Planning on doing some e-shopping this holiday season?Those who will be taking to the web in order to cross out those items on their holiday gift lists should beware of booby traps set by cybercriminals in order to steal personal information or spread malware.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday only days away, folks are preparing themselves for an all-out buying frenzy that will hopefully result in snagging the items they want the most for the best price. However, shoppers aren’t the only ones getting ready for the holiday season.
Cybercrooks are also hoping to cash in on the buzz of the holiday purchasing season by setting up malware-laden website to spread viruses, worms and other nasty computer bugs or capture your billing information via bogus merchant websites.
Internet thieves draw in unsuspecting buyers via search engine poisoning and typically target the season’s most popular gadgets in order to yield the most victims.
Did any of the items on your holiday shopping list make the cut? Here are the hot commodity items that made it to F-Secure’s list of the ‘Top Ten Most 'Dangerous' Holiday Gifts for Cyber Monday 2011’:
- Apple iPhone 4S
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 DVD
- Angry Birds: Knock on Wood Game
- Steve Jobs biography
- Fijit Friends Willa Interactive Toy
- Michael Buble ‘Christmas’ album
- Apple iPad 2
- Kindle Fire tablet
- Silver ‘Heart’ pendants
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
To help you stay safe, F-Secure suggests you take the following precautions when shopping online throughout the holiday season:
- Visit retailer’s websites directly instead of using Google to search for them. Example: type in ‘www.amazon.com’ instead of Googling ‘Amazon’.
- Always check the URL in your address bar before making a purchase and be on the lookout for typos in the address bar.
- Use antivirus software that offers real-time scanning, a personal firewall and browsing protection.
Happy (& Safe) Shopping!
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