Five Red Flags for Black Friday

‘Tis the shopping season!  First up, Black Friday, followed by Shop Local Saturday, Cyber Monday, and all the shopping days that follow. 

Did you wake up early to stretch out your “add to cart” fingers so you can snag that hard-to-find, hot item of the season at a discounted price? Planning on heading out to that cute little boutique next to your office during lunch? 

Before you do, there are a few things you need to remember. Most important is that cybergrinches are out there year-round, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal your holiday joy. The holiday season is big business for them, and they are waiting for you to drop your guard. (And, no, they don’t care if it lands them on the naughty list.)

In the video above, I detail five red flags you should look out for on Black Friday — and all the other shopping days of the year. I’m hopeful these tips will help keep you and your company’s network secure this holiday season.

Let’s review, if you are going to be holiday shopping in the coming weeks, it is imperative you take the proper precautions to keep yourself and your company secure. 

• Don’t click on links within emails, and be very suspicious of any emails that discuss your credit cards or bank accounts.
• Be wary of phone calls seeking donations to various charities. Be vigilant, and do your research on the charity. Even then, donate directly, not from the email.
• If you are out shopping on your lunch break or after work, make sure your work badge is in a protective sleeve to help prevent cloning.
• Strangers are still strangers in the holiday season. Make sure everyone in your building and anyone trying to get in has the proper credentials to be there – or that they have an escort.
• Stay vigilant with your security practices, even when your office is short-staffed. When we get busy, it’s easy to skip locking computers and returning sensitive documents to a secure location. Take the extra few seconds to do cybersecurity right.

Raxis is an elite team of professionals who are paid to attack and assess cybersecurity systems. We can help you pinpoint security threats and find ways to remediate them leaving your company far more secure and giving you additional peace of mind.  

Ready to find out how secure your network really is? Reach out to us, and let’s discuss your needs and how we can help.