It may be the time for holiday celebrations, but online consumers
need to keep security in mind.
The day after American Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday,
is a time when millions of shoppers in the U.S. are expected to
line up in front of stores in the early morning hours to take
advantage of some of the biggest sales of the season. However, for
the last two years, Cyber Monday - the Monday following Black
Friday - has become the most popular shopping day for online
consumers. The temptation of low shipping costs, discounted
merchandise and the elimination of competition between other mall
shoppers has made online shopping far more alluring.
A recent poll conducted by IT security and control firm Sophos
indicates that 73 percent of consumers plan to shop online this
holiday season. That figure is an increase from last
year's 71 percent and illustrates the popularity of online
shopping. While consumers have taken advantage of bargains
available on Cyber Monday, cybercriminals have also honed in on
how, when and where consumers are shopping online. Sophos is
warning these shoppers to be mindful of the possibility of identity
theft during Cyber Monday and offers steps to avoid falling
victim.
Survey results
Are you doing any shopping online for the
holidays this year?
|
| Yes |
|
|
| No |
|
|
Sophos online survey, 230 respondents, November
2007.
"Cybercriminals are becoming craftier and smarter in the ways
they exploit consumers to steal their personal information," said
Mike Haro, senior
security analyst for Sophos. "This holiday season, consumers should
be more prepared and aware of the risks, especially as these crimes
have been reported quite heavily in the news. Having the right line
of defense in place and knowing what signs to look out for will
help online shoppers to avoid potential credit card fraud and
identity theft."
While consumers are at risk, they may also unknowingly expose
their companies' network to an attack. A recent study conducted by
Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com indicates that
nearly one out of every three employees will shop online during
work hours. This high volume presents the opportunity for
cybercriminals to gain access to company networks through an
employee's work computer. Sophos warns consumers and businesses
alike to be mindful of the risks on Cyber Monday and to utilize
proper security measures.
Sophos offers the following online shopping security
recommendations:
Precautions for consumers
- Read website privacy policies and procedures to ensure
appropriate measures are in place
- Only buy from reputed sites
- Do not follow links from unsolicited email
- Never enter sensitive information from an internet cafe or
machine that you do not know to have a fully up-to-date security
policy
- Ensure you have a firewall, patches and anti-virus up to date
and running
- Protect your password
Precautions for online shopping sites
- Use HTML encryption technology
- Enlist a firewall
- Limit access to your server to only those who absolutely need
it
- Check your system and weblogs for suspicious activity
regularly, especially when traffic is high
Disclaimer: Please bear in mind that this poll is not
scientific and is provided for information purposes only. Sophos
makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the results other than
that they reflect the choices of the users who participated.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.