Don’t Get Caught: The Most Common Cyberattacks of the Christmas Season

The Christmas season is a time full of joy, shopping and family gatherings. However, this is also an ideal time for cybercriminals to act. While you’re thinking about gifts and holidays, they’re coming up with ways to take advantage of the rise in online transactions and widespread distraction. Therefore, it is important to pay attention and know how to protect yourself from these threats. These are the most common cyberattacks of the Christmas season.

Why is this the most vulnerable time?

In 2023, online holiday sales reached an impressive $222.1 billion in the US alone. This rise in digital shopping presents a golden opportunity for cybercriminals, who take advantage of the fact that people are busy, in a hurry, and more prone to making mistakes.

According to the SIRP report, attacks using ransomware – a type of malware that holds data and devices hostage until a ransom is paid – increased by 30%, while phishing attacks – a technique designed to deceive to force users to obtain confidential information – grew by 35% during this period. Holiday season 2023.

Moreover, the generosity characteristic of this era also works against us. Many people fall for fake charity events, and companies’ IT teams are often short-staffed, making it difficult to respond quickly to incidents.

The Most Common Cyberattacks of the Christmas Season

Phishing

These days, there are many emails with fake promotions and special offers that imitate popular brands. These messages often contain links that try to steal your personal or financial information. Others try to scam you using order confirmations you didn’t place or suspicious accounts with malicious attachments.

Typesquatting

This type of attack, also known as URL hijacking, involves registering misspelled domains of legitimate websites. In a rush to shop, it’s easy to miss a strange symbol in a web address that could lead you to fraudulent sites designed to steal your payment information. For example, you could try typing www.tiendaonline.com and finish V www.tlendaonline.coma fake site that takes advantage of this omission.

Smishing

Text messages with “delivery updates” or “delivery issues” are another common tactic. These fraudulent delivery messages often contain links that look legitimate but are actually aimed at stealing your personal or financial information. If you receive a message asking you to “update your delivery settings” or schedule a “new delivery” due to an address error, be careful: it may be a scam.

DDoS attacks and ransomware

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are also common during the holidays. Cybercriminals use high traffic on networks to overwhelm them, leaving businesses offline and frustrating customers. Some attacks are carried out by unscrupulous competitors, while others are aimed at installing ransomware, holding companies’ systems hostage until they pay a ransom.

Even online gaming services are no exception; Networks such as Xbox Live and PlayStation Network (PSN) were taken offline over Christmas just for the amusement of attackers.

How to protect yourself from cyber attacks

• Take your time. Haste is the best ally of cybercriminals. Before you open an email, click on a link, or visit a website, carefully check its origin.
• Check links and web addresses. Hover your mouse over a link to check the URL before clicking. Look for spelling errors or unusual characters in addresses.
• Research before purchasing. Check reviews and forums for unknown online stores. If others have been scammed, they have likely left warnings.
• Beware of suspicious messages. Order updates that do not contain specific information or are not associated with an order number are often smishing or phishing attempts. Look out for urgent messages that require immediate action as they seek to take advantage of the rush of the moment.
• Confirm directly with the company. If something seems suspicious, call the company at its official number, not the one listed in the suspicious email or message.

Remember: a little caution can save you a lot of headaches. This festive season, enjoy the season and stay safe from cyber criminals.