Check Point Software: Tips & Tricks for a safe Christmas shopping

What can be considered the world month of online shopping has just ended and Check Point Software has collected some interesting data to turn towards the Christmas period. In fact, in November there are many days all over the world dedicated to shopping: the Click Frenzy (9 November) in Australia, the Single’s Day (11 November) in China, but above all Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, born in the United States, now very popular here too. However, the boom in online shopping is accompanied by an increase in criminal activity.

Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence division of Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), the leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, has detected since early October 2021 the highest amount of dangerous websites related to shopping and sales offers. On average, more than 5300 different websites per week, marking a 178% increase over the average per week seen during the year.

The global impact of these websites has peaked since the beginning of November, with 1 in 38 business networks being affected, on average per week, compared to 1 in 47 in October and 1 in 352 in early 2021. For this reason, here are six simple tips for a safe shopping experience:

Always buy from safe and reliable sources – do not click on promotional links you receive via email or on social media. Better to Google the brand or store you need.

Beware of “lookalike” domains: check the spelling in emails or websites and verify all senders of emails from which you receive promotions, even those that seem familiar to you.

Don’t be fooled by impossible offers; a new iPad will NOT be 80% off this season unfortunately.

Always look for the lock: Making an online transaction from a site that doesn’t have SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption installed is an absolute NO-GO. To find out if the site has SSL, look for the “S” in HTTPS, instead of HTTP. A closed lock icon will appear, typically to the left of the URL in the address bar or status bar at the bottom. No padlock is a sign of danger.

Implement an endpoint and email security solutions – this can make all the difference to avoiding a
serious security incident.

Always be wary of password reset emails, especially when online traffic is very high, such as during this time. If you get an uninvited password reset email, always visit the website directly (don’t click on the embedded links) and change your password to something different on that site. Not knowing your password is, of course, the problem cybercriminals face when trying to gain access to your online accounts. By sending a fake password reset email that directs you to a similar phishing site, they can convince you to type in your account credentials and send it to them.

The data presented comes from Check Point’s Threat Prevention technologies, stored and analyzed on the
ThreatCloud map. ThreatCloud delivers real-time threat intelligence from hundreds of millions of sensors around the world, across networks, endpoints, and cell phones. Intelligence is enriched by AI-based engines and exclusive search data from Check Point Research, the intelligence and research arm of Check Point Software Technologies.