Ad Image

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Cyber Attacks (Research by Carbon Black)

Holiday Cyber Attacks

Holiday Cyber Attacks

This morning, next-generation endpoint security solution provider Carbon Black released their “Carbon Black Holiday Threat Report” on the modern prevalence of holiday cyber attacks for both consumers and enterprises.

Download Link to Gartner 2018 Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms

According to the Carbon Black Threat Analysis Unit, holiday cyber attacks are on track to increase by nearly 60% this year. These attacks don’t just affect the consumers participating in Cyber Monday and in seasonal sales; enterprises faced a 57.5% increase in attempted cyber attacks during the previous holiday shopping season.

These attacks remained at an elevated level throughout the entire holiday season, dipping on Christmas Day and then spiking for the last few days of the year. Only after the New Year does the threat level deescalate. 

Tom Kellermann, Carbon Black’s Chief Cybersecurity Officer, said in a statement: “Based on existing precedent, we expect the same trend to continue, if not increase, during the 2018 holiday shopping season.”

“During the holiday season, there is often a ton of noise in the online world and attackers do everything they can to take advantage of that. This applies not only to consumers who shop online, but also to businesses as well, many of which are understaffed and, in the case of retailers, approaching the busiest time of the year.”

Some of the key findings from the “Carbon Black Holiday Threat Report” include:

  • The majority of holiday cyber attacks were commodity malware delivered via spear-phishing campaigns.
  • Major retailers are the major target of holiday cyber attacks.
  • Employees are vulnerable to spear-phishing attacks promising airfare or gift cards. Employees who travel during the holiday season are especially susceptible to these phishing threats.  

Only with a full cybersecurity staff, proper phishing awareness training, and a next-generation endpoint security solution can your enterprise defend against the incoming wave of holiday cyber attacks. You can read the full Carbon Black Holiday Threat Report here.  

Download Link to Endpoint Security Buyer's Guide

    

Share This

Related Posts