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The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, but it’s also a period when cybercriminals intensify their efforts. In the UK, over £11 million was lost to online shopping scams during the festive period in 2023. Action Fraud reported more than 16,000 cases of online shopping scams between November 2023 and January 2024, with victims losing an average of £695 each.
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks also see a significant rise during the holiday season. According to Cloudflare’s Q4 threat report, network-layer DDoS attacks increased by 117% year-over-year, with heightened activity observed against industries such as retail, logistics, and public relations, particularly around high-traffic events like Black Friday and the holiday shopping period.
These statistics underscore the heightened risk of cyberattacks during December, as criminals exploit reduced staffing, distracted employees, and increased online activity. For organisations, this means operating with leaner teams to accommodate holidays, an environment rife with vulnerabilities that attackers eagerly exploit.
This blog delves into why cyberattacks peak during the festive period, practical steps organisations can take to prepare, and how to respond effectively to crises. Let’s ensure this season remains festive, not fraught with security breaches.
Why Cyber-Attacks Surge During the Festive Season?
During December, many organisations operate with skeleton crews, leaving IT and security teams understaffed or off-duty. This reduction in staffing can lead to slower response times to incidents, creating opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit. Without the usual level of vigilance, attacks are more likely to go unnoticed until significant damage has been done.
The festive season also brings numerous distractions for employees, from holiday parties to last-minute shopping and end-of-year tasks. These diversions often shift focus away from cyber security, increasing the likelihood of mistakes such as clicking on phishing emails or neglecting established protocols. In this busy time, even minor lapses in judgment can have serious consequences.
Additionally, e-commerce activity reaches its peak during the holidays, creating fertile ground for cybercriminals. Fraudulent websites, fake advertisements, and phishing scams abound, targeting both consumers and organisations. Attackers craft convincing schemes that prey on the urgency and excitement surrounding holiday deals, making them especially effective during this time.
Cybercriminals also take advantage of seasonal trends, employing holiday-themed lures like fake gift cards, charity appeals, or promises of end-of-year bonuses. These tactics are well-timed to exploit goodwill and financial incentives, making phishing campaigns more likely to succeed during the festive period.
Finally, December’s heightened financial stakes make it an attractive time for ransomware attacks. Many companies are finalising their year-end financials, and attackers count on the urgency of meeting deadlines to pressure victims into paying hefty ransoms. This combination of timing and high stakes amplifies the risk of cyber incidents in the lead-up to the new year.
Preparing for Cyber Threats: Steps to Take Now.
Proactive preparation can mean the difference between a minor inconvenience and a devastating breach. Here’s how organisations can strengthen their defences:
1. Enhance Security Monitoring.
Continuous monitoring is crucial during the holiday season when cyber threats are at their peak. Implementing 24/7 monitoring solutions, such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, can help organisations detect anomalies and respond to threats in real time. SIEM tools aggregate and analyse logs from various sources, providing a comprehensive view of network activity.
For organisations with limited internal resources, leveraging a Security Operations Centre (SOC) can provide expert monitoring and swift incident response. A SOC operates as a dedicated hub of cyber security professionals, equipped with specialised tools and expertise to monitor, detect, and respond to threats around the clock. Whether in-house or outsourced, a SOC ensures that no suspicious activity goes unnoticed, even during off-hours, providing organisations with continuous protection and peace of mind.
2. Update and Patch Systems.
Unpatched systems are a prime target for attackers, especially during the holidays when IT teams may be short-staffed. Performing a comprehensive audit of all software, hardware, and connected devices helps identify outdated or vulnerable components that need immediate attention.
Updates for systems critical to operations, such as payment processing platforms, customer-facing websites, and customer databases, should be prioritised. Promptly implementing these patches can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation via known vulnerabilities. Additionally, automating patch management and vulnerability remediation with solutions like Vicarius can alleviate pressure on IT teams, ensuring timely updates without manual intervention.
3. Employee Awareness Training.
Employees are often the most vulnerable link in an organisation’s security chain, highlighting the importance of comprehensive awareness training. As the holidays approach, hosting refresher training sessions can be particularly effective in educating employees about emerging threats, such as phishing emails disguised as delivery notifications, charity appeals, or festive discounts—common tactics cybercriminals use during this time of year.
Using tools like KnowBe4 and Hoxhunt can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your training efforts. These platforms offer interactive phishing simulations and personalised security training, helping employees learn to identify and respond to threats in real-world scenarios. Practical tips such as verifying email senders, scrutinising links for legitimacy, and avoiding public Wi-Fi for work-related activities can be reinforced through these tools. Encouraging employees to report suspicious activity immediately and rewarding proactive behaviour helps foster a culture of vigilance. Empowering your workforce with these resources strengthens your organisation’s first line of defence against social engineering attacks.
4. Strengthen Access Controls.
Access controls are a cornerstone of effective cyber security, ensuring that only authorised individuals have access to critical systems and data. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts, particularly those with remote access, provides an essential layer of security. Even if an attacker manages to compromise credentials, the additional authentication factor significantly reduces the likelihood of unauthorised access.
To further enhance security, organisations should adopt the principle of least privilege by restricting administrative privileges to only those personnel who absolutely need them. By minimising the number of high-privilege accounts, the potential damage from a breached account is greatly reduced.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools like Delinea play a crucial role in strengthening access controls by centralising and streamlining the management of privileged accounts and access rights. Features such as privileged access management (PAM) and just-in-time (JIT) access grant users temporary permissions only when needed, reducing the attack surface and minimising human error. With real-time monitoring and detailed auditing capabilities, these tools enhance visibility into access patterns, enabling quick detection and response to anomalies. Integrating an IAM tool enforces robust access policies, mitigates credential misuse, and bolsters security posture, especially vital during high-risk periods like the holiday season.
5. Backup Critical Data
Data backups are a cornerstone of any robust cyber security strategy, providing an essential safeguard against ransomware attacks and other breaches. To mitigate the risk of data loss or operational disruption, organisations should perform regular backups of all critical data, including operational, financial, and customer information. These backups should be stored securely, preferably offline or on a segregated network, to ensure they remain protected even if the primary network is compromised.
Equally important is testing the restoration process. A backup is only as valuable as its ability to be restored efficiently and reliably during a crisis. Regularly verify that your backup systems can recover data in the expected timeframe and without corruption. Implement automated alerts for failed backups to address issues proactively. By ensuring backups are both current and functional, organisations can minimise downtime and recover swiftly in the event of an incident, maintaining business continuity and safeguarding stakeholder trust.
6. Conduct a Penetration Test
Simulated attacks, such as penetration testing and red team exercises, are invaluable tools for uncovering hidden vulnerabilities within your organisation’s defences. These tests, conducted by skilled professionals, mimic real-world attack scenarios to evaluate your organisation’s readiness against potential threats. By adopting the perspective of an attacker, penetration tests can identify weak points that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The insights gained from these exercises are actionable and highly effective in enhancing your security posture. Penetration test results can inform updates to your security measures, strengthen your defences, and refine your incident response plan. This proactive approach ensures that your organisation is better prepared for potential threats, with reduced response times and minimised impact from breaches. Regularly incorporating these exercises into your cyber security strategy not only mitigates risk but also reinforces confidence in your organisation’s ability to handle cyber incidents.
7. Establish a Holiday Response Team
Emergencies don’t adhere to business hours, and during the holiday season, the potential for cyber incidents increases. Establishing a dedicated holiday response team ensures that your organisation remains prepared and agile when it matters most. This team should consist of a small group of highly skilled, on-call personnel capable of responding to security incidents at a moment’s notice. It’s essential to provide them with the resources and tools necessary for effective crisis management, including incident response playbooks, forensic tools, and clear escalation contacts.
Equipping the team with secure and reliable communication channels is critical, especially during the holiday period when traditional workflows may be disrupted. Communication should include protocols for internal coordination and external notifications to stakeholders, such as customers, regulators, or partners, ensuring transparency and trust.
To enhance readiness, the holiday response team should conduct regular status checks on high-risk systems, such as those handling financial transactions, customer data, or critical business operations. Monitoring tools and scheduled health checks can help identify potential vulnerabilities before they escalate into full-blown incidents. Regular updates and status reports shared with stakeholders further build confidence in your organisation’s proactive stance.
Additionally, ensure the team participates in periodic drills or simulations tailored to holiday-specific threats, such as phishing campaigns disguised as gift offers or Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks during peak e-commerce hours. These exercises help refine their skills and provide valuable insights into improving response strategies.
By having a well-prepared holiday response team in place, organisations can ensure swift, organised, and effective responses to incidents, minimising downtime and protecting business continuity during one of the most critical times of the year. This proactive approach not only mitigates risk but also instils confidence across the organisation and its stakeholders.
Responding to a Cyber Crisis During the Holidays.
Even the most prepared organisations can experience cyber incidents, especially during the holiday season when cybercriminals exploit reduced staffing and increased online activity. A swift and effective response is crucial to mitigate damage and restore normal operations. Here’s an expanded guide on how to respond effectively if your defences are breached:
1. Activate Your Incident Response Plan
A well-documented and tested incident response plan (IRP) is essential for coordinated action during a cyber crisis. Ensure all team members are familiar with their specific roles and responsibilities within the plan. Utilise clear and secure communication channels to coordinate efforts both internally among staff and externally with stakeholders, including customers, partners, and regulatory bodies. Regularly review and update the IRP to address emerging threats and incorporate lessons learned from past incidents.
2. Contain the Breach
Prompt containment is vital to prevent the attack from spreading. Isolate affected systems by disconnecting compromised devices from the network and disabling breached user accounts. Implement network segmentation to limit the attack’s reach. Block malicious IP addresses, domains, and other indicators of compromise identified during the attack. Document all containment actions for future analysis and reporting.
3. Assess the Impact
Conduct a thorough assessment to determine the scope and impact of the breach. Identify which data, systems, or services have been compromised and evaluate the extent of the damage. Utilise forensic tools and expertise to investigate the attack’s origin, methods used, and vulnerabilities exploited. This analysis is crucial for effective remediation and for strengthening defences against future attacks.
4. Communicate Transparently
Transparent communication is key to maintaining trust. Notify all relevant stakeholders, including customers, employees, partners, and regulatory authorities, as required by law and organisational policies. Provide clear and accurate information about the breach’s impact and the steps being taken to address it. Keep stakeholders informed with regular updates as the situation evolves.
5. Mitigate and Recover
Begin eradication efforts by removing malicious code, closing exploited vulnerabilities, and updating or patching affected systems. Change compromised credentials and enhance security measures to prevent re-infection. Restore systems and data from secure, verified backups. Ensure that restored systems are free from malware before reconnecting them to the network. Implement continuous monitoring to detect any signs of residual threats or new malicious activity.
6. Learn and Adapt
After resolving the incident, conduct a comprehensive post-incident review to understand what occurred and why. Identify strengths and weaknesses in the response and pinpoint areas for improvement. Update your incident response plan, security policies, and employee training programs based on the lessons learned. Regularly test and refine your incident response capabilities to ensure readiness for future incidents.
A Cyber Ready Festive Season.
With proactive measures, informed employees, and a robust incident response strategy, organisations can significantly strengthen their resilience to cyber threats during the holiday period. By focusing on prevention, preparedness, and swift action, you can ensure your business remains secure, even during the busiest time of the year.
Cyber security is more than a technical challenge, it’s a team effort that requires vigilance, collaboration, and the right tools. As December approaches, let’s ensure the festive season remains a time of celebration, not crisis management. By adopting an “always on” approach, you can safeguard your operations, protect your stakeholders, and maintain trust during this critical period.
To dive deeper into incident management and other key strategies for building cyber resilience, explore our whitepaper: Shielding Your Organisation. This comprehensive guide includes actionable insights, with a dedicated chapter on incident management to help you fortify your defences this holiday season.
And remember, in the event of an incident, Secon is here to help. You can contact us here. Whether you need immediate support or guidance on improving your security posture, get in touch with our experts anytime. Together, we can help your organisation thrive in an “always on” world.