The holiday season is here and Christmas is right around the corner, which means cyber thieves are gearing up for the upcoming season with the latest scams and tricks to target online shoppers.
Many of us lessen our online presence during the holiday season, but we never disconnect altogether. For many of us our relaxation and family plans include our laptops, smartphones, and tablets. According to carbonblack.com Global organizations encountered a 57.5% increase in attempted cyberattacks during the 2017 holiday shopping season. During a similar time period in 2016, attempted cyberattacks increased above normal levels by 20.5%. So, what better time to prepare for and avoid future issues than the present?
Whether you are traveling for business or a relaxing holiday, here are 5 cybersecurity tips for you to follow:
- Don’t connect to public Wi-Fi: The laws and regulations that govern cybersecurity are different in other countries than the US. Free Wi-Fi access may be appealing when traveling, but it is also very vulnerable to security issues. A pro tip is to avoid unencrypted Wi-Fi networks, and ask your hotel for their security protocols before connecting to the web.
- Activate double authentication: Did you know that 65% of people use the same password everywhere. That is equivalent to utilizing the same key for your house, car, safe, and office. Double authentication acts like a second layer of protection for your accounts. It is also harder for cybercriminals to get a second authentication factor code.
- Be careful with holiday time emails: Holiday phishing emails and scams used to be so easy to point out and detect, but not anymore. These scammers are getting more sophisticated, almost replicating the company’s image, name, and logo. Be wary of unsolicited emails, don’t open attachments from senders you don’t know, and check the destination URL of any links.
- Don’t download unidentified information: Don’t download apps you are not sure of, like ones offered by hotels to their guests. Stick to apps from official sites like the App Store and Google Play.
- Minimize location sharing: As hard as it sounds to resist sharing your holiday highlights with your friends like restaurants, hotels, and famous international monuments, remember the fewer details you share about yourself the better. Scammers are always waiting for any personal information to use in the most unexpected ways.
Remember, less is more when it comes to online sharing, and more is better when it comes to cybersecurity awareness. All it takes is one mindless click to be vulnerable. For more information on how to keep yourself and business cyber secure this holiday season, reach out to our security experts today at (508) 453-4700.
