The holidays are a favorite time for cyber attacks because many teams are understaffed. Here is how to stay secure during the December slowdown.
Criminals Love the Holiday Season
When your team is distracted by holiday plans, taking time off, or working reduced schedules, cyber criminals see opportunity. Attack success rates increase during the holiday season because there are fewer eyes on the network and response times are slower.
Pre-Holiday Security Setup
The time to prepare is now, before November ends. Update all software and security patches immediately. Review and rotate credentials for critical systems. Set up email auto-replies that do not reveal who is out and when. Disable remote access for accounts that will not be used during the break. Test your backups and run a full backup before the holidays start. Document emergency contacts in case something breaks while you are away.
Monitoring During the Holiday Break
Even though your team is out, your systems should be monitoring 24/7. Set up automated alerts that notify someone if something suspicious happens. This could be unusual login activity, failed access attempts, or sudden spikes in data transfer. You do not need IT staff working full-time during the holidays, but you do need someone checking alerts daily.
A few hours of preparation now will let you truly relax during the holidays without worrying about your business being targeted.