Beyond VPNs: Safer Black Friday and Cyber Week Shopping Demand More Than One Tool – Research Yields Consumer Security Tips

Audio By Carbonatix

ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 24, 2025--

As millions of consumers prepare their budgets, credit cards and digital wallets for Black Friday and Cyber Week, the common wisdom is clear: use a VPN to protect your financial data. But in a study conducted by PureVPN, researchers with Ontario Tech University and CQR Cybersecurity found that relying on a standalone VPN, or juggling it alongside separate password managers and ad blockers, creates a false sense of security that cyber thieves are ready and able to exploit. PureVPN also announced a Black Friday and Cyber Week pricing discount of 88 percent at $1.49/month for unified, attack-thwarting online shopping and communications.

According to the study “The Cost of Fragmentation: Measuring Time, Spend and Risk in Personal Cybersecurity Tool Stacks,” the use of separate security tools for VPNs, password management, and ad blocking creates a dangerous security gap. The data shows that 38% of modern cyberattacks now exploit stolen credentials and exposed connections, specifically by taking advantage of the data exposed by non-integrated tools.

The Hidden Risk of the Security Gap

Shoppers often assume they are safe if they have a password manager and a VPN installed. However, when these tools don’t communicate and integrate with one another, risks emerge. A typical example of this is when a consumer auto-fills credit card details or passwords on mobile devices while their separate VPN is disconnected, a common occurrence due to “alert fatigue,” and those credentials can travel over the exposed network.

“Security isn’t about how many tools you have, it’s about how well they work together when it matters,” said Ali Khan, Head of Product at PureVPN. “Fragmentation – the use of security apps such as password managers, ad blockers, and VPNs from different vendors – leaves people vulnerable, enabling man-in-the-middle attacks, breaches and stolen financial data. It’s a recipe for disaster. When it comes to consumer cyber-safety, app unification, i.e., an all-in-one approach that prevents apps from competing with one another in alert storms, is the all-important missing layer.”

Alert Fatigue: The Enemy of Safe Shopping

The rush of online Black Friday deals and the contention for in-store “door opener” specials are chaotic. Adding a barrage of security notifications can make this chaos worse – and for many, overwhelming. And that’s when a shopper turns to risky behaviors like turning off their VPN. The study found that the average consumer manages 3.4 distinct security apps, and spends up to 27 hours a year maintaining them, leading to a cycle of “alert chaos”:

• 44% of users receive overlapping alerts from different apps.
• 38% of those who receive overlapping alerts admit to ignoring these alerts entirely due to the volume.
• 29–34% leave essential tools disabled or miss paid features, turning fragmented apps into “open doors” for attackers.

Safer Shopping Solution: Integrated and Easy Protection, Not Competing Apps

For a safer holiday shopping season, PureVPN is offering discounts on its new Unified Security Suite, which was specifically designed to close security gaps for mobile and online shoppers – especially those who aren’t IT hobbyists. Combining a VPN, Password Manager, Dark Web Monitoring, and Tracker Blocking into a single app, the suite ensures that critical actions are protected automatically.

Key PureVPN Unified Security Suite protections for Black Friday shoppers include:

• Secured Autofill: The integrated VPN and Password Manager ensure that all time credentials or credit card numbers are autofilled as they travel through an encrypted tunnel.
• Real-Time Anti-Tracking: The built-in Tracker & Ad Blocker stops advertisers and malicious scripts from building profiles based on shopping habits.
• Real Savings: By replacing redundant subscription apps, users can stop wasting the costs of overlapping, non-integrated apps, which can cost as much as $850 annually, according to the study’s research findings.

* PureVPN’s Black Friday and Holiday Season Pricing – Now 88% Off.

PureVPN has launched a $1.49/month Black Friday offer on its Unified Security Suite app to help protect privacy in response to the last year of rising cybercrime, offering consumers the best value-to-feature ratio among VPN providers. “PureVPN’s Unified Security Suite is designed around reality: one app, total protection, no wasted motion,” added Khan. “Instead of juggling multiple apps, users receive one alert stream and one seamless workflow.”

Availability

The new unified PureVPN app is now available on Android and iOS. This Black Friday, shoppers can secure their digital footprint not just with a VPN, but with a complete, integrated defensive perimeter. With the Unified Security Suite now live on both platforms, PureVPN is redefining personal protection: one app, zero complexity, complete peace of mind.

To learn more, visit: https://www.purevpn.com/order

About PureVPN

PureVPN is a global leader in online privacy, security, and digital freedom with over 18 years of expertise. Its unified app combines VPN, password management, tracker blocking, dark web monitoring, and data removal into a single, streamlined platform — reducing complexity and giving users complete protection in one place. https://www.purevpn.com/

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251124270829/en/

CONTACT: Media contact:

[email protected]

KEYWORD: VIRGIN ISLANDS (BRITISH) CARIBBEAN

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE MOBILE/WIRELESS NETWORKS ONLINE RETAIL INTERNET DATA MANAGEMENT CONSUMER APPS/APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY SECURITY ONLINE PRIVACY RETAIL OTHER CONSUMER

SOURCE: PureVPN

Copyright Business Wire 2025.

PUB: 11/24/2025 06:00 AM/DISC: 11/24/2025 06:00 AM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251124270829/en