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Cybersecurity Alert: What Organisations Must Watch Out For This Christmas Festive Season

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The Christmas and New Year period is one of the highest-risk windows for cyber incidents. Reduced staffing, skeleton IT teams, increased online activity, and a surge in holiday-themed scams make December–January a prime time for cybercriminals.

This cybersecurity alert outlines the key festive-season threats and provides practical Do’s & Don’ts to keep organisations protected.

Why Cyber Threats Increase During the Holiday Season

During the festive period, attackers take advantage of:

  • Reduced vigilance due to holidays

  • Delayed response times from IT teams

  • High transaction volumes in finance, retail, logistics and travel

  • Greater use of personal devices and unsecured networks

  • Aggressive phishing and scam campaigns themed around Christmas

Historically, ransomware, credential theft, and business email compromise all spike sharply in December and early January.

Top Cyber Threats to Watch This Festive Season

  1. Holiday-Themed Phishing & Social Engineering

Expect an increase in fake –

  • Christmas e-cards

  • Package delivery notices (Australia Post, DHL, FedEx)

  • Gift card promotions

  • Charity donation requests

  • Festive discounts and online shopping deals

These are engineered to steal credentials or deliver malware.

  1. Ransomware Targeting Unattended Systems

With fewer staff and slower detection, ransomware operators often strike during long weekends and holiday shutdowns. Many organisations discover encryption only when staff return after Christmas and New Year.

  1. Business Email Compromise (BEC) & Fake Invoice Scams

Attackers exploit end-of-year payments and staff leave rosters to push fraudulent:

  • Supplier invoice updates

  • Urgent bank detail changes

  • CEO impersonation emails

  • Payment request scams

This is one of the most financially damaging festive-season threats.

  1. Compromised Remote Access

Holiday travel and remote work create opportunities for attackers to exploit:

  • Weak MFA

  • Unpatched VPN appliances

  • Shared family devices

  • Public Wi-Fi exposures

  1. Cloud Security Misconfigurations

With skeleton teams, misconfigured cloud policies can go undetected, exposing:

  • S3 buckets

  • Backups

  • API endpoints

  • Application servers

  • Identity permissions

  1. Insider Risks

Temporary staff, contractors, and disengaged employees increase insider risk—both accidental and malicious.

  1. Fake Shopping Sites & Malvertising

Employees shopping online on corporate devices expose the organisation to:

  • Drive-by malware

  • Phishing redirects

  • Credential harvesting

  • Rogue browser extensions

Understand how to secure cloud, containers, and APIs in a remote-first hybrid world.

Do’s (Essential Best Practices for the Festive Season)

  1. Strengthen Monitoring & Incident Response Coverage

  1. Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Everywhere

Mandatory MFA for:

  • Email

  • Remote access

  • VPN

  • Cloud platforms

  • Administrative portals

  1. Run a Pre-Holiday Cyber Risk Review

Verify:

  • Backup integrity and offline copies

  • Patch updates for critical systems

  • Firewall and VPN configurations

  • Expiring certificates

  • Third-party access privileges

  1. Complete WAPT, API Security Testing & Penetration Testing Before Staff Go on Leave

Attackers actively exploit vulnerabilities left untested before Christmas. Ensure:

  • Web Application Penetration Testing (WAPT) is completed

  • API penetration testing for exposed, customer-facing or mission-critical interfaces

  • External infrastructure penetration testing is signed off

  • All high-risk findings are reviewed, fixed or monitored. This significantly reduces the risk of compromise while teams are on vacation.

  1. Conduct a Pre-Holiday Phishing & Awareness Push

Remind staff to:

  • Be cautious of festive-themed scams

  • Verify package delivery emails

  • Avoid clicking “urgent” Christmas deals

  • Report suspicious emails immediately

  1. Limit Privileged Access During the Holidays

Disable or freeze:

  • Unused admin accounts

  • Guest accounts

  • Expired vendor or contractor access

  1. Ensure Backups Are Tested, Offline, and Recoverable

Holiday ransomware attacks commonly target backup repositories. Test restoration times before the break.

  1. Communicate a Clear Security Reminder to Staff Before They Log Off

Share a simple checklist:

  • Don’t forward company data to personal email

  • Don’t use public Wi-Fi without VPN

  • Avoid logging into corporate systems from shared devices

  • Report anomalies to the on-call team

Australia on high alert! Understand the high impact sabotage from China.

❌ Don’ts (Critical Mistakes to Avoid This Festive Season)

  1. Don’t Leave Systems Unmonitored

Cybercriminals look for weekends, public holidays, and shutdown periods.

  1. Don’t Approve Payments Without Verification

Always confirm:

  • Bank account changes

  • Supplier invoice updates

  • Urgent payment messages claiming to be from senior executives

  1. Don’t Delay Patches or System Updates Until January

Unpatched VPNs, firewalls, and public-facing applications are prime targets.

  1. Don’t Allow Shared Personal Devices for Work Access

Family laptops and children’s devices are high risk.

  1. Don’t Disable Security Controls for Holiday Convenience

Examples:

  • Turning off MFA

  • Allowing broad access permissions

  • Reducing logging

  • Temporarily disabling endpoint controls

Cybernetic GI Recommendations for End-of-Year Security

To maintain business resilience throughout the festive season, Cybernetic Global Intelligence recommends:

Stay Secure This Christmas

The festive season should be a time of rest and celebration not cyber disruption.
By preparing early, tightening controls, and maintaining strong visibility, organisations can minimise risk and enter the New Year with confidence.

If your organisation requires urgent year end cybersecurity support, testing, or monitoring, Cybernetic GI is available to provide rapid assistance. Contact us on www.cyberneticgi.com

Wishing you a safe, secure, and cyber-resilient Christmas and New Year.

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