The excitement of landing a Black Friday bargain will soon fuel online sales across the world. In the US alone, consumers are expected to drop a total of $148.5 billion on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to the latest survey data from Finder. In the rush, it’s easy to forget the fundamentals of online security, making consumers and retailers easier and more profitable targets for cybercriminals.

Our Verizon Business “2021 Data Breach Investigations Report” (2021 DBIR) recently pointed out that cybercriminals predominantly target confidential data, including consumer payment details (42%), personal details (41%), and credentials (33%), that retail outlets hold.