The holiday season is here, and while many of us are getting ready for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and holiday shopping, cybercriminals are getting ready too.
November and December are a great time to remind employees that a little extra caution can go a long way toward protecting both personal and business information.
Watch for Holiday Phishing Emails
Fake shipping notifications, invoices, password-reset requests, gift card offers, and online shopping promotions can all be used to trick users into clicking malicious links.
Before clicking, take a few seconds to:
- Check the sender’s email address carefully.
- Be suspicious of unexpected attachments.
- Avoid links that ask you to immediately sign in or verify your account.
- Go directly to the retailer, bank, or service provider’s website instead of using a link in an unexpected email.
A message that creates urgency, such as “Your account will be suspended today” or “Your package could not be delivered,” deserves extra scrutiny.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication
A stolen password shouldn’t be enough to access your account.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible, especially for your Microsoft 365 account, banking, email, and other important services.
Better yet, use phishing-resistant authentication methods such as passkeys or security keys when they’re available.
Keep Your Devices Updated
Those software update notifications are easy to postpone, but updates frequently include fixes for security vulnerabilities.
Keep Windows, macOS, smartphones, web browsers, and other applications current. Businesses should also make sure servers, firewalls, switches, and other critical infrastructure are part of a regular patching and lifecycle-management process.
Be Careful on Public Wi-Fi
Traveling over Thanksgiving?
Airport, hotel, restaurant, and coffee-shop Wi-Fi can be convenient, but employees should avoid accessing sensitive business systems from networks they don’t trust.
Whenever possible, use your phone’s cellular connection or a company-approved VPN, and never disable security protections just to connect to a public network.
Remember: Cybersecurity Is Everyone’s Responsibility
Technology such as Microsoft Defender, firewalls, email filtering, endpoint protection, MFA, and backups can significantly reduce risk, but people remain an important part of the security equation.
If an email, text message, login request, or phone call doesn’t seem right, stop and verify it before taking action.
As we head into the holidays, take a few extra seconds before clicking a link, approving a login request, or providing sensitive information.
A little caution today can prevent a much bigger headache tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving, and have a safe and secure holiday season!
