The holiday season is just around the corner, and with that, shoppers are starting to make their lists. According to an Adobe Report, the 2020 holiday season exceeded $188 billion in online sales in the United States alone, an increase of 32% compared with 2019. Single’s Day, a holiday celebrated in China every year in November, resulted in $115 billion in sales across eCommerce platforms Alibaba and JD.com.

After a rather turbulent year, shoppers had to move from a traditional retail experience to an almost exclusively online one, and businesses were forced to quickly accelerate their digital transformation. Now businesses and consumers are yet again faced with challenges, including supply chain issues hitting consumer confidence and gas prices skyrocketing to a rise in overall inflation.

Despite such challenges affecting the globe, holiday shopping predictions are that 2021 sales are set to rise. Perhaps consumers want to bring some normalcy and festivity into their lives. The fact is, consumers will flock to eCommerce sites in their millions trying to grab a bargain, the latest technological gadget, or to secure the perfect gift for their loved ones.

Cybercriminals and hackers will be using this season to prey on online shoppers and vulnerable brands. As part of the planning and prepping phase, businesses MUST tighten their security measures to ensure their sites remain functional, as well as protecting their customers from cyber crime and infringement.

To stay ahead of any threats, companies need to take the following steps as part of the planning process:

• Secure the domain portfolio by switching on registry locks and two-factor authentication
• Review digital certificates: are the right certificates in use? Are the validations adequate? Have certificate authority authorization (CAA) records been added?
• Monitor DNS activity
• Monitor any domain activity related to company and brand names
• Leverage phishing monitoring and a fraud-blocking network of browser partners, internet service providers (ISPs), and security information and event management (SIEM) products
• Reassess global enforcement capabilities, including takedowns and blocking
• Monitor trademark and copyright abuse on web content, including online marketplaces
• Monitor social media channels and mobile app stores
• Encourage customers to create secure passwords and educate them on how to spot phishing scams—online security is a two-way approach

Once you have implemented this—also called CSC’s defense in-depth approach—you can enjoy a joyful shopping season.

If you’d like to learn more, contact us and we’ll get back to you within 48 hours.