DUBAI, UAE, 12th February, 2026:
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, retailers selling flowers, jewellery, fashion, and accessories are entering one of their busiest seasons, but are they secure? Below are the top looming threats that could disrupt operations and compromise sensitive data, according to Cloudflare, the cloud connectivity company:
- Phishing Emails: Cybercriminals are adept at exploiting human vulnerabilities, often using phishing emails disguised as love notes or enticing offers. These emails pose a significant threat, as unsuspecting employees may inadvertently click on malicious links or attachments, leading to data breaches or ransomware attacks.
- Ransomware and DDoS Attacks: Businesses operating at the forefront of Valentine’s Day festivities are prime targets for ransomware and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Imagine receiving a ransom email threatening to take down your website just before the busiest season, forcing a difficult decision between paying the ransom or risking significant revenue loss.
- Comprehensive Protection: While DDoS protection is essential, it is not enough on its own. Cybercriminals often launch multi-pronged attacks, exploiting vulnerabilities from different angles. Implementing Zero Trust technologies can significantly reduce the impact of attacks and prevent ransomware from spreading within the network. For example, a DDoS attack may be carried out to conceal another attack. While security teams are mobilized to deal with the DDoS attack, the real attack may take place through methods such as SQL code injection. Therefore, Zero Trust technology extended to generative artificial intelligence services and integrated email protection solutions (anti-phishing) helps protect both employees and the company.
“In addition to technical solutions, organisations should establish a guilt-free work culture that encourages employees to fearlessly report errors that could lead to an attack or breach. While it is clear that emotion often comes before logic for most people and cyberattacks continue to proliferate, using specific events such as Valentine’s Day, Black Friday, or Christmas makes attacks more sophisticated. The means to counter them do exist. Suffering an attack is no longer inevitable. The winning mantra for a successful cybersecurity strategy is simple: protect applications, networks, and employees in a fully holistic way through a connectivity cloud,” says Christian Reilly, Field CTO EMEA at Cloudflare, the connectivity cloud company.
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