Don’t you love Valentine’s Day? So do most hackers! February 14 is just around the corner. If you are shocked by this revelation, you are a prime target for Valentine’s Day spam and phishing attacks as hackers hope to catch you with your guard down for this day of expressing how much you care for your loved ones.
A time of year that brings together images of love, candy hearts, roses, and… email security? Why not? Messages targeting Valentine’s Day are abundant. An offer for a dozen roses for $5 might get some traction any time of the year, but with the clock quickly counting down to Valentine’s Day it has much higher odds of duping frantic lovers in search of a last minute gift. Is this your case? Watch out! Do not fall victim!
When love (and desperation) is in the air, people are more likely to click that risky link, or to open that suspicious email.
Although hackers are constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to get access to your private information, there are some standbys that can put your PC security at risk:
‘Affectionate’ phishing emails
Attackers will send out spam promoting bargains for flowers, romantic dinners, jewelry, or other Valentine’s Day gift related themes. Clicking on the offer might take you to a malicious site that could compromise your vulnerable PC, or it could take you to a site that looks legitimate, and asks for your credit card, and other personal information.
‘Cute’ Valentine’s Day ecard scams
Everyone loves to receive a personalized greeting card – especially if it seems to be from someone that may be romantically interested. The idea of having a secret admirer is exciting. With electronic Valentine’s Day cards, cybercriminals are hoping you’ll be curious enough to wonder who sent it to you. But clicking on an unknown link within the email could direct you to a phishing site designed to steal your personal information.
Also… seriously… what are the odds that someone you don’t know decided to send you an ecard for Valentine’s Day out of the blue? Think about it. And be vigilant. Is it really worth the risk without the proper protection against intruders?
‘Lovely’ fake online stores
During Valentine’s Day, cybercriminals create malicious sites masked as restaurant discounts, flowers deals, or romantic getaways. When an unsuspecting person lands on the malicious site, their PC could be hit by malware, or they could be tricked into revealing personal information, which could lead to identity theft.
If you really want to protect your valuable data stored in your PC and also your online identity and privacy, you should not enter your credentials into any website field without maximum protection to your PC installed.
Don’t be fooled by hackers playing cyber-cupid this year. Stay safe online this Valentine’s Day by keeping an eye out for cyberattacks camouflaged by sweet e-cards, flowers, chocolate and would-be love letters. But overall you need maximum protection to your PC so that you can surf the Web freely and safely.
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security is what need. We protect you when cyber criminals try to steal your credentials by pretending to be trustworthy websites. We scan and block them before letting you insert any personal information. We also prevent your identity from being stolen by protecting your computer from Web threats before they reach your browser.
Protect your wallet, your identity, and your heart by avoiding Valentine’s Day cyber scams. ZoneAlarm is proud to give you a boost. We secure your PC with Check Point’s iconic firewall that not only is the foundation for most network security technology today, but also secures 100% of the Fortune 500 companies.
Keeping you safe is what we do best. Have and happy and safe Valentine’s Day!
