While everyone else is worrying about burning the turkey or finding the perfect gift, cybercriminals are having their own version of holiday festivities—targeting businesses when they're at their most vulnerable. They're counting on your team being more focused on office party preparations than security protocols, and your IT department operating on a skeleton crew fueled by eggnog and holiday cookies.

With more distractions and more time off taken during this period, it’s a gold-mine for bad actors. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to keep your systems safe while still enjoying the season. Here are six practical ways to keep your business well-protected over the Christmas holidays, without turning into the security equivalent of Scrooge.

1. Avoid the Phishing Trip Nobody Wants

Any holiday deals appearing in work email inboxes are a big potential problem. Cybercriminals know your staff are hunting for bargains and are more likely to click on that "90% OFF EVERYTHING" email that looks like it's from Amazon (but isn't).

To avoid these issues, hire a managed service provider (MSP) or get your in-house IT team to run some pre-holiday training sessions about phishing scams and other holiday-related security risks. Ensure your whole team is up-to-date on the best practices for cyber hygiene, and perhaps mention that nobody has ever won an iPhone from a pop-up ad. Consider it your gift to the company—less exciting than a Secret Santa present, but significantly more valuable.

2. Update Everything (Yes, Everything)

Nobody enjoys stalling everything to run software updates, but installing those updates before the office empties out is crucial. Cybercriminals love exploiting outdated systems while businesses operate on holiday hours. Think of updates as your digital winter coat—better to have them before you need them, rather than getting caught out cold.

3. Skip Remote Access

Your team might want to "quickly check something" from their personal devices while enjoying their holiday break. This is about as secure as using your mother’s maiden name as a password. Set clear guidelines about remote access, ensure VPN protocols are in place, and maybe remind everyone that work emails can wait until they're back at their desks. They’re supposed to be relaxing, after all!

4. Backup Everything

If regular backups aren't already happening automatically, set them up faster than you can say "Boxing Day Sale." Store critical data in multiple secure locations—think of it as not keeping all your presents under one tree. Test your recovery procedures, too, because discovering they're broken during an attack is the kind of surprise nobody wants for Christmas.

5. Do A Holiday Access Audit

Review who has access to what before the holiday rush begins. Temporary staff, seasonal workers, and that intern who left three months ago shouldn't still have keys to your digital kingdom. Review your access credentials the way you review your family’s holiday photos—with growing concern about who's still in the picture and why.

6. Create An Incident Response Plan

Your incident response plan should be clear and well-communicated. Everyone who's working during the holidays needs to know:

• Who to call if something goes wrong
• Where the digital fire extinguishers are (metaphorically speaking)
• What constitutes an actual emergency versus what can wait until after the New Year
• How to reach your MSP or the IT team members who are on holiday duty

Some practical steps to implement these tips:

• Create an emergency contact list that doesn't require accessing potentially compromised systems
• Set up automated monitoring systems—think of them as your digital security cameras
• Establish a communication plan that doesn't rely solely on company email (in case that's what gets compromised)
• Document everything—because nobody's memory is at its best after a holiday party

A note on holiday-specific threats

Be particularly wary of:

• Seasonal e-cards that want to install "special viewing software"
• Holiday deals that seem too good to be true (they are)
• Charity scams that pull at heartstrings (and company purse strings)
• Rush job requests that bypass normal security procedures because "it's urgent"

The holidays are meant to be enjoyable, and with these precautions in place, you can focus on more important things—like preventing Dave from IT from wearing that same horrific holiday sweater for the fifth year running.

Remember: cybersecurity doesn't take a holiday, but with proper preparation, you can at least ensure you’re not working against it during the Christmas break.