Buy cheaper, but don’t get robbed. Cybercriminals prey on customers on Black Friday

The final preparations for Black Friday are underway. This year’s shopping madness falls on Friday, November 24. On this day, according to a survey conducted by PayPo, as many as two-thirds of Poles (65%) plan to make purchases taking advantage of the hottest sale of the year. For many companies, it is an excellent opportunity to harvest sales, which is why store chains compete strongly with each other, offering numerous promotions and discounts to customers.

Black Friday. Two thirds of customers will shop in online stores

To attract as many people as possible, some companies offer cheaper shopping on subsequent days. Most often, they organize a sales weekend (Black Weekend) or a sales week (Black Weeks). They don’t have to wait long to see the effects, longer sales are very popular with customers. Two-thirds of respondents admit that they will make purchases in online stores, and 34 percent will go to stationary stores.

The shopping madness is also closely watched by cybercriminals who are not idle these days. Many consumers fall into traps set by online thieves. “Around Black Friday, hacking techniques become even more sophisticated than usual.” – this is according to analyzes conducted by F5 Labs.

Black Friday. Cybercriminals have been preparing for the sale for a long time

According to the study’s authors, fake websites and prepared text messages with suspicious links are just a few standard tools in the criminal arsenal. Experts point out that advanced bots of unknown origin also play a large role in robbing customers. Then the workstation can be controlled by hackers.

“On the eve of Black Friday, up to 70 percent of automated digital activity is generated by advanced bots of unknown origin, where their share usually accounts for 33 percent of all traffic,” we read in the report. Cybercriminals have been preparing for sales sales for a long time.

Black Friday. Online thieves are constantly improving their theft methods

Internet thieves are constantly increasing the complexity of their activities. They are increasingly exploiting the latest security vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems. – It is also the implementation of malware that can alert its code to dynamically infect a new system – the authors of the study note.

In their opinion, the increase in online traffic on Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday is visible some time in advance, especially during the preparation and promotional periods. Certain e-commerce categories are more vulnerable to attacks, such as credential stuffing, account takeover, and gift card fraud. The highest level of potential attacks occurs in categories such as groceries, fashion and electronics.

Black Friday. Cybercriminals also attack during preparations for sales

Analysts point out one more important aspect. While they expected programmatic traffic to peak during peak sales periods, it did so at or before the beginning of the Black Friday promotional period. This means that cybercriminals want to take advantage of the time when online platforms have not yet implemented enhanced security measures.

– Retailers clearly need to be very vigilant well ahead of Black Friday and the surge in shoppers. – sums up David Warburton, director of F5 Labs. Internet users are also asking about safe online shopping as they are impatiently counting down the days until the start of numerous sales.

Black Friday. Experts tell us how to avoid getting robbed

Experts from F5 Lab have prepared a list of tips on what you should pay attention to so as not to become a victim of cybercriminals.

• Please make sure you are using a secure internet connection.

• Before making a purchase, check whether the website you are on has the “https” protocol.

• Verify the seller. Check if this is the right website and if the Internet address is correct.

• Avoid suspiciously low prices. This is one of the warning signs.

• Choose reputable shopping platforms or online stores.

• After making the payment, check your bank account balance.

• In case of any irregularities, please contact the bank.