The advent period sees a surge in offline and online shop traffic, which cybercriminals take advantage of as shoppers focus on the best deals and prices and filter out harmful content. As well as individuals, organisations can also become more vulnerable to hackers due to the rush of end-of-year closures and holidays.
For most people, the festive season is all about relaxing and spending time with family and friends. Unfortunately, hackers don't rest during this time either, but instead put even more energy into exploiting the vulnerability of others. With many people doing their gift shopping online – 63 percent of Christmas purchases are made through online shops - cybercriminals see the festive season as the perfect time to launch attacks. For example, ransomware attacks increase by 30 percent during Advent compared to other months. Consumers are less vigilant, more focused on finding the best deals and holiday shopping, while end-of-year closures mean that their workplaces are busier than at other times of the year.
Phishing attacks are more likely to be effective during the festive season, as users enter their data in more online shops without checking the background and reliability of the site. During the Christmas shopping season, people receive many more promotional emails and therefore filter them less, making it easier for cybercriminals to masqueradeas retailers to trick victims into providing their details.
Businesses are also more at risk during the festive season. In the end-of-year rush, with holiday replacements, workers are more focused on getting their tasks done on time and less likely to spot the warning signs of potential damage. Commercial companies are even more severely affected, with increased traffic putting information systems under strain and most companies not prepared to deal with it, making them an easy target for hackers. It is easier to infiltrate networks undetected and launch attacks against the targeted organisation.
To guard against attacks, it is important to prepare in advance against cyber-attacks at both individual and organisational level. It is important to keep systems up to date (e.g. anti-virus, firewalls,etc.) even during the holidays, and it is also important to ensure that employees are prepared through continuous information and training throughout the year. ViVeTech is at your service during the festive period and will help you to stay safe by keeping you up to date with the latest market trends.
Sources: thrivedx.com and bit-sentinel.com
