How to avoid phishing attacks in the garb of Black Friday?

This week cyber criminals will be in their element using Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a hook to lure consumers to fall for their sophisticated phishing attacks. Security solutions provider Sophos’ Senior Security Advisor, John Shier has a few tips on safe shopping over the holiday season.

As the threat of phishing increases over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, here are some top tips on how to make sure you don’t become a victim.

1. If an online deal or email offer with price discounts looks too good to be true, it probably is. Hit delete immediately. The best way to confirm if it is real is to go directly on to the vendor’s site to check the price, and avoid clicking the link in the email which is likely to be malicious.

2. Feel free to browse deals on your phone but be cautious of the wireless network you’re connected. Only enter your credit card information when you’re on a secure network that you trust. Also remember, if possible, avoid using debit cards to purchase gifts online.

3. Be on the lookout for Typosquatting

This is where cybercriminals take a popular online brand and change one letter or two to trick you into clicking and sharing personal information. Always check the spelling and be on the lookout for smart typosquatting like the famous Tvvitter attack.

4. Be sensible about password security and incorporate length and complexity

Make account passwords different and difficult to guess. Include upper and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols to make passwords harder to crack.

5. If you’re contemplating clicking the link in an email, take a look at the URL first

Before you click, hover on the link if you’re on a computer or hold down the link on your phone and you should see the full URL appear. Once you can see it look at the source and ask yourself does this look legitimate. Bear in mind that just because the URL has a padlock icon next to it or starts with ‘https’ doesn’t mean it’s safe. As a rule of thumb if you aren’t sure if its genuine just delete it straight away.