The festive season is fast approaching, and along with the cheer it brings, there is also a heightened risk of a data breach. Offices closing between Christmas and New Year, employees working remotely and an increase in online shopping can all lead to an increase in cyberattacks, as cybercriminals look to take advantage.
To keep your festive season merry and bright, we’ve curated some quick tips to keep your business secure.
Promote Safe Online Shopping
As Christmas draws closer, like it or not, chances are employees will be online shopping in the workplace. Online scams increased by 20% in December compared to the rest of the year, so encourage employees to be extra vigilant when shopping online, and to avoid any suspicious emails or ads. If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Scammers often create fake websites, phishing emails, and fraudulent offers related to holiday shopping. Cybercriminals may deploy malware through festive-themed emails or ads, tricking users into clicking on malicious links.
Encourage Safe Remote Working
Ensure your data is kept secure as employees work remotely over Christmas. Ensure all devices are protected with a password, and all accounts are secured with multi-factor authentication.
Have a Christmas clean-up
Before you close for the bank holiday, ensure any physical copies of sensitive data are securely stored, and all alarm systems are fully functional. Offices closed between Christmas and New Year can be easy targets for criminals.
Be Prepared for a Data Breach
In case of a data breach, ensure you have an effective response plan. Ensure your response plan includes relevant contact information, clear responsibilities for individuals, important information including alarm codes/passwords, and a process for communicating messages to clients.
Retailers and e-commerce sites can be prime targets for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks aimed at disrupting sales.
Employee Vulnerability
With many employees taking time off over the holidays, there may be fewer resources available to monitor security, making your organisations more vulnerable. All the more reason to talk to Rio about a fully managed IT support service.
Take the beginning of a new year as an opportunity to do away with bad security habits, and create some good ones. Revisit your information security protocols, conduct a security audit of your business and ensure your data is as protected as possible.
The new year is the perfect time to revisit your IT security strategy, talk to one of our specialist engineers today and get your business ready for a more secure 2025 with a layered approach to security.