Cyber Monday is the Most Wonderful Day of the Year for Cyber Criminals

It’s the best shopping day of the year for many. In fact, 40% of all online shopping happens this time of year. But because of that, it’s also the best time of year for those who like to steal from us. We want those really great Cyber Monday deals, but we are also more easily taken off guard in a rush to get that great holiday deal. The hackers know this are creating more ways to be a Grinch amidst all the holiday cheer.

According to security researchers at zScaler, some apps are showing up promising great shopping deals. Unfortunately, they masquerade as a well-known retailer, but in reality download malicious software to your device. In particular, Amazon has been copied, but that doesn’t mean others are not out there. In the meantime, unsuspecting shoppers think it’s a poorly developed app and delete it not realizing what happened. That’s too late, as it’s already at work stealing your passwords and logins to all those sites visited in search of that screaming Cyber Monday deal.

There is never a time to take a holiday from protecting your information. Always remember to follow some guidelines when shopping online, no matter what time of year:

• Avoid sideloading. Make sure you get apps from the official app store for your device. Even though it isn’t a 100% guarantee of safety, there is additional scrutineering they must go through before being approved for those stores. Getting them from other places usually adds additional risk since those extra checks may not be performed.

• Read reviews of any apps you are downloading before doing so. If there are issues with it at all, it’s likely to be noted. Pay attention to how many reviews are there as well. If it’s just a few, perhaps wait a bit to see if more people chime in.

• Don’t forget to continue monitoring all payment card purchases, even in the holiday frenzy. Often, if a cybercriminal gets ahold of your information, they will charge small amounts to it fairly quickly after they steal it to make sure it works. If you see anything suspicious, even the smallest amount, contact the card issuer to get it resolved.

• Remember to use the credit option at the register, rather than debit. There are generally more protections for credit cards and if those pesky hackers re-create your debit card, they can empty your account in a hurry.

• If your card issuer allows you to put notifications on your account, do it. They will alert you when a charge is made to your card over amounts you specify.

• It’s better to manually type website addresses into the browser than click links form any email or from a post from social media. Often those links will go directly to a malicious site and you may not have to do anything other than briefly visit it and end up with an infected device.

• Don’t forget to use unique passwords for each online account and whatever you do, keep your financial online credentials separate from any other accounts. If those Grinches get one password, they will try using it on other sites.

According to Forrester, last year cyber Monday purchases exceeded $2.5 billion in the United States. That is a lot of shopping and it’s expected to increase this year. Just use caution, don’t let your guard down and all will be right in Whoville this year!