New Study Finds Retailers Boosted Cybersecurity Early in 2020 to Address Potential Security Concerns & Vulnerabilities During the Holiday Season
Learn to Reduce Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities with Online Shopping Tips from Hikvision
A new study by Tripwire found that most retailers boosted cybersecurity preparations this year to reduce vulnerabilities related to heightened consumer online shopping. The precautions taken to address these potential security concerns were covered in the SecurityInfoWatch.com story, “Retailers ramp up security measures for 2020 Holiday Season.”
Tripwire surveyed more than 200 retail industry security professionals for the study. More than 60 percent of survey respondents confirmed that holiday season security preparations were started earlier than usual in 2020.
“The retail industry has certainly had to adapt to the challenges of 2020, particularly as COVID-19 has either prevented or discouraged consumers from in-store shopping. Because of this, retail organizations have had to make changes this holiday season—they’re starting earlier and expecting increased volume, along with increased risk to both consumers and retailers,” said Tim Erlin, Tripwire VP, in the article.
Study results also found:
- More than half of respondents believe they are more prepared to respond to a security breach now than compared to a year ago.
- 97 percent are “discovering IT assets automatically,” according to the article.
- 35 percent of those surveyed are addressing vulnerabilities between 15 and 30 days of detection.
In a recent blog, Hikvision noted that online shopping increased by at least 75 percent in 2020. And, unscrupulous threat actors have targeted people’s COVID-related fears, resulting in more cyberattacks. The online shopping tips below can help you stay safe:
- SECURE SHOPPING: Be sure the sites where you shop are using “https” to encrypt your traffic before you enter in any information. To do this, verify that the padlock on the upper left side of the URL bar is closed and not open.
- PHISHING: Scammers and criminals will be sending phishing email to try and trick you into sharing personal or financial information. Do your best not to click on links in email, text messages or social media, but if you have to click to get the deal, be very careful to check the URL and make sure it is authentic before you log in.
- PASSWORDS: Use strong, unique passwords for every account.
To reduce vulnerabilities when shopping online, read our full list of tips in this Hikvision blog: “Part 1, Secure Online Shopping: Insights from Hikvision’s Senior Cybersecurity Director to Reduce Security Concerns and Cyber Vulnerabilities.”