Cyber criminals will be targeting online shopping as people take to the internet to bag Black Friday and Cyber Monday bargains as Christmas shopping begins – and the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)[1] has urged shoppers to be vigilant and report suspected cyberattacks and scams.
The run up to Christmas is a lucrative period for retailers as people look to stock up on gifts – and many outlets will run promotional offers to coincide with Black Friday and Cyber Monday to encourage spending.
Retailers send emails offering promotions and discounts – and that's something cyber criminals can exploit by sending messages of their own; phishing emails[2] tempting people with an offer of bargains in order to steal money, usernames and passwords, personal information and more.
SEE: A winning strategy for cybersecurity[3] (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF[4] (TechRepublic)
The NCSC is warning shoppers to be cautious when shopping by being selective about where they make purchases from.
For example, people should be mindful if they've not heard of a particular retailer before, or if they receive an email claiming to offer direct links to bargain items. It's best to take the precaution of visiting the retailer's web address rather than clicking on a direct link.
And users should be wary of websites that ask for an unnecessary amount of personal information when taking payments – if they're asking for additional security details, like a codeword or an answer to a secret question used to retrieve your password, it's highly likely to be a scam.
"You shouldn't have to provide security details (such as your mother's maiden name, or the name of your first pet) to complete your purchase," NCSC notes.
It also suggests: "The