As the leaves turn and the business year enters its final quarter, many organisations face a period known as Cyber Season. This is when cybercriminals step up their activity, exploiting the increase in online transactions, remote work, and seasonal digital campaigns.
Conducting an Autumn IT Health Check now can protect your systems and data before the busiest months of the year. At Commercial Networks, we specialise in preparing businesses just like yours to stay secure and resilient during this critical period.
Why an Autumn IT Health Check Matters
An Autumn IT Health Check ensures your technology is resilient at the exact time when threats are at their peak. Think of it as preventative maintenance: patching vulnerabilities, reviewing permissions, and securing backups before opportunists strike. During Cyber Season, the weeks spanning late autumn to early January, businesses experience a surge in attempted breaches, phishing emails, and ransomware campaigns. Attackers know teams are stretched thin, distracted by end-of-year priorities, and less vigilant.
At Commercial Networks, we’ve seen first-hand how a simple seasonal review can be the difference between smooth operations and costly downtime. By acting now, you give your team confidence and keep your business protected.
Cyber Season isn’t just about high-profile attacks on big brands. Small and medium-sized businesses are often prime targets because they’re seen as easier to breach. A quick IT audit now could stop a phishing campaign or malware infection from spiralling into a serious incident later. Even basic measures, like enforcing multi-factor authentication, updating firewalls, or reviewing cloud storage access, can dramatically reduce your exposure.
For more guidance, you can also refer to the UK National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance.
7 Fast Fixes to Secure Your Business Before Cyber Season
- Patch and update all software – Out-of-date systems are a hacker’s easiest win. Make sure operating systems, applications, and firmware are fully updated.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) – Adding an extra step for logins drastically reduces the risk of compromised accounts.
- Review user access rights – Remove accounts for ex-employees and limit permissions to what’s strictly necessary.
- Test and verify backups – A backup is useless if it doesn’t restore properly. Test your data recovery process now. Learn more about our Backup Solutions.
- Update firewalls and antivirus tools – Ensure your network defences are running the latest signatures and configurations. See our Managed IT Support for details.
- Conduct phishing awareness training – Staff are the first line of defence. A short refresher on spotting suspicious emails can prevent costly mistakes. Check the Cyber Essentials framework for UK-recognised training standards.
- Audit remote access points Check VPNs, remote desktops, and Wi-Fi connections for vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
We help businesses action all seven quickly and effectively, tailoring the fixes to your specific systems and compliance requirements.
Understanding Cyber Security Risks
The most common cyber security risks during this period include ransomware, phishing, and credential theft. Attackers exploit seasonal trends: Black Friday sales, year-end finance deadlines, and holiday absences when employees receive more promotional emails, suppliers send more invoices, and attackers hide malicious links among the noise.
By recognising these patterns, businesses can adapt their training and monitoring. For example, phishing simulations in October and November are more impactful than in midsummer because they mirror real-world threats. Similarly, log monitoring and intrusion detection tools should be calibrated to handle higher volumes of traffic.
At Commercial Networks, we take a proactive approach, looking not only at the big-ticket security items but also the overlooked details that often cause breaches. Whether it’s finding forgotten accounts, removing outdated software, or securing remote connections, our seasonal health checks uncover hidden weaknesses before attackers do.
Final Thoughts: Secure Your Systems Before Cyber Season
The takeaway is simple: don’t wait until December to discover a weakness. A well-timed Autumn IT Health Check acts as your seasonal safeguard, addressing vulnerabilities before attackers take advantage. From patching software and tightening network access to educating staff and testing backups, seven fast fixes now can save months of disruption later.
Next step: Contact Commercial Networks today to schedule your IT Health Check and ensure your business is fully prepared for Cyber Season.
