Holiday cyber attacks

Every year we hear stories of cyber attacks during the holidays. This year, hackers targeted retailers, banks, and even government agencies.

Every day, there's another story about how an organisation got hacked. Hackers are targeting big and small businesses, using various tactics to breach an organisation’s network and steal information or commit fraud.

If you run a business, you should be aware of these threats and ensure you're prepared to protect yourself from them.

In this post, I'll cover holiday cyber attacks and explain why they happen, who gets attacked, and what you can do to prevent them. I'll also share tips on how to prepare for a potential attack.

Why Holiday Cyber Attacks Happen

There are many reasons why cyber attacks happen more often during the holiday season. These are some of the most common reasons:

1. IT Professionals Are Out of the Office

IT professionals, like everyone else, are taking a break throughout the holiday season. And the under-resourcing puts your business at greater risk. A well-timed hack could have a devastating impact on your company when there's less staff present to deal with it.?

2. Increased Opportunity for Scammers

Phishing scams can hide in holiday season ads, filling employees' inboxes with great promotions and deals and leaving the door open to scammers pretending to be legitimate companies offering goods and services.?

3. There's More Money to Steal

Many businesses make a significant proportion of their earnings over the holiday season. Shops, restaurants, bars, and many companies are busiest at this time of year, and scammers know this.?

As a result, cyber attacks like ransomware are more devastating since the scammers will demand more should they gain access.?

4. Networks Are Under More Strain

More users over the holidays usually visit company networks and websites. Naturally, this takes its toll on the network, especially since many IT workers are home for the holidays. Their absence leaves the systems vulnerable to hackers who are all too aware of the added strain on networks.?

What Types of Cyber Attacks are Most Common Over the Holidays

There are two types of attacks that hackers tend to launch during the holiday season:

? Phishing scams

? Malware infections

Phishing Scams

Hackers often send emails with malicious links or attachments disguised as something legitimate. These messages are designed to trick users into giving up their passwords or other confidential information.

Malware Infections

Cybercriminals also attempt to infect computers with malware using various methods. One common method involves sending email messages containing malicious files. The file itself looks harmless, but once opened, it installs malware onto the computer.

How to Protect Your Network From Holiday Cyber Attacks

It’s easy to think that your network is safe during the holiday season because no one is around to monitor it. However, if you don’t do anything to protect yourself against cyber threats, you could be dealing with a major headache come January 1st. To avoid this situation, follow these steps:

1. Install Antivirus Software

You should always keep your antivirus software updated. In addition, you should ensure that all devices connected to your network have installed the latest version of antivirus software.

2. Keep Passwords Safe

If you use the same password across multiple accounts, hackers could easily gain access to them. Instead, create different passwords for each account and store them somewhere secure where only you can see them.

Protect Yourself From Hackers

If you want to ensure that you remain safe and protected from attacks this holiday season, check out Sentriware. Sentriware can protect your money and private data from malicious actors seeking to do you harm.