Businesses face threats daily from cybercriminals looking to infiltrate their systems and hold them hostage. That is why it is important they have a year-round connection with experts, like those at FTC IT Solutions, to help take a proactive approach to fend off these attacks.
But during the holidays, while most people are looking forward to having a good time with friends and family, hackers are looking to have their own celebrations. That is why it is even more important that businesses should be aware of increases in phishing attacks, ransomware, e-commerce fraud and insider threats during the holidays.
The high volume of online activity coupled with reduced staffing during this period create a “perfect storm” for cybercriminals.
Ransomware attacks, for example, often spike around weekends and holidays when IT and security teams are understaffed and have slower response times. For e-commerce businesses, a ransomware attack can halt operations during their busiest and most profitable period. Criminals exploit this pressure, assuming the organization is more likely to pay the ransom to avoid massive revenue loss.
The surge in online shopping traffic during the holidays also provides more opportunities for criminals to engage in e-commerce fraud. Below are a few examples of how these black hats prey on businesses during the holidays:
- Fake online stores and ads: Fraudsters create convincing, but fake, retail websites or social media ads with “too good to be true” offers to steal customer payment information and personal data.
- Gift card fraud: Attackers use stolen or fraudulently obtained gift cards to purchase goods or drain funds. This can involve tampering with physical gift cards in stores or hacking online gift card accounts.
- Mage cart attacks: This type of digital credit card skimming attack involves hackers injecting malicious code onto e-commerce sites to steal customer payment information during the checkout process.
- Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks: Cybercriminals overwhelm a company’s website with excessive traffic to crash it. This is especially damaging during high-traffic shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
And while not always malicious, insider threats pose a significant risk during the holiday season due to behavior by employees. Below are some examples:
- Distracted or overworked staff: Employees preoccupied with holiday plans or personal shopping could become less vigilant and more susceptible to social engineering attacks.
- Seasonal employees: Temporary holiday hires might not receive the same level of security training as permanent staff, making them more vulnerable to scams or accidental data leaks.
- Departing employees: Individuals who are leaving a company at year-end may misuse access to sensitive data, either maliciously or unintentionally.
While these topics are more specific to the holiday season, businesses are remined to be vigilant 24 hours a day, seven days a week, because cybercriminals do not take off for weekends or holidays. And why it is important that these organizations have a built-in connection with experts, like those at FTC IT Solutions, to add layers of protection and help when issues arise.
Like we have said before in this space, it is about being proactive, reactive and interactive.
That is what you will get from FTC IT Solutions. If interested in contacting the experts there, give them a call at 888-218-5050.
