How can businesses in the South West stay safe this Black Friday?

As we approach the busiest shopping time of the year in the South West and beyond, it’s vital that businesses are not simply focused on maximising sales, but are equally as vigilant about protecting themselves, their systems, and their customers. The surge in website traffic and online transactions associated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday presents an ideal target for lurking criminals.

For businesses in the South West, here’s your essential guide for staying safe, resilient, and making the most out of the shopping season without falling victim to avoidable cyber risks.

Understand the heightened risk

It’s no surprise that criminals ramp up their efforts during peak retail events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday with phishing, social engineering, malicious websites, and data breaches all seeing a huge spike. All too often, businesses will assume that they are prepared because they have firewalls, antivirus software, or secure payment systems, but human error, weak supply chain links and third-party vulnerabilities remain major threats to the security of a business. The bottom line is that this period should not be business as usual. The opportunity for maximising sales comes hand in hand with cyber threats and this must be treated accordingly.

Prepare your internal defences

·       Update your systems: Ensure all systems, especially eCommerce platforms and payment processing systems, are fully up to date and any potential vulnerabilities are patched up. Criminals exploit known system vulnerabilities during busier times.

·       Back up and recovery: Ensure you have reliable backups of all critical data and that you’ve tested your recovery procedures. This will help your business operations return to normal as quickly as possible should an incident occur, restoring revenue and customer trust.

·       Authentication and access controls: Ensure 2-step verification (2SV) is enabled for all accounts and keep user access limited to only what’s needed.

·       Train your staff: Your team is your first and last line of defence against the threats of cybercrime. We understand that they may be overwhelmed by the increased number of orders to be processed during busier shopping periods, and this is unfortunately, when human error can occur. Criminals know this, and they will try to exploit it. Refresh your team’s knowledge ahead of the rush by implementing Security Awareness Training to ensure they are aware of the most updated risks.

·       Review supply chain and third parties: Is there a weak link in your supply chain? You must ensure your payment processors, logistics partners, and other third party vendors are equally secure. A breach somewhere on the supply chain can directly impact everyone involved!

Be vigilant during the sales surge

While it can be easy to be distracted or otherwise engaged during busy periods, it’s so important to stay vigilant. Be aware of unusual logins, online payment failures, new user accounts, or changes in traffic patterns. Criminals will hide among increased legitimate activity, but there will always be red flags there if you stay alert.

A checklist for South West businesses

·       Ensure your WiFi networks (especially guest or public networks) are separate from internal networks and properly secured.

·       If you have a physical store premises as well as an online store, ensure your point of sale systems are updated and secured.

·       Train any seasonal staff or temporary hires about cyber security protocols, the signs to look out for and how to deal with suspicious communications.

·       Put a “security spotlight” on peak times and busy hours. This could be someone on shift whose job it is to monitor unusual activity during the Black Friday weekend. This will allow staff to focus on processing orders or serving customers.

For businesses in the South West, Black Friday offers a fantastic opportunity to promote your offerings, engage with customers, and maximise sales, but only if your business is cyber resilient. For non-cyber resilient businesses, the increased website traffic and sales potential should not come at the cost of a security breach, data loss, or reputational damage. By preparing ahead of time, training your staff, securing your systems, and monitoring activity during the rush, you can enjoy the seasonal shopping period all while minimising cyber risks.

Speak to us here at the South West Cyber Resilience Centre for expert tips and guidance on incident response, staff awareness, how to recognise potential cyber threats, and much more!

Wishing you a safe, successful and secure Black Friday. Let's make it one to remember for the right reasons.