Beware of Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams

Security researchers warn users to be prepared for all kind of malware attacks, scams, and spam, as they go on a shopping spree on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Just two days left until one of the busiest days of the years for retailers, which kickstarts the Christmas shopping season.

Although historically known as the day when everyone rushes to the stores, Black Friday also has a strong presence on the Internet with many online shops offering similarly big discounts.

This also holds true for the following Monday, commonly referred to as Cyber Monday, when all people who didn't finish their shopping in local stores on Black Friday, go online in search for deals.

And where there are lot of Internet users, there's also a lot of cyber crime. "It’s more important than ever for shoppers to follow best practices to avoid infecting their computers or turning over their private information into dangerous hands," says Sean-Paul Correll, threat researcher at Panda Security.

The antivirus vendor advises users to avoid using search engines to locate deals, because cyber criminals are in the habit of poisoning search results for popular keywords with malicious links.

In fact, search terms related to Black Friday have already been targeted since the beginning of this week. Going to well known and trusted online shops directly is always the best option.

Users are also advised to avoid clicking on links in advertising emails, even if they appear to originate from legitimate vendors. The same offers are probably available by accessing their websites directly.

People who decide to buy something should always make use the site uses SLL during the transaction. Also, they shouldn't log in into their accounts from insecure/open wireless networks.

Keeping the operating system and all applications up to date is critical, because attacks exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated software can be launched from compromised legitimate websites.

Finally, surfing with an up-to-date and capable antivirus solution installed is always a must. Users are advised not to take these safety tips lightly.