Web Security News

Black Friday was good for phishing

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Apparently phishers went shopping during Thanksgiving week too, though not for deals on electronic devices or DVD sets.

Yesterday, Cyveillance reported that for the second consecutive year, Black Friday saw a significant rise in phishing attacks with a 380 percent increase from last year.

Cyber Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday, saw attacks spike approximately 400 percent from 242 in 2007 to 954.

The rise in attacks may be the result of phishers taking advantage of historically lax security measures taken during long holiday weekends. In the past, targets have been small businesses and credit unions, which may not have an IT security team working the entire day.

Cyveillance also suggests the Thanksgiving attacks are another example of how cyber criminals are using the recession to their advantage.

"During this down economy, online criminals are undoubtedly trying to take advantage of online shoppers looking for holiday deals. The hectic nature of the holiday season, combined with a lack of structured security set the stage for criminals to take advantage of vulnerable users," said Panos Anastassiadis, CEO of Cyveillance.

Prior to the attacks, USA Today reported cyber criminals were creating sophisticated phishing scams and injecting security-breaching code into online advertisements, made to attract easily distracted consumers.ADNFCR-1765-ID-18912573-ADNFCR

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