Online Grinches exploit Christmas shipping deadline

Iria · Dec 13, 2005, 04:09 PM

E-tailers have circled Tueday on their calendars - and so have cyberthieves.

That's because it's the last day for many consumers to order a gift online and have it delivered before Christmas without paying extra for shipping. It's also the day hackers and fraudsters attack with a vengeance.

"If the Monday after Thanksgiving is the day to shop online, the Tuesday in mid-December is the time to steal," says Ken Leonard, CEO of ScanAlert, a security-software firm that tracks data from nearly 70,000 e-commerce sites.

Leonard predicts a 50% spike Tuesday in fraudsters using stolen credit-card numbers to buy online, and from hackers trying to gain illegal access to customer and employee data on websites.

That's because last-minute fraudulent orders have a better chance of eluding overtaxed security workers amid the holiday crush, Leonard says.
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Read More / Source: Yahoo! News

Dec 13, 2005, 04:09 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 87	Online Grinches exploit Christmas shipping deadline E-tailers have circled Tueday on their calendars - and so have cyberthieves. That's because it's the last day for many consumers to order a gift online and have it delivered before Christmas without paying extra for shipping. It's also the day hackers and fraudsters attack with a vengeance. "If the Monday after Thanksgiving is the day to shop online, the Tuesday in mid-December is the time to steal," says Ken Leonard, CEO of ScanAlert, a security-software firm that tracks data from nearly 70,000 e-commerce sites. Leonard predicts a 50% spike Tuesday in fraudsters using stolen credit-card numbers to buy online, and from hackers trying to gain illegal access to customer and employee data on websites. That's because last-minute fraudulent orders have a better chance of eluding overtaxed security workers amid the holiday crush, Leonard says. _____________ Read More / Source: Yahoo! News