As the The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has previously reminded us, among phishing scams and malware campaigns this time of year are:
- Electronic greeting cards that may contain malware
- Requests for charitable contributions that may be phishing scams and may originate from illegitimate sources claiming to be charities
- Screen savers or other forms of media that may contain malware
- Credit card applications that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts
- Online shopping advertisements that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts from bogus retailers
So use caution when encountering these types of communications.
Preventative Measures
- Shop safely online.
- Verify charity authenticity. 2 good resources are:
- Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
- Use caution when opening email attachments.
- Keep your antivirus software updated.
For further information consult Practice Safe Computing.