Media Alert: Check Point Advises Online Holiday Shoppers—Top Five Ways to Avoid Scams, Shams and Spam on the ‘Net

November 23, 2007; 07:50 AM

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Don’t put hackers on your gift list.” That’s the advice from developers at Check Point^® Software Technologies (Nasdaq:CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. In preparation for the advent of the online shopping world’s “Cyber Monday,” Check Point is arming consumers to wage battle against Internet grinches this holiday season.

Cyber Monday—the Internet’s equivalent of “Black Friday”—is typically the biggest online shopping day of the year, marked by major discounts and promotions from online retailers aimed at driving Web traffic and boosting sales. For many consumers this time of the year can offer up a golden opportunity for some great online deals. However, it’s important for consumers to also be aware of the plethora of Internet shopping scams, hacker attacks, fraudulent emails, and phishing schemes that often run rampant as well.

“Internet holiday attacks get more advanced each year, but many people are still relying on outdated or nonexistent security solutions, which put their computers and identities at risk,” said Laura Yecies, vice president and general manager of Check Point’s ZoneAlarm consumer division. “To stay safe online this holiday season consumers need to educate themselves on the latest types of threats, and make sure they are running up-to-date and comprehensive security software on their PCs.”

Nearly nine in ten consumers regularly or occasionally research products on the Internet before buying in a store, as cited by the National Retail Federation. Yet according to a Check Point-commissioned survey by Harris Interactive^®, more than half of adults who use the Internet had neglected to install a software firewall and fewer than one quarter of adults had installed a security software suite to protect against spyware and viruses. Additionally, the survey results concluded that when making purchases online, 97 percent of online shoppers use their credit card to complete transactions; however, 44 percent do not consistently verify security symbols when making purchases.

Check Point’s security experts offer the following tips to help consumers stay safe while shopping online:

1. Fight holiday fraudsters, hackers and identity thieves by securing your PC. A good firewall, antivirus, anti-spyware, spam and browser protection are all critical. But, keeping up with security updates is even more important.

2. Beware of online phishing scams. Do not give out personal or financial information in response to unsolicited email, nor click links in any email when conducting financial transactions. If you think you've been phished, immediately visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

3. Beware that the mere act of gift browsing in online music, gaming and other sites can deliver your personal information into the hands of marketers and scammers. Protect your privacy and your identity with this season’s latest computer protection: browser security.

4. Make holiday donations directly to charities and nor from links received in emails. Check your bank statements regularly and investigate any suspicious charges.

5. Only buy gifts from online retailers that disclose full, verifiable contact information. In addition, look for the little yellow lock at the bottom right corner of the browser window—that indicates a secure site.

With the number of e-commerce transactions expected to nearly triple during the holidays, Check Point developers aim to reduce the risks associated with shopping and transmitting personal information online. Check Point’s Internet security solutions are bringing unprecedented online safety and security to consumers’ PCs and browsers. ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7.0 integrates a new comprehensive identity theft solution as well as a powerful anti-fraud tool called Spy Site Blocking. The ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite also includes proactive antivirus and anti-spyware protection, privacy features, and parental controls. Separately, ZoneAlarm ForceField, currently available as a free, public beta, offers the first virtualized, on-demand browser security solution to enable consumers to shop online and surf the Internet with impunity. Since its beta launch in September 2007, more than 70,000 downloads of ForceField have ensued.

For more information, please visit www.zonealarm.com.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leader in securing the Internet. The company is a market leader in the worldwide enterprise firewall, personal firewall, data security and VPN markets. Check Point's PURE focus is on IT security with its extensive portfolio of network security, data security and security management solutions. Through its NGX platform, Check Point delivers a unified security architecture for a broad range of security solutions to protect business communications and resources for corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. The company also offers market leading data security solutions through the Pointsec product line, protecting and encrypting sensitive corporate information stored on PCs and other mobile computing devices. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and additional consumer security solutions protect millions of consumer PCs from hackers, spyware and data theft. Extending the power of the Check Point solution is its Open Platform for Security (OPSEC), the industry's framework and alliance for integration and interoperability with "best-of-breed" solutions from hundreds of leading companies. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of Check Point partners around the world and its customers include 100 percent of Fortune 100 companies and tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of all sizes.

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