Cybercrooks go phishing for data as more people shop online

Online shopping has seen significant traction amid the pandemic and continues to scale in the festive season, a trend that cybercriminals could look at cashing in by tricking shoppers into giving away personal information, security solutions provider McAfee said on Tuesday.

McAfee's Advanced Threat Research team had recently found evidence that online cybercrime continues to increase, with McAfee Labs observing 419 threats per minute in April-June 2020 quarter, an increase of almost 12 per cent over the previous quarter.

Shopping behaviours continue to evolve, with consumers skipping in-store purchases to a great extent and shifting a bulk of their festive purchases online, McAfee India Vice President of Engineering and M D Venkat Krishnapur said.

"In a bid to avail the best holiday deals and discounts, consumers open themselves up to risks on malicious websites, falling prey to phishing attacks through spam mails that are weaponised. Often, they carelessly give away personal information online that is then misused by cybercriminals for their nefarious gains," he added.

Considering that only 27.5 per cent of online buyers use online security solutions, it becomes even easier for cybercriminals to take advantage of innocent users, Krishnapur said.

"With cybercriminals looking to take advantage of this surge in online transactions, it is crucial that users stay mindful of potential risks and undertake necessary steps to protect themselves and their families this holiday season," he said.

McAfee noted that this juxtaposition of increased online activity from both consumers and cybercriminals serves as the perfect catalyst for malicious misdeeds.

McAfee's research revealed that greater awareness and proactivity is needed from consumers when it comes to protecting themselves online. Consumers need to take initiative to protect their devices, actions and identities from online criminals.

It suggested that users employ multi-factor authentication to double check the authenticity of digital users and add an additional layer of security to protect personal data and information.

It also advised users to browse with caution and use security tools to block malware and phishing sites via malicious links. Users could also protect their identity and important personal and financial details using security solutions.