Cyberattacks tend to increase during the fourth quarter when teams are stretched, staff take time off, and purchasing activity rises. This seasonal shift creates predictable gaps that threat actors exploit. Strengthening security controls ahead of these spikes helps reduce exposure and protects business continuity.
Below is a practical checklist businesses can use to reinforce cybersecurity before holiday activity accelerates.
Phishing remains the most common entry point for attackers during the holidays. Higher transaction volume, vendor emails, and travel notifications make users more prone to clicking without reviewing context.
Run a targeted phishing simulation focused on seasonal themes such as shipping notices or payment reminders.
Review results with staff and provide quick refresher training.
Confirm reporting channels are clear so employees can escalate suspicious messages.
Multi-factor authentication is effective, but only when consistently enforced. Over time, exceptions, legacy accounts, and stale permissions create identity drift.
Audit all accounts to verify MFA is enabled across users, admins, and service accounts.
Remove legacy authentication that bypasses MFA requirements.
Review administrative permissions and remove unused or overly broad access.
Seasonal work patterns often influence login behavior. Employees may work remotely, log in from personal devices, or access systems at unusual hours. Conditional Access policies should reflect these changes without opening unintended risk.
Review login patterns in Azure AD or your identity platform.
Validate Conditional Access rules, geographic restrictions, device compliance checks, and session controls.
Inspect audit logs for suspicious spikes, repeated login failures, or unusual location activity.
Security Information and Event Management platforms rely on rules tuned to normal business behavior. Holiday activity can disrupt baselines.
Update SIEM rules to incorporate seasonal increases in purchasing, file transfers, or vendor requests.
Set alerts for high-impact events such as privilege escalation, mass file deletions, or large data movement.
Ensure alert routing includes coverage for staff vacation periods.
Ransomware groups frequently target businesses during short-staffed months. Valid and tested backups are essential.
Test restore processes and confirm recovery time meets business needs.
Verify off-site or immutable backups are available.
Ensure backup jobs have completed successfully and review logs for failures.
Seasonal cyberthreat activity is predictable, which allows businesses to prepare in advance. By strengthening identity controls, running phishing tests, tuning detection rules, and verifying backups, organizations enter the holiday season with improved security and reduced operational risk.
Attackers target periods when businesses have reduced staff, heavier purchasing activity, and more email volume. These conditions make detection and response slower and increase the likelihood of user error.
Most SMBs benefit from monthly or quarterly simulations, with additional targeted campaigns before high-risk seasons such as year-end.
MFA drift occurs when accounts fall out of compliance with MFA requirements over time due to exceptions, misconfigurations, or stale user privileges.
Backups should be immutable, tested, and stored separately from the production environment. A successful restore test is the most reliable proof.
Yes. As login behaviors shift, rules may need slight updates to balance usability with security. Reviewing logs and behavior patterns helps inform those changes.