Ensure a Scam-Free Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is just around the corner, and according to the National Retail Federation, it’s the biggest shopping day of the year – even exceeding Black Friday. Last year 81 million U.S. residents shopped online on Cyber Monday. Much of this shopping will happen at work on company owned devices. According to Robert Half Technology, almost half of employees in North American said they shop from work on Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday offers plenty of opportunities for criminals to exploit unsuspecting buyers. In the rush to find the best prices, employees may find themselves clicking through dishonest sites looking to exploit credit card information and vulnerable data. Read these quick tips to protect your business from Cyber Monday scammers.
Educate Your Employees
Remind your employees to shop securely. Online retailers should have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption. SSL is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral.
You’ll know if the site has SSL if there is a green lock somewhere near the browser address bar and if the web address starts with ‘https:’, opposed to ‘http’. The added “s” means that the way your information is being sent is secure. These two marks signify the retailer is both private and secure. Finally, trust your instincts. If a deal seems too good to be true, or a website looks shady, it’s probably unsafe.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a method of confirming a user’s claimed identity by utilizing something they know (for example a password) and a second factor other than something they have. For example, with 2FA, users might be required to receive an SMS text message with a unique code needed to complete their login attempts.
Turning on this for email and other mobile accounts, including social media, adds an extra barrier before entry to your network. While this step requires some extra effort, taking a few more seconds to verify your identity is a small price to pay for information security.
Get Protection from Malware
To effectively protect your employees’ devices from malware, it’s imperative to have an anti-virus program, or better yet an entire security package. Remember, it’s not enough to just have it installed. Make sure your anti-malware tools are always up-to-date. If they aren’t, they also won’t be up to date on the new, constantly-growing, list of threats.
Stay in tune with the risks associated with holiday deals, and happy shopping! Plow can help keep your network secure. Contact Plow today.
About Plow
Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, Plow is a Total Service Provider (TSP) with several distinct business practices that, when consumed together, offer our clients a unique, best-in-class experience that give them peace of mind, valuable time back and the economies of scale that come with having one partner that is focused on exceeding their expectations with every engagement.
