The holiday season is a time when organisations naturally begin to wind down, staff take annual leave, and operations run on reduced capacity. Unfortunately, this shift provides cyber-criminals with an ideal environment to increase their activity. With fewer people monitoring systems, slower response times, and an uptick in online transactions, the festive period consistently presents an elevated risk. As an MSP, it is essential that we help businesses understand these risks and prepare effectively.
Why cyber risks rise over the festive season
While cyber threats exist throughout the year, several seasonal factors converge during the holidays that make businesses particularly vulnerable. One of the most common issues is simply the reduction in available staff. With many employees taking time off, IT teams often operate with smaller numbers, meaning alerts may take longer to investigate and suspicious activity can slip through unnoticed. In many organisations, key decision-makers or technical specialists may also be unavailable, delaying essential actions in the event of an incident.
At the same time, attackers increase the volume of phishing campaigns, knowing people are more likely to be distracted, rushing, or expecting emails related to parcels, travel plans, charity requests, and year-end administrative tasks. Social engineering is especially effective during this period, and criminal groups tailor their messaging to exploit the festive mood or end-of-year pressures.
Remote working also contributes to the heightened risk. Many employees travel or work from home more frequently during the holidays, often using personal devices or insecure networks. Without proper controls, these environments can serve as gateways into corporate systems. And of course, with online shopping at its annual peak, people browsing on work devices – even briefly – increases the chance of accidentally accessing malicious websites or leaking credentials.
Together, these factors create a perfect storm, making it essential for organisations to prepare and reinforce their cyber defences well before the holiday period begins.
Essential steps to keep your business secure
1. Strengthen Authentication & Access Controls
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Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) across all critical systems.
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Review admin accounts and disable any unnecessary permissions.
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Ensure temporary or contractor access is removed before the break.
2. Update and Patch Everything
Cybercriminals actively scan for unpatched systems during the holidays.
Make sure:
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Servers, endpoints, and cloud platforms have the latest security updates
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Firewalls and antivirus definitions are current
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Vulnerability scans have been carried out before the break
3. Review Your Backup and Recovery Strategy
A verified, recent, and offline backup is your best defence against ransomware.
Before the holiday period:
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Test restoring data from backups
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Check backup schedules and storage locations
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Confirm that critical systems are backed up daily
4. Set Up Enhanced Monitoring and Alerting
If your IT team will be unavailable or reduced:
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Ensure monitoring tools are configured to alert the right contacts
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Confirm your MSP or SOC team will be active during the break
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Set up automatic responses for high-severity alerts where possible
5. Educate Staff on Holiday-Themed Threats
Run a quick refresher on spotting:
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Fake parcel delivery texts
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Gift card scams
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“Urgent” finance emails
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Charity donation fraud
Ask employees to verify unexpected requests – especially those involving payments or data.
6. Secure Remote Work Devices
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Enforce VPN use for remote or travelling users
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Restrict access to corporate resources from unmanaged devices
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Remind staff not to use public Wi-Fi for sensitive work
7. Freeze Non-Critical Changes
Large system changes before the break can introduce errors or outages.
Freeze periods reduce risk and ensure stability.
8. Document Emergency Procedures
Make sure everyone knows:
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Who to contact in case of a breach
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How to escalate issues
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What steps to take if a device is lost or compromised
Clear communication reduces downtime and limits damage.
Helping employees stay personally cyber-safe
Cybersecurity doesn’t end when employees leave the office. Personal online safety can have a direct impact on corporate security, especially if compromised accounts or devices are connected to work platforms. Encourage staff to use strong, unique passwords, enable MFA on personal services, keep devices updated, and be cautious of social media giveaways or online shopping deals that seem too good to be true. These practices help protect both personal and professional data.
How Zenzero can support your holiday cyber resilience
As a trusted managed service provider, Zenzero offers businesses year-round protection – including the times when your internal teams may be unavailable. Our services include continuous monitoring, proactive patching, threat intelligence, backup and disaster recovery, and expert support from our Security Operations Centre.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your overall cyber posture, review your incident response plans, or ensure that critical systems remain secure over the holidays, our team is equipped to help you navigate the festive period with confidence.
Final thoughts
Cyber criminals may not take time off, but with the right preparation, organisations can enjoy a safer, more secure holiday season. By combining strong technical controls, well-informed employees, and robust support from a trusted MSP like Zenzero, businesses can significantly reduce their exposure to risk.