Ensure Cybersecurity tops your holiday wishlist.

Tis the season for Cyber threats: Are Christmas cyber-attacks on the rise, and what types dominate the Holiday landscape?

Certainly. As a cybersecurity provider, we aim to elucidate the four primary reasons behind the surge in cyber-attacks and delineate the implications of the holiday season on businesses: 

1. Phishing campaigns. Phishing attacks come in numerous guises, spear-phishing, and whaling being two of the most prevalent. Even harmless-looking emails offering Christmas gifts could potentially cause widespread damage if unsuspecting employees unknowingly download corrupted year-end invoices or open files with unknown extensions. Phishing messaging is prevalent during the holiday period when people tend to buy gifts. Such emails commonly fake delivery updates or fabricate false bills billed from big names like Amazon or Apple. Prioritise the sources of emails that your employees receive. Scrutinise them and confirm their authenticity before clicking on any links that could be harmful to the organisation. Otherwise, the losses could multiply up to millions.

2. Ransomware. ransomware attacks increase globally during the holiday season in each consecutive year. Email continues to be the primary delivery mechanism used by cybercriminals to deliver their malware creations.

3. DDoS. With networks already under stress and a spike in traffic that certain businesses may experience by default over the holidays, cybercriminals find it easier to launch this attack during this time of year. Although it's not the worst scenario, a DDoS attack has the potential to seriously disrupt an organisation's regular operations.

4. Stolen credentials. In 2021, it was projected that the holiday season would register up to eight million credential-stuffing assaults on consumers every day.  In terms of password breaches, the 2022 activity indicates that the trend shifted towards what is known as MFA fatigue. Due to a combination of social engineering techniques and credentials theft, threat actors were able to carry out high-profile breaches, creating space for data stealer malware attacks to grow. Winter vacations are predicted to bring an increase in this kind of malicious conduct.

Ensure Cybersecurity tops your Holiday wishlist. 

Make sure the Grinch hackers don't steal your Christmas! In order to ensure the security of your IT infrastructure, make sure you follow the steps below.  

The 10 best cyber tips for Christmas:  

1. Cybersecurity reassessment. In recent years, your business has likely undergone numerous transformations. Have you evaluated your security approach lately? Is it still functioning efficiently considering remote work, e-commerce, and other adjustments you've made? Conducting a cyber security audit is an excellent first step, incorporating routine vulnerability scans and penetration tests to ward off emerging threats.

2. Make sure you stay on top of your training. Preventing suspicious activity and steering clear of scams heavily relies on the vigilance of individuals. Implementing a company-wide initiative to enhance user awareness could serve as an excellent resolution for the upcoming year. In order to establish a robust cybersecurity approach, it is imperative to prioritise user awareness training and continuous staff education.

3. Keep an eye out for complacency.  Cyber-attacks can triumph without complexity. Through methods such as deceptive emails, your credentials may unknowingly land on the hidden corners of the internet and be purchased by hackers who can infiltrate your accounts and access your confidential information. Cybercriminals persist throughout the year, making it crucial to maintain constant vigilance.

4. Mobile device management. A considerable number of workers continue to rely on their devices, which are not specifically intended for professional purposes. In such instances, it is crucial to ensure that exclusively the devices utilised by your staff members can access your organisation's information. Through mobile device management, you gain the capability to oversee and regulate both company-owned and personal devices. Consequently, you can enforce policies such as targeted data erasure, application administration, remote locking, and additional measures.

5. Keep devices protected. Encryption is a crucial element in securing company devices and safeguarding data in the event of loss or theft. To ensure the protection of mobile phones, a PIN code should be utilised, while enabling BitLocker on Windows computers is essential. Though often underestimated, this straightforward cyber security measure is a vital step in preserving valuable information. Implementing this commonly overlooked security control is imperative for all businesses.

6. Stay updated. As the year draws to a close, it is essential to ensure that everything is in order. Before stepping into the new year, it is crucial to ensure that your computers and apps are updated with the latest versions, security patches, and bug fixes. It is important to emphasise to your staff the significance of not ignoring or postponing these updates, as they serve a vital purpose. By relying on Logixal service, you can alleviate the responsibility of handling these updates and safeguard against cybercriminals exploiting any vulnerabilities.

7. Use a password manager. Retaining the login information for each of your accounts can be challenging. Nevertheless, this does not imply that you can be negligent and employ identical passwords for multiple accounts. Doing so only facilitates hackers in infiltrating numerous accounts, leaving you vulnerable to cybercriminal activities. 

8. Adopt the use of two-factor authentication. When it comes to passwords, an effective way of boosting the security of your online accounts is by implementing two-factor or multi-factor authentication. This process is simple - you receive a code (most often through your mobile device) whenever you attempt to log in. This additional step of authentication prevents potential cyber attackers from gaining access to your account, as they would need both your login details and phone to input the unique code required for entry. Additionally, such measures often come equipped with a notification service that signals when login attempts by foreign devices or locations are detected; resulting in the opportunity for you to fortify your login, therefore pre-empting hacking attempts.

9. Have a backup plan. In the event of a catastrophe, swift action is crucial. Malevolent online attackers can unleash perilous hazards, such as ransomware, which seizes control of your files and demands payment for their liberation. While it is imperative to have preventive measures in place, a comprehensive strategy for disaster recovery is essential to restore access in the event of a worst-case scenario.

10. Take a proactive approach. Disaster recovery serves as the ultimate solution for recovering from a significant incident, but it should not be the sole focus of your business continuity plan. With the growing prevalence of online operations, it is crucial to guarantee the presence of all required measures to uphold compliance and security.

Need more help? Stay connected with Logixal at - info@logixal.co.uk