December is a joyous month, with family gatherings, presents, time off work and traveling. However, the holidays are also a prime time for cyberattacks, with threat actors taking advantage of multiple factors to steal data and ruin your Christmas cheer, including:

• Human error – employees and e-commerce platforms are overwhelmed during this period
• Extensive online shopping on scam websites or platforms lacking proper security measures
• Downloading and installing new apps where you can overshare information
• Creating new accounts on platforms that you may forget about after the holidays
• More online socialization may lead to you oversharing personal data
• Charitable spirit – fraudsters know that Christmas is also a season of giving and may attempt to exploit your kindness

How can a data breach during the holiday season affect me?

A data breach can expose your sensitive information (credit card number, Social Security number and other confidential data) to unauthorized parties. Armed with your personally identifiable info, a cybercriminal or other digital miscreant could:

• Harm you financially – financial loss is one of the most immediate consequences of a data breach
• Put you at risk of identity theft crimes which can go undetected for a long time
• Use sensitive information to blackmail you
• Cause you additional distress by adding extra expenses to your Christmas list
• Ruin your reputation – a fraudster can use your info to impersonate you online and scam others
• Ruin your travel plans and family activities

3 easy steps to help strengthen your defenses against nasty data breach outcomes

#1. Avoid oversharing information: Sharing data online is inevitable in the digital era, but you can limit the chances of falling victim to fraud by limiting the amount of personal data you share when you go online or create new social media accounts

#2. Watch out for suspicious activity on your online accounts and requests for personal info: Cybercriminals may need additional from you to commit fraud. Always be wary of emails, phone calls and texts from sources you don’t recognize, and never act on requests for sensitive information

#3. Secure online accounts with unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication for your accounts: Using a strong password for every platform protects you against account takeover attacks if cybercriminals get their hands on your login credentials through a data breach

Don’t be a sitting duck for identity thieves this Christmas, protect your IMPORTANT with Bitdefender!

Christmas is primetime for cybercrime.

Throughout the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and last-minute shopping for gifts, it may be hard to keep an eye out for data breaches, identity thieves and fraud.  Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection (DIP) helps you be proactive and keeps you prepared to defend your identity and money in the aftermath of a breach. Our identity protection tool includes real-time data breach monitoring 24/7 and the industry’s first Identity Protection Score that helps you fully understand how old or new data breaches can impact your privacy and overall wellbeing.

Don’t let data breaches ruin your holidays! Read more about Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection, here.