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The festive holiday season is a consistent cybercrime favorite because of the sheer number of shoppers that flood online shops during this period. Every year, as the number of holiday shoppers increase, so does the number and sophistication of cybercrime attacks. Just recently, we saw a slew of spammed messages emerge, a tell-tale sign that cybercriminals have already started targeting users with their holiday-themed attacks.

Black Friday Spam

First off, we have spam related to the upcoming Black Friday—the first Friday after Thanksgiving Day that marks one of the biggest sale events in the United States. It is also known as the busiest shopping day of the year. As expected, spammers used this as the subject of their latest malicious schemes. In a particular spam run, malicious users tried to lure victims into visiting a site that offers cheap sex-enhancement products.

Christmas Spam

Christmas is fast approaching and already spammers are taking advantage of this occasion to “spamvertise” their products. In a particular spam run, malicious users tried to lure unsuspecting victims into visiting a site that offers replica watches, bags, and jewelry for very low discounted prices.

If previous years are any indication of the attacks users are expected to encounter this holiday season, it is safe to say that these attacks are only the beginning. We expect to see more of these threats, as the holiday season rolls in. As such, we urge users to be extra vigilant.