MEDINA, Ohio, November 14 -- Antivirus company Thirtyseven4, LLC cautions today of the increased dangers and risks associated with the holiday season, which jump starts with online searches for leaked Black Friday Ads.
According to Thirtyseven4 and its partners, yearly malicious online activities usually spike during the week prior to Thanksgiving and continue until after the first of the New Year. Last year, Thirtyseven4 observed an estimated 30% growth in the amount of malware that occurred during the holiday season, and they are forecasting a strategic increase this year due to (1) the controversy surrounding recent news by retail outlets to bump up Black Friday to Thursday night, (2) the prolific use of Facebook and other social networking sites by family and friends, and (3) the growing popularity (and dependence on) mobile devices.
"The holiday season typically kicks off with cybercriminals polluting Internet search results for Black Friday ads using a technique called Search Engine Optimization (SEO) poisoning, and we already have a dedicated team scouring the Internet for such threats,” said Steven Sundermeier, Owner of Thirtyseven4. "Unfortunately, the threats will not stop there as we've already observed malware on Facebook and Android devices double since the beginning of the year."
As a free, goodwill initiative, Thirtyseven4 has developed dedicated security tools to help users combat and remove malicious files, should they fall victim to a cybercriminal holiday scam or tactic. "Inevitably there will be users out there who can’t resist the temptation to click on bogus retail promotions on Facebook or a purposely-leaked Black Friday Ad. That is why we’ve made a corporate decision to release the Thirtyseven4 Goodwill Security Tools to the public at no charge. Our Tools will be consistently updated to combat against the latest threats,” concluded Sundermeier.
More information on the Thirtyseven4 Goodwill Security Tools can be downloaded from:
http://www.thirtyseven4.com/holiday.html. In addition, Thirtyseven4 has created a holiday best practice webpage with tips and procedures to keep users safe this season: http://www.thirtyseven4.com/holidaytips.html.
About Thirtyseven4:
Born out of a desire to better connect antivirus protection solutions with premium customer support and service, Thirtyseven4, LLC seeks to protect schools, universities, businesses, governmental agencies and home-users with the best antivirus products available. Thirtyseven4 Antivirus is available online at www.thirtyseven4.com. | 
