Looking forward to your break? So are hackers

It’s safe to say October is officially the month in which almost all South Africans begin counting down the weeks until the long-awaited December holidays. With companies across a variety of different industries shutting down operations, many professionals look to the festive season as the one time of year they can truly disconnect from the daily grind. Unfortunately, hackers are all too aware of this.

Research from Trend Micro has shown that businesses are especially prone to cyberattacks during major events and busy periods, like the holiday season. There are several reasons why cybercriminals target this time of year. Firstly, employees tend to be more distracted than usual. There’s often a rush to complete tasks before the holidays, leading to end-of-year fatigue, which isn’t great for maintaining good cybersecurity practices.

And it doesn’t stop there. The IT team, likely running on a skeleton crew due to holiday leave, won’t be as quick to spot and respond to threats. Knowing that fewer security specialists are around to thwart their attempts, cybercriminals will be ramping up their efforts.

A lot of larger businesses depend on third-party vendors to keep an eye on their tech infrastructure and alert their IT teams about any potential issues. Usually, these alerts are handled quickly, but during the holidays, response times can slow down if key staff members are on vacation and their backups aren’t fully up to speed. For smaller companies that do their own monitoring, it’s easy to miss alerts because of staff shortages and the extra workload.

This means that crucial information about vulnerabilities or necessary software patches might not be addressed until business returns to normal. Cybercriminals know this and often take advantage of the reduced oversight to sneak into corporate systems.

On top of that, when employees travel but keep working, they often do so from places like cafes or airports. This means they might be connecting to public WiFi networks, which can put the company’s network at risk.

Many professionals also increase their online shopping activities during this period, aiming to benefit from Black Friday deals or to start ticking off their festive season gift lists. Unfortunately, the rise in online scams makes this a particularly vulnerable time, as shoppers risk falling prey to fraudsters. And this not only then jeopardizes their personal devices but also poses a threat to work applications.

It’s essential that businesses remain hypervigilant, strengthening their cybersecurity measures and remaining on high alert from now onwards. Below are some strategies to navigate the December holidays as successfully as possible.

Adopting a comprehensive defense strategy

With these increasingly clever attacks, companies need to adopt a comprehensive defense strategy. Keeping your systems updated with the latest patches is a must to fend off ransomware threats. To stay safe, you can follow these the below best practices:

Use multifactor authentication

Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security and make it harder for attackers to move around within your network.

Update systems and software regularly

Make sure to keep your systems updated regularly. Patch management is key to stopping hackers from finding and using any weaknesses in your software. Don’t forget to update your employees’ personal devices too, especially if they can connect to your network.

Monitor network activity

Keep an eye on network activity to catch any early signs of cyberattacks. If your organisation doesn’t have enough IT staff, consider partnering with a managed security service provider to get round-the-clock cybersecurity protection.

Follow the 3-2-1 rule

Make sure you have a backup plan ready in case of a cyberattack. Every moment of holiday downtime can be expensive. A good plan will help you get back up and running quickly and reduce the costs of an attack. Follow the 3-2-1 rule when backing up important files by creating three backup copies on two different file formats, with one of the copies stored in a separate location.

As the festive season approaches, it’s easy to become complacent, but this is precisely when vigilance is most crucial. Both IT teams and employees must remain alert and proactive, ensuring that security protocols are diligently followed, and systems are meticulously maintained. Remember, cybercriminals are always on the lookout for opportunities to exploit gaps in your defenses, so don’t let your guard down. By staying committed to robust cybersecurity practices, you can enjoy a peaceful and secure holiday season.