The holiday season is all about relaxing, celebrating, and spending time with loved ones. But while we’re winding down, cybercriminals are ramping up their efforts to take advantage of the festive chaos. With everything from phishing scams to sophisticated cyberattacks, this time of year is a prime opportunity for online threats to slip through the cracks. Whether you’re an individual or running a business, it’s important to take a few extra precautions to stay safe.
Here are some actionable tips to help you keep your business and personal data secure while you enjoy the holidays.
1. Watch Out for Holiday-Themed Scams
Cybercriminals love to exploit the holiday spirit. Fake emails and messages spike at this time of year, with themes like missed package deliveries, incredible discounts, or urgent donation appeals. For example, you might get an email claiming to be from Australia Post, saying they couldn’t deliver your package. Or you might see an offer for a $500 gift card that requires you to fill out a survey — but clicking the link could lead to malware or phishing attempts.
How to Protect Yourself:
- Always double-check the sender’s email address. Scammers often use email addresses that look legitimate but are slightly altered.
- Be wary of emails with typos, generic greetings (e.g., “Dear Customer”), or a sense of urgency.
- If you’re unsure, visit the company’s official website directly instead of clicking on any links in the email.
- Use email filtering tools to block known phishing domains.
2. Lock Down Remote Work
With many people travelling or working from home over the holidays, remote work setups can become a weak point for cyber threats. Public Wi-Fi, outdated devices, and unsecured accounts are all common vulnerabilities.
How to Stay Secure:
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks unless you’re connected through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Public networks are a goldmine for hackers.
- Make sure all devices have up-to-date antivirus software and firewalls enabled.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all remote logins. This adds an extra layer of security even if a password gets compromised.
- Encourage employees to use strong, unique passwords and a secure password manager.
3. Keep an Eye on Things While You’re Away
If your business is closing down or operating with a skeleton crew over the holidays, it’s critical to ensure your systems are protected from potential threats during this time.
Steps to Take:
- Set up automated alerts for unusual activity in critical systems, such as unexpected logins or large file transfers.
- Ensure that all security patches and updates are applied before shutting down operations for the holidays.
- Assign a point of contact for security emergencies and ensure they’re easily reachable.
- Conduct a quick pre-holiday audit of your systems to catch any vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
4. Double-Check Your Vendors
Supply chain attacks are on the rise, and third-party vendors can be an easy entry point for attackers, especially when teams are short-staffed during the holiday season.
Protect Your Business:
- Limit vendor access to your systems during the holiday period. Only grant access to essential services.
- Verify that your vendors are following strong security practices, such as using MFA and conducting regular audits.
- Review contracts with high-risk vendors to ensure accountability for security measures.
- Consider running a quick risk assessment on critical suppliers to address any gaps before your holiday shutdown.
5. Shop Online Safely
The end-of-year sales can be irresistible, but they’re also a hotbed for scams. Cybercriminals often create fake websites that mimic popular retailers to steal your payment information or install malware.
Shop Smarter:
- Stick to well-known, reputable websites and look for “HTTPS” in the URL before making a purchase.
- Avoid deals that sound too good to be true. A 90% discount on the latest smartphone is probably a scam.
- Never save payment information on websites unless absolutely necessary.
- Use credit cards or payment services like PayPal for an extra layer of protection, as they offer better fraud protection than debit cards.
6. Check Your Backups
Backups are your safety net against ransomware, hardware failures, and accidental data loss. The holidays are a great time to ensure your backups are in good shape.
Backup Best Practices:
- Test your backups by restoring files to confirm they’re working correctly.
- Store backups in a secure, separate location — preferably offline or on an immutable system that prevents tampering.
- Automate your backup processes to ensure consistency, and make sure they cover all critical systems.
7. Have a Plan for Emergencies
Even with the best precautions, things can go wrong. Having a solid incident response plan can save you a lot of time and stress if an issue arises during the holidays.
Be Prepared:
- Ensure your incident response plan is updated and includes clear roles and responsibilities for your team.
- Share the plan with key staff and conduct a quick refresher before the break.
- Run a tabletop exercise to simulate a common attack scenario, such as phishing or ransomware, to test your readiness.
- Keep a list of critical contacts handy, including IT support, security vendors, and key decision-makers.
8. Refresh Those Passwords
Passwords are often the weakest link in cybersecurity. The holiday season is the perfect time to implement a password refresh for your team.
Make It Count:
- Use a password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords for every account.
- Encourage employees to enable MFA on all accounts, especially those tied to sensitive information.
- Set clear guidelines for creating secure passwords, such as avoiding dictionary words and incorporating symbols, numbers, and uppercase letters.
9. Be Careful with Holiday Donations
It’s the season of giving, but unfortunately, it’s also the season of scams. Fake charity campaigns ramp up during the holidays, often targeting generous individuals.
Stay Generous, Stay Safe:
- Research charities thoroughly before donating. Legitimate organisations will have proper registrations and verifiable contact information.
- Avoid donating through links in emails or social media ads. Instead, go directly to the charity’s official website.
- Watch out for high-pressure tactics or requests for unconventional payment methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency.
10. Do a Post-Holiday Check-In
After the holiday season, take some time to review your security practices and address any issues that might have cropped up.
Review and Improve:
- Analyse logs and alerts for any unusual activity during the holiday period.
- Hold a debrief session with your team to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.
- Update your security policies and procedures based on insights from the break.
- Plan for upcoming threats and trends in the new year.
Merry Securemas
The holidays should be a time to relax and recharge, not worry about cyber threats. With a few proactive steps, you can enjoy the season knowing your data (and your business) are safe. Remember, good security practices aren’t just for IT teams — they’re for everyone.
Stay safe, and have a merry Securemas!!
