Black Friday: Cyber security expert warns shoppers to be vigilant

Cyber criminals will be looking to exploit shoppers during the Black Friday sales - an expert from West Midlands cyber security firm CSS Assure has warned.

People in the UK are planning to spend an estimated £3.95bn on Black Friday (25 November) and Cyber Monday (28 November) purchases this year, according to research by comparison site Finder.

Mike Wills (pictured), director of strategy and policy at cyber and data security firm CSS Assure, said bargain hunters lowering their guards during the rush to bag the best deals are at greater risk of malicious threats.

He added: “In the run-up to and during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many outlets will run promotional offers to encourage spending. This is a potentially lucrative time of year for cyber criminals as they know shoppers are less vigilant as they rush to snap up the best deals.

“It is important consumers take steps to protect themselves and their families during two of the biggest shopping days of the year. ”

“Firstly, shoppers should change their passwords right away. While this is a faff, it is the single greatest defence you can make to protect yourself against a cyber attack and will instantly make you much safer online.

“It is a good idea to understand whether your data has been breached so you can put in place other necessary measures to protect yourself. To do this you can use a free service provided by Have I Been Pwned. All you need to do is enter your email address and the site will tell you whether it is associated with a breach and if so, what other data has been stolen.

“If you have been breached, it is even more important that you change your password to break the chain. Next, you need to understand whether you have been entered into any spambots - as the name suggests, these are bots that send spam to you.

“Finally, make sure your anti-virus protection is installed, activated with a valid licence and updated. ”