Online Shoppers Warned of ‘Cyber Monday’ Risks

Deals of high order are being presented as the period for vacation buying approaches, with most set to take place online on November 29, 2010 which's Cyber Monday. Security researchers caution that people must deploy security safeguards on their computers as malware writers and other cyber-criminals are preparing to take advantage of the greatest Internet marketing extravaganza at the cost of innocent Web-surfers. TechReviews published this on November 21, 2010.

After Thanksgiving finishes, the Monday that follows is Cyber Monday. On this day there's plenty of holiday marketing while productivity is nearly zero since although people come back for work, they actually surf all day to make deals online.

When holiday starts, it's accompanied with viruses and other malware that people unwittingly download onto their computers while they shop because crooks set up bogus shopping websites that spread the infections. Besides, they dispatch bogus electronic mails carrying viruses, while presenting concessions on gifts. There's even the danger of having one's financial and personal information getting filched through these e-mails.

Said Internet privacy services vendor TRUSTe's spokesman, consumers hardly thought a second time regarding marketing online. True, it was quick and simple; but it was online retailers' goldmine for accumulating large amounts of private and personal details. During 2010, the dangers were more than ever-before as Internet sales kept on increasing in volume. Indeed 25% of the current season's purchases were anticipated as happening online. Moreover, the danger was shifting; consumers were increasingly marketing via the mobile Internet, wherein, most of the safeguards thought to be there by default simply didn't apply, the spokesman added. PCWorld reported this on November 19, 2010.

Meanwhile, Trend Micro like TRUSTe too delineates a few of the standard attacks buyers can anticipate on Cyber Monday. These include deals which sound so utterly good that they are possibly false say an iPad for $100. Cyber-criminals may further exploit the vacation time via launching fake charities, and distributing bogus e-cards for contaminating computers and extorting cash.

Hence users are advised to execute a complete anti-virus scan prior to Cyber Monday for ensuring that their computers are malware-free.

Related article: Online Card Fraud Shows Greater Tendency Than Chip and Pin

» SPAMfighter News - 11/24/2010