Season’s greetings: Beware of security threats and fake phishing pages

The festive season brings with it heart warming wishes and some great online deals for shoppers and discount seekers. Online retailers present some great discounts and add-ons at this time of the year and online sales see a massive surge in activity as a result.

Unsurprisingly, attackers and phishers use this jubilant opportunity to trick unsuspecting shoppers. Over the years it has been found that shopping scams are very common over this period so buyers and web surfers need to be more cautious than usual. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind.

  • Be on the lookout for fake websites and pages that promise gifts and rewards to entice people. Check the authenticity of a page, especially if it is a shortened link, before entering details or other private information.
  • SEO poisoning refers to the process where attackers enable their phishing websites to feature higher in a Google search with the help of SEO tools. So users should be careful about the websites that they visit. Some websites inject malware in the form of drive-by downloads as soon as a user visits the website.
  • Phishing scams and free gift giveaways will also be advertised in large numbers over social networks like Facebook and others. These should be ignored completely.
  • Some people may also receive holiday themed spam in their email inbox. Certain mails may ask users to submit personal details, fill out survey forms or offer gifts and rewards. These should be ignored and deleted immediately.
  • Virus protection software and operating system versions should be updated and patched so that fake pages and unseen threats can be detected.

The holiday season is a time to celebrate and rejoice. It is also the season for hasty last-minute gift purchases. Unfortunately, it also happens to be the time when the holiday spirit is exploited to create schemes that play on human behavior and emotions. It always helps to be aware and to understand the implications of being caught in the holiday season fake online schemes and ploy snares. Remember, if the offer seems too good to be true, it often is.

Quick Heal sends out hearty season greetings and wishes everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. We hope you remain protected against malware and phishing attacks and enjoy this festive period without any security threats to worry about.

Rahul Thadani

Rahul Thadani


22 Comments

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  1. Nice piece of information. Great.

    Reply
  2. Avatar subramanian ravinderDecember 26, 2012 at 11:38 AM

    very informative. thanq

    Reply
  3. Avatar Col CR JayawantDecember 26, 2012 at 12:15 PM

    Thanks for the information. Are there any tools you have developed which prevent/warn about websites inject malware in the form of drive-by downloads as soon as a user visits the website. I will share this information.

    I am user of your AV for last 5 years.

    Reply
    • Rahul Thadani Rahul ThadaniDecember 27, 2012 at 5:18 PM

      Hi Col. CR Jayawant,
      Yes, our products do warn users about drive-by downloads and also block them when they occur. Thank you for being our valued and loyal customer for many years. We hope you are pleased with the products and services.
      Regards.

      Reply
  4. Avatar MOHIT SHASTRIDecember 26, 2012 at 12:21 PM

    THANK YOU FOR NEWS .

    QUICK HEAL IS WORLD MOST TRUSTABLE AND BEST SECURITY.

    Reply
  5. GOOD FOR COMPUTER

    Reply
  6. Quite informative and helpful.

    Reply
  7. Avatar Vibhuti Narayan SinghDecember 26, 2012 at 4:07 PM

    Dear Sir,
    Fully satisfied with your QH Total Security but unable to understand, why not you give some attractive but extra ordinary discount offer for Recharging Quick Heal Total Security (Yearly Activation) ?

    Reply
  8. Thanks for alerting and updating Rahul

    Reply
  9. Avatar Shantanu DevDecember 26, 2012 at 9:35 PM

    Sir,

    Thanks very much for this usefull piece of advice and info.I hope everyone will be benifited with this. A very Happy X-Mas and Happy New Year to you and your team. Looking for safe web browsing experience with your support.
    SHANTANU DEV

    Reply
    • Rahul Thadani Rahul ThadaniDecember 27, 2012 at 5:09 PM

      Hi Shantanu,
      Thank you for the wishes and compliments. Quick Heal hopes that you and your family have a great festive season as well.
      Regards.

      Reply
  10. thank u for information…………..

    Reply
  11. very niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    Reply
  12. Avatar Bhargav ReddyDecember 27, 2012 at 2:17 PM

    Quick Heal is the best anti virus..But prices of quick heal are too higher than other anti virus products…this is the only sad thing..

    Reply
  13. THANK YOU FOR NEWS .

    QUICK HEAL IS WORLD MOST TRUSTABLE AND BEST SECURITY

    Reply
  14. Can you tell me how to install Quick Heal Mobile Security for Android Samsung Galaxy Y Young.Please help me.

    Reply
  15. thanxxx

    Reply
  16. Dear Quick heal,

    Thank you for your information,
    I’m using QH for last 4 Or 5 year,
    And it is very good for internet security,
    Can you please tell me that will this AV protect me from phishing ?

    Reply
    • Rahul Thadani Rahul ThadaniDecember 31, 2012 at 12:46 PM

      Hi Yash,
      Yes you are safe from phishing threats thanks to Quick Heal. Webpages with fake security certificates and false information are flagged by Quick Heal to inform the user.
      Regards.

      Reply
  17. Avatar LEEPAK KUMAR SAHOODecember 27, 2012 at 10:41 PM

    QH HAVING A FULL FLEDGE,VIGIL ANTIVIRUS FEATURES.KEEP IT UP.

    Reply
  18. vERY nICE bLOG

    Reply