sneak in!

Look out for emails that promote links to fake websites that want you to enter your personal details and always shop on official brand websites.

Password protection

Using the same password for multiple accounts is extremely dangerous and it makes you an easy target for hackers during busy periods like the cyber sales.

If a hacker gains access to one of your it will enable them to infiltrate and access many of your details and before you know it – you have been scammed on multiple platforms.

Ensure all your software is up to date

If you are making a lot of transactions today make sure that all your security software is up to date.

Cyber criminals can take advantage of the most basic faults; therefore, this quick and easy action could stop hackers from gaining access to your computer through vulnerabilities in older and outdated systems.

Watch out for fraudulent activity

Today is a great day for cyber criminals to take advantage of your online accounts.

They that there will be lots of online activity going on and hope to slip under the radar when it comes to unusual activity.

In most cases, hackers will test the waters with a few small transactions and then go in for the kill with a larger amount. We advise that you keep a close eye on your bank statements throughout the day to make sure there are no unusual transactions on your account.

Cyber safety with Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed and industry-supported scheme that helps businesses protect themselves against the growing threat of cyber attacks and provides a clear statement of the basic controls organisations should have in place to protect them.

Gaining Cyber Essentials certification enables organisations to showcase their credentials as trustworthy and secure when it comes to cyber security.

Learn more about what we do.