New Delhi: The festive season rush provides ideal conditions for cybercriminals and may lead to a rise in phishing and financial fraud incidents as online commerce and travel increase, according to a top official of a cyber security firm.
The surge in online shopping, digital transactions, travel bookings, and deliveries frequently triggers a spike in financial fraud, phishing scams, and identity-based attacks.
"The festive season creates significant opportunities for businesses and consumers, but it also provides ideal conditions for cybercriminals. Phishing and social engineering campaigns are expected to surge this festive season," said Devendra Rath, VP Engineering India, Arctic Wolf, a cybersecurity firm.
For enterprises, attackers are likely to leverage seasonal lures such as shopping discounts, courier and delivery notifications, loyalty rewards, invoice fraud, banking alerts, tax-related communications, and account verification requests, he said.
Arctic Wolf threat researchers have observed that some of the most successful attacks continue to exploit trust, urgency and familiarity rather than technical sophistication, with threat actors increasingly tailoring campaigns around major events, financial deadlines, and high-activity periods.
"For consumers, we expect to see attacks delivered through trusted channels including SMS, WhatsApp, email, and social media," Rath said.
Recent research from Arctic Wolf's threat team highlighted how attackers are increasingly abusing trusted messaging platforms and authenticated WhatsApp sessions to spread malicious content through real relationships, making fraudulent messages appear more legitimate and significantly increasing the likelihood of engagement.
The festive season is also likely to bring a rise in malicious Android applications distributed outside official app stores.
Threat actors commonly use lures themed around courier deliveries, KYC updates, electricity bills, account suspensions, tax notices, and transport services to convince victims to install malicious APKs. Once installed, these applications can steal credentials, intercept one-time passwords (OTPs), monitor notifications, and facilitate financial fraud.
For enterprises, even a temporary drop in employee vigilance can have significant consequences. Beyond credential theft, successful phishing attacks can lead to business email compromise, unauthorised access to cloud platforms, payment fraud, ransomware deployment, or broader operational disruption.
Arctic Wolf research shows that attackers are increasingly targeting identity systems, trusted communications channels, and third-party relationships rather than relying solely on sophisticated exploits.
To reduce risk during the festive period, organisations should focus on strengthening identity security by enforcing multi-factor authentication across email, cloud, and remote access environments.
Companies should accelerate remediation of internet-facing vulnerabilities, conduct targeted festive-season awareness training focused on phishing and payment scams, review third-party and vendor access rights and ensure critical systems are continuously monitored for suspicious activity, he said.
"While cybercriminals are increasingly using automation and trusted communication channels to make attacks more convincing and scalable, organisations that maintain strong security fundamentals, clear response processes, and a vigilant workforce will be best positioned to navigate the heightened risk that accompanies the festive season," he added.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.