Holiday Season Playbook for Chief Security Officers
As the holiday season approaches, companies ramp up for the year-end rush, employees look forward to holiday downtime, and cybercriminals are hard at work.
The stakes are high, with global cybercrime costs projected to surge to $10 trillion by 2025, marking a 17% increase during the past 12 months. Holidays present a very unique opportunity for hackers, which means organizations need to be strategic and vigilant. This is a time for Chief Security Officers (CSOs) to ramp up their efforts to protect their organizations from escalating seasonal threats.
This guide offers actionable steps to ensure a secure holiday season, minimizing vulnerabilities and preparing for rapid response.
The Holiday Cyber Risk Landscape
Cybercrime traditionally spikes during November and December, a time of increased online transactions, customer service pressures, and holiday distractions. Attackers know employees are busy with last-minute work or are away from their desks, leaving systems less monitored than usual. It’s no surprise that attacks intensify: around 30% of consumers report being targeted on Black Friday alone. Many engage in riskier online behaviors during the holidays, like sharing personal information on social media, making themselves and their organizations more vulnerable to cyber risks.
The result is a mix of human and technical vulnerabilities that leave even the most fortified businesses exposed. To reduce these risks, CSOs must anticipate a range of holiday-specific cyber threats, from phishing and shopping scams to fake charity schemes. These dangers are particularly damaging when compounded by hackers using artificial intelligence (AI) to refine and personalize attacks.
With preparation and carefully designed strategies, CSOs can safeguard their organizations. Here’s how to mitigate the top holiday risks and ensure the security of your organization through the season.
Key Threats CSOs Should Expect
1. Phishing and Social Engineering Tactics
During the holidays, employees are inundated with messages and promotions, which provides perfect cover for cybercriminals to launch phishing and social engineering attacks. Phishing emails disguised as “special holiday offers” or “order confirmations” can fool even vigilant employees. These seasonal phishing attempts can quickly spread malware or grant unauthorized access to sensitive information.
CSO Action Plan:
Simulated Phishing Drills: Run simulated holiday-themed phishing campaigns to educate and reinforce employee vigilance against malicious links or fake promotions.
Enhanced Email Filtering: Ensure that email systems have advanced filtering in place to catch phishing attempts. Use AI-driven tools that can detect and block suspicious emails based on content, sender history, and urgency cues.
Awareness Campaigns: Launch an internal awareness campaign, focusing on common holiday scams and safe browsing tips. Regular, concise reminders about the importance of verifying links can be highly effective.
2. Online Shopping Scams and Fake Sites
Employees browsing for deals can inadvertently expose the organization to risk. Fraudulent e-commerce sites pop up, luring individuals with too-good-to-be-true deals. These sites can harvest personal and financial information, or worse, serve as a conduit for malware that infiltrates the corporate network if accessed on a company device.
CSO Action Plan:
Educate on Safe Browsing: Educate employees on identifying trustworthy e-commerce sites, emphasizing the importance of verifying website URLs, and avoiding any online transactions on company devices.
Restrict Access: Limit access to non-work-related sites on company networks and devices where feasible. Use blocklists to restrict known fraudulent websites.
Promote Personal Device Use: Encourage employees to use personal devices and secure networks for all holiday shopping to keep corporate networks and devices out of harm’s way.
3. Gift Card and Charity Scams
Cybercriminals capitalize on the spirit of giving, using fake charity appeals and gift card scams to trick people into revealing financial information. These scams can not only harm individuals but can also infiltrate company systems through infected links or fraudulent payment portals.
CSO Action Plan:
Verify Charities: Educate employees on using resources like Charity Navigator to verify the legitimacy of charities. Encourage them to avoid giving over the phone or through unverified online platforms.
Raise Awareness on Gift Card Risks: Highlight the prevalence of fake prize requests that ask for gift card payments. Reinforce that no legitimate request would ask for personal or financial details in this way.
Clear Policies on Corporate Giving: For organizations with charitable initiatives, implement clear policies on donation verification, and specify approved charities or donation processes.
4. Delivery Scams
With the increase in online shopping, delivery scams surge as well. These scams may come as fake “missed delivery” notices or texts from unrecognized sources, which can lead employees to click malicious links that compromise organizational data.
CSO Action Plan:
Filter SMS Messages on Work Devices: Where possible, filter suspicious messages on work-issued devices to catch and block delivery scam texts.
Raise Suspicion of Unusual Links: Remind employees to be wary of any unsolicited delivery messages, especially those requesting personal details or payments.
Guidelines for Verifying Deliveries: Offer guidelines for verifying deliveries independently, such as accessing shipping information directly through retailer websites rather than relying on text or email updates.
Strengthening Incident Response Plans for the Holiday Season
The holiday season is no time for weak links in incident response plans. CSOs must ensure robust protocols to address incidents, even with reduced staffing during holiday hours.
Staffing and On-Call Policies: Maintain a clear on-call schedule for incident response team members, detailing who is available and how to reach them. Ensure leadership has up-to-date contact information for critical team members.
Enhanced SOC Monitoring: Increase monitoring capabilities in the Security Operations Center (SOC), either through additional staff or automated systems, to catch unusual activity. CSOs may consider integrating AI-driven monitoring that can alert on anomalies without requiring constant human oversight.
Regular Drills and Tabletop Exercises: Test incident response plans by conducting tabletop exercises focused on holiday-specific scenarios, like ransomware or phishing attacks. Engage IT and security staff in these drills to ensure everyone knows their role and response expectations.
Clear Communication Protocols: With fewer staff on hand, communication delays can exacerbate threats. Ensure that all protocols for escalating issues are well-documented, quick to execute, and accessible to all relevant team members.
Implementing Extra Security Layers for Critical Assets
The holiday season demands heightened security for all critical assets, including financial systems and high-access accounts. Robust security layers reduce the risk of breaches and support rapid containment of any incidents. Here’s what should be included:
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Ensure MFA is required for accessing high-privilege accounts. MFA, especially using secure, app-based methods, prevents unauthorized access even if passwords are compromised.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Establish strict controls to prevent unauthorized data transfers, particularly for sensitive customer or financial information. DLP solutions that monitor and restrict the flow of sensitive data provide an added layer of security.
Zero Trust Verification: Enforce Zero Trust principles by requiring users and devices to re-authenticate whenever accessing sensitive systems. This ensures that only verified identities can access high-value data, reducing the chance of internal or external breaches.
The Importance of Real-Time Communication with the C-Suite
Throughout the holiday season, CSOs should keep executives informed of any emerging threats and ongoing security measures. Maintaining open communication builds trust and reassures stakeholders that proactive steps are being taken to protect organizational assets, which is why brief high-level updates and scheduled reports and rapid escalation are important. Brief high-level updates provide concise, high-level updates on potential threats and the organization’s readiness to address them. These reports ensure executives are informed without being overwhelmed with technical details. And finally, implementation of a schedule of regular reports, alongside procedures for rapid escalation in case of urgent threats gives the C-suite confidence in the organization’s ability to react swiftly.
Setting Up for a Secure New Year
The holiday season is a critical time for cybersecurity vigilance, and it’s essential for CSOs to stay ahead of the risks. By proactively addressing holiday-specific cyber threats, strengthening incident response plans, and reinforcing communication with the executive team, CSOs can minimize vulnerabilities and lay a strong foundation for the new year. Prioritize education, consistent updates, and preparedness to turn holiday threats into manageable events. With these strategies, your organization can navigate the holiday season securely and emerge even more resilient for the challenges ahead.