Malware Risks High on Cyber Monday

As online shoppers flock online today to benefit from all the Cyber Monday deals, security researchers advise them to exercise increased caution because of the increased number of attacks targeting users during this period.

Just like Black Friday, Cyber Monday is considered one of the busiest shopping days of the year. However, instead of trampling each other in stores, people battle over the limited discounted stocks online shops put out.

And as always, when there's sufficient interest from Internet users into something, cybercriminals don't miss the occasion to exploit it.

They do this in various ways. First, there's the black hat SEO campaigns, which poison search results for particular keywords with links to malicious websites.

During this time it's better to just go directly to the online stores you trust and use their internal search to locate items, instead of searching for them on Google.

Then there are spam emails trying to trick users into buying counterfeit goods, like luxury watches, expensive software or designer clothing, at ridiculously low prices.

Give that this is a day characterized by major discounts, users might be tempted to buy from websites advertised in spam, however, they would be throwing money away on fake items.

Other scams promise free gift cards for the most popular stores in return to users completing surveys or tasks which require them to sign up try services for limited fees.

"The tasks get more complex, and more expensive, as you try to get enough 'points' to get your gift card. […] READ THE FINE PRINT! (and don't waste your time!)," warns Gary Warner, director of research in Computer Forensics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Penny auctions are similar schemes designed to trick users into paying money for a small chance of winning something. They consist of bids for expensive items that end up selling for very low prices.

However, bidding points cost money and an item could have tens or hundreds of bidders. An iPhone could sell for $19, but if two hundred people use their paid points bidding on it, the organizers not only earn back its full price, but also make a profit.