Why the Holidays Create Higher Cybersecurity Risks for Businesses
There’s no place like home for the holidays… …but the surge in remote work, employee travel, flexible schedules, and increased online activity is exactly what threat actors love to exploit. Every December, businesses see spikes in:
- Account breaches
- Phishing attacks
- Stolen devices
- Public Wi-Fi interception
- Unauthorized access to cloud apps
For organizations with hybrid or multi-location teams, the holidays create the perfect conditions for cyberattacks. These holiday cybersecurity tips will help keep your data and employees safe.
1. Public Wi-Fi Is the Biggest Holiday Cyber Trap
Airports, hotels, coffee shops, and conference centers all share one thing: unsecured networks. Cybercriminals routinely monitor or spoof these networks to steal:
- Login credentials
- Email content
- Cloud application access
- Company files
Best Practices for Secure Remote Access:
- Require VPN + MFA for all remote logins
- Block access from unknown networks
- Train employees to use personal hotspots instead of public Wi-Fi.
If the Wi-Fi is free, the risk usually isn’t.
2. Personal Devices Create Major Holiday Cyber Risks
During the holidays, employees often switch to personal devices while traveling or visiting family. This dramatically increases your attack surface.
Strengthen Endpoint Security:
- Allow access only on company-issued, managed, encrypted devices
- Use Mobile Device Management (MDM) to enforce security policies
- Enable remote wipe capabilities for lost or stolen devices
Unmonitored devices = unmonitored risk.
3. Staffing Changes = More Logins, Faster Access, More Vulnerabilities
Holiday schedules often mean:
- Temporary staff
- Cross-team coverage
- PTO overlap
- Employees jumping between roles
Every quick permission change is a potential security hole.
Protect User Access:
- Verify identity before granting new permissions
- Use auto-expiring accounts for seasonal access
- Audit admin privileges
Quick access should never mean unrestricted access.
4. Home Networks Often Lack Basic Security
Employees working from home, or from relatives’ homes, may be using outdated routers, weak passwords, or unsecured networks.
Prevent Home Network Vulnerabilities:
- Require strong passwords and updated routers
- Enforce MFA on all cloud and SaaS platforms
- Require automatic device updates
- Use conditional access to block risky locations
Home networks shouldn’t become the path into your business.
5. Finance, HR & Operations Teams Face the Highest Holiday Cyber Risks
These teams manage the most sensitive information and are the most targeted during the holidays. Attackers ramp up phishing attempts disguised as:
- End-of-year invoices
- Payroll changes
- Vendor updates
- Package deliveries
- Holiday promotions
Reduce Social Engineering Threats:
- Train employees to recognize holiday-themed phishing
- Require verification for any financial or HR changes
- Use secure file sharing (no emailed spreadsheets)
- Use approval workflows for payments or wire transfers
Human error remains the #1 cause of breaches.