As Christmas draws closer and closer, November is the season for deals, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday offering the opportunity to score deals.
However, the explosion in popularity of this extravaganza of shopping has made it a popular target for hackers, scammers, and cybercriminals looking to cheat shoppers out of their hard-earned money.
Fear not though, as we've got some great tips to make sure you stay safe this Black Friday.
Beware of the phishing threat
The use of phishing emails is one of the most popular ways scammers use to target victims at events like Black Friday.
Although they've been around for a while, phishing emails still prove effective, especially if you're looking for a deal that seems too good to be true.
Scams target victims by using legitimate-looking emails embellished with realistic assets, such as lookalike brands and corporate imagery, to impersonate a real company and trick users into clicking malicious links.
Fortunately, Bitdefender Total Security (opens in a new tab) comes with a variety of tools to protect you against these types of scams, including advanced antiphishing protection that helps detect and block any malicious websites trying to steal your financial data, passwords, etc. or credit. card numbers, plus an advanced filtering system that warns you if you visit websites that may be trying to scam you, hopefully helping you stay safe.
Secure all your devices
We're all aware of the need to protect our computing devices against the latest cybersecurity threats, but you really need to make sure all your smart products are protected at such a potentially dangerous time.
With deal break alerts often delivered via email or push notifications, many of us will be using a smartphone or mobile device this Black Friday, so ensuring these items remain secure is essential.
All it takes is for one device to be scammed or infected with a virus for your entire network to be compromised, but Bitdefender Total Security (opens in a new tab) is capable of protecting all your devices, running on multiple versions of the better software. , including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
It also offers up to 15 devices covered per family subscription, so you can make sure all your most important devices stay protected.
Turn on your VPN for something different
Most of us will be used to using some form of VPN service by now, as remote work requires such tools to access company systems, data, or documents.
But if you're looking for great deals this Black Friday, a VPN could not only protect you, but also save you money.
A VPN hides your IP address and connection so that your location appears elsewhere. This means that no one can track your internet activity or know where you are, but you can also check to see if prices are lower on a foreign version of a retailer's website. Doing some comparison shopping could save you a lot of money, and Bitdefender Total Security (opens in a new tab) comes with its own secure VPN service that offers complete online privacy, as well as a 200MB/day allowance per device, allowing you to make informed purchases.
stay smart
Finally, our most important piece of advice might be to stay alert this Black Friday.
You may not think you're an attractive target for hackers or scammers, but criminals will always be eager to steal the data you work with.
Always make sure that the emails or websites you click on are legitimate, especially if they start asking for personal or business details, so you don't unknowingly leak valuable data.
Bitdefender Total Security comes with a variety of tools to make sure you don't fall victim to identity theft, from specialized social media protection to a powerful firewall. The platform also offers an enhanced vulnerability assessment that will look for potential security holes, such as missing Windows security patches and potentially dangerous system configurations, before suggesting the best solution to keep you safe.
To get news about the latest threats, you can also get real-time updates on malware outbreaks and scams on the Bitdefender blog (opens in a new tab).