Tis the season to be cautious when it comes to cybersecurity. With the holly jolly season upon us, it’s important to remember that there are a bunch of clever Grinches out there, determined to snatch your organization’s or your personal data for financial gain.
Holiday Scams: A Cybersecurity Lump of Coal
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have come and gone, but the shopping frenzy continues. The popularity of shopping online comes with a dubious bonus gift – cybercriminals ready to take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
In a recent Cyberprotection Magazine article, Nick Hogg, Director of Technical Training at Fortra, weighs in, along with a few other cybersecurity pros, on how to protect yourself from some of the most popular scams in play. “The lead up to Christmas is the busiest time of the year for retailers – and, with plenty of deals to be had on both gifts and essentials, Cyber Monday can often be pretty manic. Unfortunately, scammers and hackers make the most of this hectic time, while we are often too busy to notice until it is too late. Consumers need to be wary of phishing emails and social media posts offering hot deals on well-known brands.”
Phishing is the practice of sending emails pretending to be from a reputable or well-known company to get individuals to reveal personal details, credit card numbers, or passwords. It’s one of the primary ways cybercriminals can get into an organization.
Related Reading: 7 Steps to Protect Yourself from Phishing
Ransomware: Attacks Can Wipe Out Holiday Profits
This form of cybercrime hits the retail industry especially hard. Bad actors who are able to get into your system and encrypt information, can then hold it for ransom in exchange for money (typically untraceable bitcoin). If not dealt with quickly, profits can easily plummet. The following article details how to help prevent this type of attack and recover quickly as every second counts: What is Ransomware and How to Detect and Prevent It. A more comprehensive guide from Fortra’s PhishLabs can also bolster your defenses.
Get the Guide: Ransomware Playbook: Defense in Depth Strategies to Minimize Impact
Prioritizing File Transfers is Key
Data leaks can occur any time, but could ramp up during busy holiday times, due to simple human error, as well as nefarious behavior. Protecting the data exchanged every day such as credit card details, personal information, sales figures, inventory lists, customer contact information, and more requires a robust, secure file transfer solution be in place as an essential layer of protection for the information your customers and your trading partners entrust to you.
In addition, healthy data management comes into play in industries with regulatory compliance requirements, such as PCI DSS in the retail sector. GoAnywhere MFT delivers an easy-to-use, streamlined, and automated way to transfer files in and out of your organization. This centralized, enterprise-level approach offers encryption protection as well as automation features to help reduce the risk of human error, especially during busy times.
Looking for Online Deals? Be Aware.
The article goes on to add some consumer cautions, including:
- If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Don’t get carried away. Take a minute before you buy.
- Do not click through links on emails – go to the website directly from your browser.
- Check URLs carefully, and ensure you are on the website that you know and trust.
- Genuine emails will provide voucher or discount codes. Be cautious if you're asked to use special links that take you to places unfamiliar to you.
- Be aware of ‘thank you for your order’ emails that are not genuine.
- Do not hand over credit card details to unknown people or unverified sites.
Our Gift to You: A Free Demo of Secure File Transfer
Holiday time or anytime, the importance of securing your files as they move in and out of your organization can’t be overstated. Protecting business critical data, your customer and trading partner’s information, and your reputation are at stake. To see how easy adding the security layer of secure file transfer to your business operations can be, schedule a free 15-, 30- or 60-minute demo.
