Cyber Security Threats During the Holidays
Every year with the holiday season comes an increase in online browsing and shopping as shoppers begin to check off items from their gift lists. Online shopping has steadily grown in popularity over the past decade, especially as technology advances and shipping times decrease. During shopping surges, such as the months leading up to Christmas, cyber security threats increase as well. Online hackers take advantage of the increase in online presence and the number of transactions to target unsuspecting customers and their personal information. Types of Holiday Cyber Threats Shopping online, whether during the holidays or now, comes with risks. The same applies to any activity in which your personal information is shared with another party. Knowing the top types of threats that exist prior to browsing online is a great idea to better protect yourself against potential attacks. Phishing occurs when scammers send emails that appear to be authentic pieces of correspondence – for example, from a reputable retailer. Often, phishing emails request you to update your personal information or payment options due to an issue with the transaction or “compromised security.” These scams are instead just looking to gain that personal or payment information for use in making
