In 2022, Black Friday sales topped $9 billion. Cyber Monday sales surpassed that at over $11 billion. Worldwide, these represent two of the biggest shopping days of the year. Although that could be good for your business coffers, at the same time the traffic volume represents an opportunity for cybercriminals.
The shopping spike sees businesses handling more credit card numbers and confidential data. That's lucrative for the bad actors behind ransomware, malware, and phishing attacks.
You must follow cyber standards year-round when handling online payments and personal data, yet Black Friday and Cyber Monday require proactive measures to protect your business.
Be Ready for Ransomware
Ransomware is already on the rise. Don't get caught off guard with your IT and security teams enjoying time off during the holidays. Set up reliable autonomous security to protect against the disruption of these attacks.
Other proactive measures to support cybersecurity resilience include:
- establishing reliable data backups to enable data restoration and cut productivity loss;
- segmenting your networks to prevent an attack from spreading throughout your IT environment;
- limiting access, giving users only the bare access permissions they need to get work done.
Set up Monitoring
Stopping attackers from getting into business systems is increasingly difficult, but that doesn't mean you have to allow breaches to happen. Instead, focus on monitoring online activity and identifying threatening behavior.
Take advantage of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) solutions. These use strategic intelligence to continuously analyze and evaluate potential threats. They can watch your networks and endpoints for intrusion and malware attacks.
Reduce Attack Vectors
Cybercriminals need access to your IT environment to attack successfully. They can use social engineering, compromised passwords, or unpatched systems to get in. It doesn't help that most businesses have an expanding attack surface. Your digital footprint grows with cloud-based systems and Internet of Things (IoT) tools. Plus, some employees bring their own devices to work.
Take the following steps to reduce hacking risks:
- Audit your security environment.
- Identify vulnerabilities.
- Lock down user permissions.
- Confirm your encryption protocols are robust and secure.
- Restrict direct access to infrastructure such as database servers.
- Use multi-factor authentication.
- Install software patches to ensure you're not running out-of-date software.
Train Your Employees
Remind employees of increased risk as hackers leverage their fervor for bargains. They offer "great deals" to social engineer people into falling for scams.
Encourage your employees to do any online shopping on their personal devices. This can reduce the risk of them inadvertently exposing your network to attackers.
Educate Yourself
These four days of online sales can make your business busier than ever. Still, keep an eye out for new information about fraud and vulnerabilities. Join industry groups, add news alerts, and keep channels open to stay informed about emerging threats and prevention strategies.
Fortify Your Business for eCommerce
Cut the risk of fraudulent activities with these strategies and tactics. We can help you protect your IT, prevent attacks, and respond to threats. Contact us today at 903-347-0073.
