Top Day For Cyber Attacks

The biggest shopping weekend for the year reached a new all-time record for Black Friday sales, with 20% more money spent than previous Black Fridays. Total sales value is in the billions of dollars, with $ 7.4billion making it the second largest online trading day ever.

Last year’s Cyber Monday took out the top spot, but it’s expected to be surpassed this year with an estimated $ 9.4 billion in sales expected, so watch this space. We’ll update this article when the final number is available. Of course, these eye-popping statistics won’t be pleasing Pope Francis, who recently likened the busiest weekend in retail for the year to that of a ‘virus,’ namely the ‘virus of consumerism. Clearly, the message has not gotten through to Americans considering shopping part of their DNA.

More sales were recorded from mobiles, and Black Friday was a full day for cyber-attacks. According to Forbes, reports records have been well and truly smashed out of the park. Forget 20 – 30%, cybercrime was up by a whopping 275%.

So, were you or your business a victim of cybercrime? If so, let’s turn to prevention measures and how doing the basics can be enough to ward off common attacks. Before we cover the must-do tasks to keep safe online, let’s first look at how cybercrime reached record success.

Where Are The Cyber Attacks Occurring?

We all use email, so this is the perfect channel for phishing and fraudulent attacks. With the complexity of personalized data and the everyday use of AI and automated data capture pages, cybercriminals also use the same features to catch unaware recipients.

We all want that ‘too good to be true’ deal. Maybe this time, the 80% off the retail price is accurate, and by clicking the link in the email, the transaction is available to you. Only after you’ve connected the relationship can you realize the email is a scam and the connection has not taken you to an authentic site. Unfortunately, many recipients who open the fake emails and click the links also hand over their credit card details – and now their data is in the hands of criminals.

The advice from cyber experts is to not click links in emails around this time of year. Also, be vigilant when visiting sites you’d typically go to by viewing the URL to check that the site is not a fake duplicate site. Some cybercriminals may use your payment credentials immediately, whereas others may keep them for an attack later. If you suspect you are a victim of credit card fraud, alert your provider directly.

How To Stay Safe Online

Businesses are doing all they can to protect their customer data and ensure their workplace has a cybersecurity culture.

Antivirus software

While BYOD is commonplace, businesses have compliance requirements for their use in the workplace. Using anti-virus software that covers computers, i.e., devices, email, and the web, is a prerequisite for all workers.

Machine Learning Technology

Plus, the business can take extra measures to ensure their data is not shared with their workers’ personal systems. Machine learning technology is helping fight cybercrime, particularly in keeping personalized data safe.

Data Encryption & Strong Passwords

Back to basics is the perfect starting point. All mobile and computer users need a strong password generator to keep their credentials out of the hands of criminals. Regularly updating passwords and using data encryption software are also encouraged, so if your data is stolen, it is encrypted and remains useless when it’s in the wrong hands.

Summary

There could be an element of luck or bad luck in being the victim of cybercrime. However, this time of year is perilous for clicking links in emails, so maybe avoiding clicking links in emails is the best course of action. Getting a great deal is satisfying. As a business, you want your customers to get in on the move, so make it an activity that can be enjoyed and safe by offering extra security steps before requesting client data, including payment details.