Media Alert: Cybercrime on the Rise; More Consumers to Shop Online This Holiday Season, Including “Cyber Monday” — Nov. 26, 2007

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 15, 2007 —

Why: The Monday after Thanksgiving has been coined “Cyber Monday,” one of the biggest online shopping days of the year. A new study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. found that nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. adults plan to shop online this holiday season, and about two in five online shoppers (41 percent) are very likely to somewhat likely to shop online on Cyber Monday (Nov. 26, 2007).

Unfortunately, the increased rate of online shopping during the holidays also provides cyberthieves with more potential victims, leaving consumers and their computers at risk of online crime. Microsoft’s survey found that one in four (26 percent) online shoppers has been tricked while shopping online.

What: Microsoft experts predict that e-mail and phishing scams will increase during peak holiday shopping periods, such as Cyber Monday, as thieves use specific tricks to lure people into opening e-mail attachments that provide access to their bank accounts and personal identities. Microsoft is available to help safeguard consumers as they shop online by discussing the following:

  • Common tactics that cyberthieves will use this holiday season to trick consumers into revealing personal information

  • Key findings from Microsoft’s new consumer holiday online shopping survey

  • Microsoft and third-party data that illustrate the increasing popularity of consumers shopping online on Cyber Monday and during the holiday season

  • Simple steps that online shoppers can follow to help better secure their computer and personal information

  • Consumer safety tools: Windows Internet Explorer 7 features a Web address bar that turns green to indicate the site is security-enhanced

  • A solution that does it all: Windows Live OneCare offers an all-in-one solution that makes it easy to manage security, backup and performance issues

Who: Adrienne Hall, senior director of Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft

Hall is a consumer Internet security expert and senior director of Trustworthy Computing, a Microsoft company tenet focused on secure, private and reliable computing experiences for everyone.

Tim McDowd, group product manager, Microsoft

McDowd is group product manager for Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group and is responsible for driving Microsoft’s consumer security and safety guidance.

When: Interviews are now available. To schedule one, contact Margeau Lebeau, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (425) 638-7120, [email protected].

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

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