Holiday Season Cyber Threats
As the holiday season approaches, businesses become increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hackers take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the season to launch phishing scams, ransomware attacks, and other malicious activities. In this month’s newsletter we will breakdown some of the most common cyber threats businesses may encounter and share some tips to safeguard your business from these threats!
Here are some of the most common holiday season cyber threats:
- Phishing scams: Phishing scams are emails or text messages that try to trick you into revealing personal information, such as your passwords or credit card numbers. These scams often use holiday themes, such as gift cards or holiday greetings, to lure you in.
- Ransomware attacks: Ransomware attacks are a type of cyberattack that encrypts your files and demands a ransom payment in order to decrypt them. These attacks can be devastating to businesses, as they can cause downtime and data loss.
- Gift card scams: Gift card scams are scams that involve tricking you into buying gift cards and then stealing the gift card numbers. These scams often use holiday themes, such as gift cards to popular retailers, to lure you in.
- Fake shopping websites: Fake shopping websites are websites that look like legitimate online retailers, but are actually scams designed to steal your credit card information. These scams often use holiday discounts and promotions to lure you in.
- Malware-infected holiday greetings: Malware-infected holiday greetings are emails or text messages that contain malware that can infect your computer with a virus or other malicious software. These scams often use holiday themes, such as holiday greetings or holiday e-cards, to lure you in.
Here are some tips for protecting your business from holiday season cyber threats:
- Educate your employees: Train your employees to spot phishing scams and other malicious activities. Make sure they know how to identify and report suspicious emails, text messages, and websites.
- Keep your software up to date: Make sure your software is up to date with the latest security patches. This will help to protect you from known vulnerabilities.
- Use strong passwords: Require your employees to use strong passwords and change them regularly. Avoid using passwords that are easy to guess, such as birthdays or common words.
- Back up your data: Regularly back up your data so that you can restore it in the event of a cyberattack.
- Be suspicious of unexpected emails or text messages: If you receive an unexpected email or text message, be suspicious. Don’t click on any links or open any attachments until you have verified that they are legitimate.
- Shop from trusted retailers: When shopping online, only shop from trusted retailers. Look for websites that have a “https://” URL and a padlock icon in the address bar.
- Be careful about what information you share online: Don’t share personal information, such as your credit card number, social security number, or date of birth, on social media or other public websites.
By following these tips, you can help to protect your business from holiday season cyber threats. To learn more about protecting your business from cyber threats, please contact us at [email protected]!
We wish you a happy start to the Holiday Season!