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As Christmas draws ever closer, November brings the season of bargains as Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer the chance to snag great deals.
However, the explosive popularity of this shopping spectacle has made it a popular target for hackers, scammers and cybercriminals looking to swindle shoppers 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
One of the most popular ways scammers try to target victims around events like Black Friday is by using phishing emails.
Although they’ve been around for a while, phishing emails still prove to be effective, especially if you’re looking for a deal that seems too good to be true.
The scams target the victims using legitimate-looking emails with realistic features, such as similar branding and company images, to fake a real company and fool users into clicking on malicious links.
Happy, Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab) comes with a suite of tools to protect you from such scams, including advanced anti-phishing protection that helps detect and block malicious websites that try to steal your financial information, passwords or credit card numbers, as well as an advanced filtering system that alerts you if you visits websites that may be trying to scam you, hopefully to protect you.
Keep all your devices safe
We are all aware of the need to protect our computing equipment from the latest cybersecurity threats, but you really need to ensure that all of your smart products are kept safe during such a potentially risky time.
With deal break alerts often sent via email or pop-up notifications, many of us will be using a smartphone or mobile device this Black Friday, so it’s vital to make sure these items stay safe too.
All it takes is for one device to fall victim to a scam or a virus to put your entire network at risk, but Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab)y is capable of securing all your devices and works with multiple versions of top software including Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
It also provides coverage for up to 15 devices per subscription household, so you can ensure all your most important devices remain protected.
Activate your VPN for something else
Most of us will now be familiar with using some kind of VPN service, where 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 can not only keep you safe, but also help you save money.
A VPN disguises your IP address and connection to make your location appear somewhere else. This means that no one can track your internet activity or find out where you are, but also that you can check if prices are lower on a foreign version of a retailer’s website. Making some comparisons can save you some serious cash, and Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab) comes with its own Secure VPN service that offers complete online privacy in addition to a 200 MB/day allowance per device, allowing you to shop smart.
Stay smart
Finally, our number one piece of advice might be to keep your guard up this Black Friday.
You may think you’re not an attractive target for hackers or scammers, but criminals will always be out to steal the data you work with.
Always make sure that the emails or websites you click on are legitimate, especially if they ask for personal or business information, so you don’t give away valuable data without knowing it.
Bitdefender Total Security comes with a suite of tools to ensure you don’t become a victim of identity theft, ranging from specialized social network protection to a strong privacy firewall. The platform also offers an enhanced vulnerability assessment that scans for potential security flaws, such as missing Windows security patches and potentially unsafe system settings, before suggesting the best solution to keep you safe.
For news on the latest threats, you can also get real-time updates on malware outbreaks and scams on the Bitdefender blog (opens in new tab).