Why Cybersecurity Matters More Than Ever During the Holiday Season

The holiday season brings a surge in business activity. Online shopping spikes, financial transactions increase, and employees begin taking well-deserved time off. Unfortunately, it also marks one of the busiest times of year for cybercriminals. For businesses of every size and industry, this time of year introduces increased risk, reduced visibility, and a perfect storm of cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

At a time when delivering reliable service and protecting customer trust are top priorities, organizations (especially small and medium-sized businesses) must take cybersecurity seriously.

Why Cybercrime Spikes During the Holidays:

Cybercriminals pay just as much attention to the holiday season as the rest of us, just for very different reasons. As businesses gear up for year-end projects, customer demands, and staff vacations, attackers know things can get a little hectic. With fewer people watching the screen and more distractions in the mix, it becomes the perfect time for them to sneak in. Teams are stretched thin, employees are multitasking, and response times naturally slow down, giving bad actors more room to operate under the radar.

On top of that, the sheer volume of digital activity during the holidays works in their favor. There’s more online shopping, more financial movement, more emails flying around, and often more temporary or seasonal access being granted. It’s a busy time, and attackers thrive in busy environments. When you combine all of this with an uptick in holiday-themed phishing scams (fake shipping updates, donation requests, invoices, etc.) it creates a seasonal spike in threats that businesses need to be ready for.

Key Cybersecurity Threats to Watch This Season

Phishing & Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Fake invoices, spoofed client emails, and fraudulent payment requests are some of the most common attacks in December. These attacks target human error first, technology second.

Ransomware Attacks – Ransomware groups intentionally strike when businesses are understaffed. The goal? Encrypt systems when no one is watching.

Credential Theft – More online shopping and personal browsing from work devices can open the door to credential-stealing malware or lookalike login pages.

Supply Chain Attacks – Vendors and partners may also have reduced holiday staffing, making it easier for attackers to compromise one organization and move laterally into another.

How Businesses Can Strengthen Cybersecurity Before the Holidays

The good news: A few proactive measures can dramatically reduce risk.

1. Refresh Employee Security Awareness: A short refresher on spotting phishing emails goes a long way. Teach staff to slow down and verify unfamiliar requests, especially anything involving money, credentials, or urgent action.

2. Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Everywhere: MFA remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop unauthorized access, especially when credentials are stolen during holiday phishing attacks.

3. Patch and Update All Systems Before Year-End: Attackers commonly target unpatched vulnerabilities while companies are short-staffed. A pre-holiday update cycle can close those gaps.

4. Review Access for Seasonal or Temporary Workers: Ensure temporary staff have just the access they need and remove that access the moment their work ends.

5. Validate Backups and Incident Response Plans: The holiday season is the worst time to discover your backups don’t restore. A quick test today could save your business later.

6. Monitor 24/7 (or Work With Someone Who Does): Cybercriminals operate around the clock—your security should too. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with Security Operations Centers (SOCs) can provide continuous monitoring and automated response, even when your team is offline.

Why Cybersecurity Should Stay Top-of-Mind Year-Round

While the holidays bring unique challenges, the truth is that cyber threats remain constant throughout the year. Implementing strong cybersecurity practices now lays a foundation for long-term resilience and business continuity.

Protecting your data, your reputation, and your customers isn’t seasonal…it’s essential.

The holiday season should be a time of celebration, not cyber incident remediation. With heightened cyber risks, now is the perfect moment for businesses to reinforce their defenses, educate their teams, and partner with experts who can provide reliable protection when it matters most.

If your organization wants support strengthening cybersecurity for the holidays or preparing for the year ahead, consider reaching out to a trusted MSP or cybersecurity partner. A safer season and a safer new year starts with proactive protection.