As the virtual doors of e-commerce open for a weekend dominated by Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, the bustling online marketplace presents many opportunities for phishing attacks, email scams, malicious websites and other cyber threats. Even cautious shoppers become more vulnerable at this time of year, making it a prime window for credit card fraud and identity theft, which adds another layer of risk.
For businesses, the holiday period means security teams must raise their vigilance to counter fraudsters and protect both the company and its customers.
This article examines the most common cyber threats that emerge during the holiday rush and offers practical guidance to help both shoppers and businesses ensure a safe online holiday experience.
Holiday-driven threats in the e‑commerce landscape
Ahead of the holidays, authorities are already warning eager bargain hunters about the risks of shopping online.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that cybercriminals may use AI techniques this year to produce more convincing scam content, malicious ads and fake websites.
Similarly, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have issued cybersecurity tips for a safer holiday season, advising people on ways to protect personal and financial information while shopping online.
The FBI and CISA released a cybersecurity advisory this year urging businesses to be alert to a rise in ransomware campaigns that often occur during holidays and long weekends, when offices are closed or operating with reduced staff. Threat actors habitually exploit widely celebrated holidays to gain an advantage when launching impactful attacks.
Top scams to watch for this cyber week
Cyber Week — the shopping period that includes Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday — set e-commerce records last year. On Cyber Monday alone consumers drove billions in online sales, and the entire holiday season produced tens of billions in revenue. Factors such as mobile shopping, buy-now-pay-later incentives, curbside pickup and heavy discounting amid rising global inflation helped drive record shopping volumes.
While online retailers continue to cash in during Cyber Week, both businesses and shoppers are increasingly targeted by cyber attackers waiting for the year’s largest online shopping events. Below are the most common tactics and how to protect against them.
Email phishing and social engineering
Email phishing remains a pervasive threat: deceptive messages disguised as legitimate promotional offers or urgent notices are designed to trick recipients into revealing sensitive data or downloading malware. Social engineering plays a key role in manipulating shoppers into disclosing personal details or clicking malicious links.
Email scams often include gift card cons where fraudsters pressure victims to buy gift cards as a supposed solution, then vanish with the funds. Fake order confirmations are also common during the holidays, often featuring convincing logos and graphics to lure shoppers into clicking malicious links or contacting bogus customer support to dispute a non-existent purchase.
Social media platforms are another breeding ground for holiday scams, with fraudulent ads, pyramid-style “gift exchange” games and too-good-to-be-true offers that redirect users to fake websites.
How to stay safe
To protect yourself from these threats, practice vigilance and good cyber hygiene:
- Default to caution — Verify incoming emails and messages before clicking links. Check that the sender’s address is correct, look for official branding, and be wary of unusual tone or requests.
- Don’t be rushed — Scammers create urgency to prompt swift action, such as fake confirmations of large purchases or claims that a payment is due. Verify any unexpected payment requests through official channels rather than relying solely on email.
- Be wary of gift card scams — If someone asks you to purchase gift cards to resolve an issue, verify the request through a trusted source before taking any action.
- Stay informed — Awareness reduces the success of scams. Follow reputable government and local authority alerts and share warnings with friends and family.
- Report suspicious activity — If you suspect a scam, report it to the relevant authorities as well as your employer or bank. Act quickly: reset passwords if needed and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Fake websites, malvertising and e-skimming
Major Cyber Week discounts create fertile ground for threat actors who deploy sophisticated techniques such as fake websites, malvertising and e-skimming to exploit unsuspecting shoppers.
Fake sites mimic legitimate online retailers, prompting users to share personal and financial data without realizing the deception. Malvertising infiltrates legitimate ad networks and places malicious ads on otherwise trusted websites, compromising devices when users interact with the ads. E-skimming involves injecting malicious code into online payment forms so cybercriminals can capture and exfiltrate payment card details during transactions.
How to stay safe
Protect yourself from these threats with the following steps:
- Double-check URLs — Verify that the web address is correct and matches the retailer’s official domain before entering any information.
- Use secure payment channels — Only enter personal or financial details on clearly secure forms. Look for HTTPS in the URL and trust seals from recognized security and payment providers. Reputable retailers offer multiple secure payment options such as credit cards or trusted third-party processors.
- Choose payment methods carefully — Use credit cards or prepaid cards rather than bank transfers; credit card payments often offer better fraud protections and reversibility.
- Block risky ads — Install reputable ad blockers to reduce exposure to malvertising and to prevent potentially harmful ads from loading.
Credit card and identity fraud
Threat actors take advantage of holiday traffic to steal credit card data and digital identities. Credit card fraud involves unauthorized use of card information for fraudulent transactions, often via compromised online platforms. Identity fraud involves stealing personal details to impersonate individuals for fraudulent purposes.
Malicious scripts such as Magecart infiltrate e-commerce sites to collect sensitive information, especially credit card details and other personal data. These scripts capture input entered on payment pages without the website owner or user being aware, then send the stolen data to remote servers controlled by criminals who use it for unauthorized transactions and identity theft.
How to stay safe
To reduce the risk of card and identity fraud:
- Use reputable payment methods — Prepaid cards, gift cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or other well-known processors reduce the need to share bank details directly.
- Use retailer apps when available — Trusted retailers’ official apps can offer more secure checkout experiences.
- Monitor statements regularly — Watch for suspicious charges and set transaction alerts to detect unauthorized activity early.
- Limit sharing of personal information — Only provide personal details to verified, trusted sources.
- Use strong, unique passwords — Never reuse passwords. Use a password manager to create and store complex passwords, and avoid common phrases or easy-to-guess strings.
- Be situationally aware — Avoid using public Wi‑Fi for financial transactions and don’t enter sensitive passwords in public places where others or cameras might observe.
Protect online shoppers | What e‑commerce businesses can do
When online marketplaces intensify during events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, e-commerce merchants should harden their sites and improve cybersecurity to keep customers safe. While security is an ongoing effort, the checklist below helps businesses perform routine checks ahead of the holiday rush.
- Ensure data protection — Strong encryption protocols such as Transport Layer Security (TLS), Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) and HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) help secure data transmitted between users and the site.
- Audit and respond — Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments identify and remediate weak points in site infrastructure before attackers can exploit them.
- Adopt modern defenses — Invest in advanced firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS) and monitoring solutions to detect and prevent unauthorized access or malicious activity.
- Patch frequently — Keep software, plugins and third-party integrations up to date to reduce the risk of exploitation.
- Build a culture of awareness — Regular employee training on cybersecurity best practices, including recognizing and avoiding phishing attempts, creates a more vigilant workforce.
- Monitor third-party vendors — Know and monitor third-party suppliers closely, ensuring they meet strict security standards and are prepared for holiday traffic.
- Prepare for increased load — Conduct load testing and performance monitoring to ensure the site can handle surges in traffic without sacrificing security.
- Have an incident response plan — Maintain a robust incident response plan (IRP) that outlines containment steps and communication strategies to follow in the event of a breach.
Conclusion
From email phishing and social engineering to fake websites and malvertising, the e-commerce landscape is full of potential threats—especially during the busiest shopping season of the year. Increased online activity during Cyber Week attracts not only eager shoppers but also opportunistic threat actors looking to exploit traffic spikes.
For businesses, strengthening endpoint security means deploying advanced detection and monitoring solutions, keeping software up to date, and enforcing strict access controls. Protecting sensitive data requires comprehensive identity security measures, including multi-factor authentication and user behavior analytics.
Shoppers also play a vital role in their online safety. Use secure, updated devices, be cautious of phishing attempts, and ensure secure connections during transactions. Adopt strong, unique passwords for every account and enable MFA to add an extra barrier against unauthorized access. Regularly monitoring account statements for suspicious transactions is a proactive step that helps detect and mitigate potential fraud.