Cyber Monday is one of the busiest online shopping days of the year, in fact the four days from Black Friday to Cyber Monday see huge volumes of people head online rather than travel to the shops.
This period is the busiest time of year for online shopping, with millions of shoppers going online to buy presents for Christmas. Over $1.5 billion is expected to be spent online on this single day, according to figures from ComScore. That represents a 20% increase in spending year on year. Ever since 2005 – the first Cyber Monday – online criminals have taken advantage of the unsuspecting. This frenetic period of shopping sees many internet surfers and bargain hunters let their guard down.
There are bargains galore, huge discounts to be had and a small fortune can be saved. However, it is a time when users and businesses need to be particularly vigilant. Financial ruin awaits the unwary. Spammers, scammers, phishers and other cyber criminals are very active during this four-day period and are waiting to take advantage of Internet users that do not take precautions.
Retailers do tend to concentrate efforts on Cyber Monday, but that is not to say that the remaining days in the run up to Christmas will not be busy. Cyber Monday is just the start of a long spell of intensive online shopping. Cyber criminals are aware of this. Individuals failing to take care could well become victims of fraud and identity theft. A high percentage of victims are created during the period from Black Friday to Christmas Eve.
A cybercrime report issued earlier this year suggests that 431 million adult victims have become victims of cyber crime in the past 12 months. The global losses from online criminal activity have now reached an incredible $114 billion a year.
Shopping Frenzy Sees Basic Email Security Measures Forgotten
Cyber Monday is not a holiday. It is just a particularly busy day for online shoppers. Since people are at work, the time available for online browsing is therefore limited. Time pressures combined with amazing bargains is only a good mix for online scammers. They take advantage of lapses in security precautions that inevitably occur when shoppers are concentrating on special offers and discounts.
Scammers use this time of year to send huge volumes of spam emails containing links to exclusive deals and special offers. Email attachments are commonly sent containing vouchers providing even greater savings. This is not just a problem for shopping addicts. Employers face an elevated threat of having their networks compromised during this busy period. According to recent research, 80% of all online shopping occurs during working hours, with employees sneaking online while at the office.
Employers must therefore ensure that their employees are not taking unacceptable risks that could compromise their computers and networks. Should malware be downloaded, or phishing links clicked, the consequences could prove to be catastrophic.
Should Access to Shopping Sites Be Banned at Work?
Human resource consulting firm, Robert Half Technology, recently conducted a survey that showed CIOs do not typically block access to internet shopping sites from the workplace. 77% of CIOs allowed fairly free access to the internet from work, with only 23% of CIOs banning online shopping. However, that said, internet access is closely monitored and action taken against employees found to be excessively surfing and shopping from work computers.
By permitting casual internet surfing and online shopping at work, CIOs are allowing employees to potentially engage in risky behavior. Many choose to reduce the risk of users visiting phishing sites by restricting access to the internet to secure websites only. This is often achieved by implementing a web filtering solution, which prevents employees from visiting specific websites or certain types of websites.
This is arguably one of the best methods of protecting business networks, without placing too many restrictions on the staff. Internet access can be allowed, which leads to happier staff, yet networks can be protected from phishing websites, viruses and malware.
The use of anti-spam filters will similarly prevent spam emails from being delivered to inboxes, further reducing the risk of employees clicking on links and opening attachments that could compromise a network. If these email security measures are employed and security awareness training is provided, the Black Friday to Cyber Monday period can be enjoyed safely. Many data security headaches will also be prevented.