Cyber Safety Sunday
Cyber Safety Sunday is a day of action and awareness for holiday shoppers to educate themselves and prepare to shop safely and confidently online. With scammers targeting a third of holiday online shoppers, Norton created Cyber Safety Sunday to help consumers shop smart, keep their information safe, and avoid scammers from stealing more than just holiday cheer. As cybercriminals ramp up their efforts targeting shoppers with phishing scams, fake websites, and fraudulent deals, this special day focuses on giving people the tools and knowledge to protect themselves and their loved ones during the holidays and beyond. Cyber Safety Sunday takes place annually on the Sunday before Cyber Monday.
History of Cyber Safety Sunday
While online shopping is fun and convenient, the recent rise in cyberattacks has made shoppers feel less merry and more wary about their online safety.
In response to increasing online shopping risks, Norton introduced Cyber Safety Sunday to take place every Sunday after Thanksgiving as an annual day of action and awareness for people to prepare themselves to confidently shop online by learning about current online scams and securing their devices in protection against scammers and cybercriminals during the holiday shopping season.
The rise of online shopping in the 1990s brought convenience to consumers but also introduced new security risks. Early on, phishing scams began targeting popular platforms like eBay and PayPal. As online transactions grew, so did threats like malware, data breaches, and identity theft, prompting the introduction of security measures such as SSL encryption and two-factor authentication (2FA).
The early 2000s brought about a rapid rise in e-commerce businesses and new risks to consumers. By 2008, fake e-commerce websites were being created by cybercriminals to steal consumers’ credit card information.
As online threats evolved, so did consumer awareness around the risks of online shopping. Major incidents like the 2013 Target data breach served as a wake-up call and drove the development of new standards, ensuring that retailers securely handle credit card information while prompting consumers to be more cautious with their personal data.
The introduction of EMV chip cards in the U.S. in 2015 helped reduce physical card fraud but also pushed cybercriminals to focus more on online shopping scams. By 2017, retailers began widely adopting two-factor authentication (2FA), adding a second layer of security to consumer accounts.
As e-commerce surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an increase in cybercrime targeting consumers seeking essential items followed suit. Now, people are encouraged to look for signs of secure websites, avoid clicking on suspicious links, use strong, unique passwords, and enable security features and software protections.
To address these ongoing and evolving risks, Norton introduced Cyber Safety Sunday in 2023, a day dedicated for consumers to educate themselves on the latest scams and take proactive steps to protect themselves from cyberattacks during their holiday shopping. Cyber Safety Sunday helps raise awareness during peak shopping periods, reminding users to stay vigilant against phishing, fake websites, and other online scams.
How to Observe Cyber Safety Sunday?
1.Make your list and check it twice
Prepare your gift list and sites you’ll visit in advance. Try to shop exclusively on trusted retail sites with web addresses that start with HTTPS. On mobile devices, shop through apps directly provided by retailers rather than your web browser.
2.Update your passwords for shopping sites
Before you start filling your cart, make sure your passwords are updated, strong, and unique for each site. Shopping on password-protected sites can add a layer of protection. Keep track of passwords by using a password manager.
3.Set alerts on your accounts to warn you of unusual activity
Protect your bank account by only using credit cards when shopping online. Credit card companies have fraud liability protections that debit cards do not. Identity software like LifeLock can also alert you to suspicious activity. If you see something wrong, report it at once.
4.Have a package delivery plan
Keep track of what you buy, and when and where it is shipping. Postal delivery phishing scams via text, email or phone call are on the rise. Make sure you are shipping your gifts to secure locations or mailboxes to thwart the plans of porch pirates.
5.Use services and apps to fortify your defenses
Install device protection software, such as Norton 360 Deluxe, to help protect and alert you of potential scams, and identity protection like LifeLock. Additionally, Norton Genie is a free AI-powered scam detection app that provides a fast, easy, and free way to check if something could be a scam.
Three Reasons to Celebrate Cyber Safety Sunday with Norton This Year
A. Shop smarter and safer
Observing Cyber Safety Sunday can save you time, money, and a lot of potential hassle by arming you with the ability to recognize legitimate deals, know which websites are secure, and avoid seasonal scams—which ensures you protect your personal data and don’t lose money to fraudulent offers and cybercrimes during the holiday rush.
B. Stay ahead of scams
Schemers and scammers come out of the woodwork every holiday with more sophisticated and believable tactics. Protecting yourself early before their attacks peak will keep your devices safe and let you focus on enjoying the holidays.
C. Secure your digital life year-round
Taking time to learn about scams and set up protections on your devices for you and your family not only protects you from scroogey scammers during the holiday season, but also gives you security and peace of mind to live your digital life with freedom and confidence throughout the year. *Disclaimer: This content is published in a paid partnership with Norton.
References:
“Cyber Safety Sunday” │ https://nationaltoday.com/cyber-safety-sunday/