SonicWALL has identified the top threats that are likely to be encountered during the shopping season. With the holidays just around the corner, phishers, hackers and scammers are preparing for the deluge of online shoppers and well-wishers by cultivating data harvesting methods, perfecting greeting card malware and honing merchant phishing techniques.
"We see malware and phishing attacks increase dramatically right before and right after the holidays," said Shubhomoy Biswas, Country Director, SonicWALL India & SAARC. "The hectic pace of the holiday season combined with the dramatic increase in online and in-store transactions strains the attentiveness of consumers making them susceptible to scams they normally would be able to identify. Unfortunately, most consumers won't learn the extent of any damage until the holidays are over."
During the holidays, malware and phishing threats tend to show up in a variety of forms unsuspecting consumers would not expect. Malware is disguised as a multi-media Christmas greeting card from an old aunt. A phishing attack comes from UPS or an online retailer where they just completed a purchase. To prevent the customers from being carried away by such malicious threats, SonicWALL has outlined exclusively top ten threats or simple guidelines for the season.
