12/17/2020

The Halo Effect: How Hackers are Targeting Employees This Holiday Season

Retail & Hospitality ISAC

The same way consumers are trying to find the perfect gifts for friends and family this holiday season, hackers are stuffing inboxes with high volumes of spam and phishing, hoping to find vulnerable employees that are susceptible to attacks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in the work-from-home era where users have increased their screen time yet are prone to more distractions and higher levels of anxiety. According to a recent Google report, hackers have taken advantage over the last several months, delivering more than 240 million daily spam messages related to COVID-19 and at least 18 million daily phishing and malware emails.

This context is important to understanding that this year’s holiday shopper is not only overwhelmed by everyday responsibilities, but also the influx of information on their computers and mobile devices. Not to mention, the pressure time can place on getting gifts under the tree and meals on the table. It’s no surprise that holiday-related phishing schemes are on the rise.

This is especially relevant for retail customers looking for online bargains and fast contactless delivery. According to a new Check Point Software report, phishing emails have increased by more than 13 times in the last six weeks. Currently, one in every 826 emails delivered is a phishing attempt, compared to less than one in 11,000 at the start of October.

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