Top 10 Most Dangerous Holiday Gifts [F-Secure]

BY: 

Dave Forde
November 28, 2012

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now behind us, consumers are preparing for the big one – Christmas.  F-Secure has released its Cyber Monday Cyber-Watch List, an annual compilation of the most ‘dangerous’ holiday gifts to be encountered while shopping online this year based the prevalence of ‘poisoned’ search results on the web.

The more popular an item is, the more likely it will attract a dangerous search result, which could lead to malware or an unreliable merchant. Here are the products we anticipate will be targeted by cybercriminals this holiday season:

  1. Nintendo Wii U – Available asof this past weekend, the Wii U is expected to be a big seller like the original Wii, which was sold out for nearly an entire year after its launch
  2. Kindle Fire HD – Tablets are all the rage right now, and a $199 sets this 7″ to sell big, with some predicting that the Kindle Fire HD will outsell the iPad mini by two to one
  3. iPad mini – This budget-friendly Apple tablet is flying off the shelves, with it taking just minutes for the white iPad Mini to sell out at its initial launch
  4. Hot video game titles – New titles like Halo 4 and COD Black Ops 2 are shattering sales records. In fact, Halo 4 raked in $220 million in its first day on the shelves
  5. re-sale tickets for The Hobbit – Scheduled to come out December 18, pre-sale tickets for this great stocking stuffer are already going fast
  6. Windows 8 Certification – With the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 software has come a flurry of interest in computer monitors and PCs that boast certification rights
  7. iPhone 5 / Samsung Galaxy 3 – It is predicted that this December quarter, Apple will sell 46 million iPhones, and with retailers already advertising Black Friday deals of nearly 75 percent off on the Samsung Galaxy 3, both smartphones will be in demand
  8. Touchscreen gloves – We expect the overall demand for touch devices to drive the sale of related accessories
  9. Furby – Remember this furry little creature that created utter chaos back in the 90’s – well he’s all any kid can talk about for this holiday season
  10. Breaking Dawn DVD – With Breaking Dawn 2 experiencing a $30.4 million opening, the first Breaking Dawn DVD and other Twilight movies will be popular stocking stuffers

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 20 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses. He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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