Some of us attack and engage in our holiday shopping with a plan that rivals the most well thought out strategies. We scour weekly fliers, online ads, and research who will have the best price and coupon code for us to use. In order to shop smart, yes, keeping track of prices is important, but being a genius means that you include cybersecurity and personal limits in your plans.
Here are a few tips that you should include on your shopping list.
- Shop secure. Look for websites that have the https in their address. While this isn’t a surefire bet that you’re on a secure and safe site, it’s a good first step in ensuring you’re at the right Especially if you’re providing your credit card.
- Deals, not steals. Rebates, coupons, and in-store specials are a great way to save money. Make sure that if you are offering up any information it’s to reputable stores, and don’t give out personal information in return for a ‘future offer’. Read the fine print on all deals. Especially if they sound too good to be true.
- Review and research. Don’t assume because a product is on a review website that it is legitimate. Many of these sites are called affiliate sites and merely put up content that redirects you to a page where they receive compensation for the sale, like a referral program. Look at more than one site, read multiple reviews, and if possible, go to the actual store to see the quality of a product.
- Stay on the NICE list. Make a budget and stick with it. You don’t need to overspend to impress. It’s only a good deal if you need it.
- Get started on next year’s list. After holiday sales are a great time to stock up for next year’s gift-giving, but again, only if it is something that you can actually gift and not just an item that you will store away because it is a great price.
*Post Courtesy of Breach Secure Now*
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Traditionally, payment credentials stolen from brick-and-mortar stores were able to command a higher price on the Dark Web than card-not-present data (also known as CNP). However, it seems like the market dynamics have recently shifted, as this information is now being used to target online retailers.
Consequently, the demand for these credentials is far outpacing supply, driving up the price. The economics can be explained by the recent US migration towards chip-based payment cards, which offer a superior level of fraud protection for in-store purchases.
Such news has broad implications for both consumers and companies operating in today’s digital ecosystem. Security has to be a constant priority, since payment trends will give way to new threats, and tomorrow’s vulnerabilities will not be the same as those existing today. In order to keep a continuous pulse on your employee and customer data, consider partnering up with an MSP that implements proactive Dark Web monitoring (like ours).
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/04/data-e-retail-hacks-more-lucrative-than-ever/
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What Happened?
WinRAR, a Windows data compression tool that focuses on the RAR and ZIP data compression formats for all Windows users (win-rar.com), recently announced that it had patched a 19-year-old security vulnerability that allowed cyber attackers to install malicious files on users’ hard drives. The problem many users will face is that the software does not auto-update so they will need to go through the manual update process to ensure their computer is no longer exposed to the security vulnerability.
What Should I Do?
Databranch recommends users uninstall WinRAR from their systems. WinRAR is a program that used to be needed to create zip folders and unzip folders but now this function is built into the Windows Operating System.
How Do I Uninstall WinRAR?
- Find the Control Panel in your Windows Explorer.
- Click on Programs & Features
- Select WinRAR and Press Uninstall Program
How Do I Find Out About Vulnerabilities Like This Sooner and Protect My Business From Being Affected By Cybercrime?
Databranch offers managed service plans to proactively monitor, detect, and remediate identified security vulnerabilities like this. We were able to remove this program from our managed client’s machines as soon as it became a known issue and our clients were able to continue working without interruption.
To learn more about becoming a Databranch Managed Services client, call 716-373-4467, email info@databranch.com, or fill out the form below to get started!
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/21/18234448/winrar-winace-19-year-old-vulnerability-patched-version-5-70-beta-1
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