This coming Friday, November 26 , Americans will celebrate Black Friday , a day of exceptional sales. The tradition is now well established in France. Major online retailers (Amazon, CDiscount, Fnac, etc.) are also actively participating by offering exceptional discounts during the short Black Friday period. However, be warned: short-lived sales and tempting deals inevitably mean cyberattacks and phishing. The number of cyberattacks spikes sharply during events like these due to the increased traffic on these sites.
Hackers, always on the lookout for the latest trends:
During Black Friday, cybercriminals will analyze trending items and the best deals on retail websites. They do this to convince you that their phishing attempt is completely legitimate and looks as much as possible like an email from your favorite platforms. The tablet of your dreams at 70% off is bound to be tempting. But check the websites to see if these deals are real. If so, choose to shop through the official website where you usually order rather than via an email or text message (smishing), which carries the risk of a cyberattack.
A quick safety reminder to help you avoid falling for a phishing scam:
- Never disclose personal, professional, sensitive, or confidential information.
- Avoid logging in anywhere other than the official website of the actual government agency, institution, or organization…
- Take a close look at the link's URL.
- Check that the website you are visiting is secure: the URL should include a padlock icon and "HTTPS" (not "HTTP").
- Only enter your usernames and passwords when the connection is secure.
- Create different email addresses depending on your needs: social media, personal communication, online shopping, etc.
- Use a unique password for each account.
- Do not mix work and personal use (computers, email, phone, etc.).
"Before You Click" is here to help.
With its customized training, Avant de Cliquer helps you learn best practices for phishing security. Its cybersecurity awareness campaign will help you implement solutions tailored to your organization’s needs.
If you think you may have accidentally clicked on a phishing link, please don’t hesitate to contact the relevant departments. Acting quickly in the event of a hacking attempt is essential to minimizing the damage.
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