The festive season is a time for celebration, but it’s also prime time for cyber criminals. With businesses rushing to wrap up the year and employees distracted by holidays, attackers seize the opportunity to strike. From fake shopping emails to charity fraud, the most common holiday cyber threats return year after year.
At Commercial Networks, we help businesses stay vigilant during Cyber Season, providing Business Cyber Security solutions and staff training that make scams easier to spot, and easier to stop.
Why Holiday Cyber Threats Increase
The end of the year is one of the busiest periods for cybercriminals. Online shopping surges, inboxes overflow with promotions, and many staff work remotely. According to the UK National Cyber Security Centre, phishing campaigns and ransomware activity spike significantly in December and January.
Businesses that underestimate these seasonal risks often find themselves dealing with data breaches, financial losses, or reputational harm at the worst possible time. That’s why awareness is the first line of defence, especially when backed up by proactive measures like managed detection, patching, and IT Health Checks.
The 12 Days of Cyber Threats
Here are the 12 most common holiday scams businesses and employees should be on the lookout for:
- Fake delivery notifications – bogus courier emails with malicious links.
- Gift card scams – requests to buy vouchers for “your boss” or “a client.”
- Charity fraud – fake appeals exploiting seasonal goodwill.
- Phishing emails – disguised as holiday offers or invoice reminders.
- Malicious holiday e-cards – attachments carrying malware.
- Travel booking scams – fraudulent sites offering “last-minute deals.”
- Social media giveaways – fake contests used to harvest personal details.
- Invoice fraud – attackers pose as suppliers during year-end payments.
- Ransomware attacks – timed for when IT teams are away.
- Fake websites – lookalike retail sites tricking staff into unsafe purchases.
- Business email compromise (BEC) – imposters spoofing executive emails.
- Public Wi-Fi snooping – holiday travellers working on unsecured networks.
At Commercial Networks, we use phishing simulations and awareness campaigns to train staff to recognise these threats before damage occurs.
Phishing is still the number one attack vector, making phishing scams the most dangerous threat on this list. Criminals take advantage of the high volume of emails during the holidays, knowing staff are more likely to click quickly without double-checking. A quick call to verify a suspicious request can save thousands.
How Businesses Can Stay Secure
Preventing holiday scams is about combining awareness with proactive defences. Businesses should:
- Run refresher training.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
- Monitor logs closely for unusual access attempts.
- Back up critical data and test restores.
- Ensure support from a Managed IT Services provider for round-the-clock cover.
For further practical guidance, the Cyber Aware campaign provides seasonal tips for individuals and businesses.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Scams Ruin the Season
The festive season should be a time of relaxation, not cyber crisis and by preparing employees, reinforcing controls, and keeping defences up-to-date, you can ensure scams bounce off your business rather than break through.
At Commercial Networks, our services give businesses peace of mind all year round, including during the high-risk holiday period.
Next step: Contact us today to schedule your holiday security review and keep your business safe this festive season.
