One in 11 new Black Friday websites is malicious
Retailers aren’t the only ones to want to make the most of Black Friday, it’s a boom time for scammers too. New analysis by Check Point reveals that one in 11 newly registered Black Friday-themed domains is classified as harmful.
October saw 158 new Black Friday related domains, a 93 percent increase over the 2025 monthly average. Early November intensified that growth, with more than 330 new related domains appearing in only the first 10 days.
Brand impersonation remains a primary tactic, with one in 25 new domains related to the reputable eCommerce marketplaces of Amazon, AliExpress, and Alibaba flagged as malicious. Attackers are deploying convincing fake storefronts that copy logos, layouts, and product imagery to capture credentials and payment data.
Check Point recommends that cybersecurity professionals take targeted steps to reduce exposure during peak shopping periods. These include monitoring spikes in newly registered domains referencing brands, retail terms, and predictable naming templates.
They should also deploy endpoint protections to block access to malicious or newly registered domains, prevent credential harvesting, and stop phishing sites before users interact with them. An external risk-management solution can continuously discover internet-facing assets, detect domain and brand impersonation, and automate takedowns of fraudulent infrastructure.
Businesses need to provide clear internal and external guidance outlining how to verify URLs and avoid seasonal phishing lures. In addition they should enhance fraud controls for payment workflows, including risk scoring for transactions originating from newly registered domains.
You can read more along with details of some specific scams on the Check Point blog.
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