The lights are twinkling, the inbox is quiet — and somewhere, a hacker just hit “send.” The holidays are prime time for cyberattacks. Before you unplug, lock down what matters most.
Studies show that ransomware and phishing attacks spike during major holidays and weekends, often when teams are out of office or in “vacation mode.” A little preparation can go a long way toward avoiding disruptions later. Follow our checklist to strengthen your cybersecurity posture and keep your team, customers, and data protected through the holidays.
1. Revisit Your Incident Response Plan
If something does happen, a prepared response is your best defense.
- Confirm that your incident response plan (IRP) is up-to-date: roles, escalation paths, contacts, communication channels.
- Make sure monitoring and escalation procedures remain operational through the holidays.
- If you rely on third-party vendors or managed IT partners, confirm how they handle after-hours alerts and who’s on call during office closures.
2. Audit User Access and Permissions
The end of the year is a perfect time to tighten digital doors.
- Remove accounts for employees or contractors who’ve left the company.
- Check who has admin privileges and confirm they still need them.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all accounts, especially for remote users.
Microsoft research shows that 99.9% of compromised accounts didn’t have multi-factor authentication enabled. In other words, most breaches could have been prevented with this one simple safeguard—making MFA one of the most effective, low-effort protections you can implement.
3. Prepare Your People
Phishing emails often mimic holiday promotions, shipping updates, or HR messages.
- Send a quick refresher on how to spot suspicious links or attachments.
- Encourage employees to verify gift card or donation requests before responding.
- Remind them to report suspected phishing attempts instead of just deleting them.
If you aren’t already, reinforce training with structured security awareness programs to keep your team sharp year-round.
4. Test Backups and Recovery Systems
Ransomware is still one of the most common—and costly—holiday attack types. The ability to restore data quickly is what separates a minor inconvenience from a major outage.
- Confirm backups are running properly and include cloud data.
- Store at least one copy offline or in a secure, segmented environment.
- Run a five-minute restore test—the IT equivalent of checking Santa’s list twice.
Keep your backup strategy aligned with today’s best practices and emerging trends to stay one step ahead of evolving threats.
5. Secure Remote and Mobile Access
With employees logging in from airports, coffee shops, and family homes, your network perimeter becomes harder to protect.
- Enforce VPN connections and strong device encryption.
- Patch and update all endpoints, including personal devices with company access.
- Consider implementing endpoint detection and response (EDR) for continuous protection.
According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report, over 80% of breaches involve compromised credentials or unpatched software, so basic cyber hygiene goes a long way.
6. Monitor Around the Clock
Attackers don’t take time off, and neither should your cybersecurity monitoring.
- Set up 24/7 security alerts for anomalies, failed logins, and new device connections.
- Automate as much as possible: real-time threat detection, patching, and log analysis.
- If your team is short-staffed, use a managed detection and response (MDR) partner for continuous coverage.
Continuous monitoring—whether in-house or through a managed detection and response partner—helps you maintain visibility no matter who’s on duty.
7. Plan for the New Year
Use the quieter weeks to plan your 2026 security priorities.
- Conduct a post-holiday audit in January to review any incidents or lessons learned.
- Budget early for upgrades, training, and assessments.
- Refresh policies and user education to start the new year strong.
If you need help getting started, check out this helpful cybersecurity checklist for practical ideas on where to focus your time and resources in the year ahead.
The best gift? Knowing your systems are safe while you actually enjoy your time off.
Cyber threats don’t take holidays, but your team deserves to. With preparation, visibility, and IT sidekick who gets it, you can enjoy a smooth, secure season and step into the new year with confidence.
TPx helps businesses stay secure, connected, and productive—no matter the season. Learn more about our cybersecurity services and how we can help you stay one step ahead.
