As the end-of-year buzz kicks in: shopping, travel, year-end work wrap-ups, holidays parties, it’s easy to let your guard down. We’re multitasking more than usual, distracted by deals, logistics, and festive planning. And that’s exactly the window that cybercriminals and AI-powered threat actors count on.
This holiday season, not only do scammers ramp up classic phishing and ransomware tactics, they are increasingly using AI, automation, and social engineering to make their attacks more believable. Whether you’re buying gifts online, catching up on work, or logging in while waiting in line for coffee, the human factor is your weakest link and the attacker’s best opportunity.
Why Are Holidays So High Risk?
Moreso than usual, people are busy and distracted. Between personal shopping, travel planning, seasonal tasks, and work wrap-ups, there is less focus on security practices: checking links, verifying senders, pausing before clicking. The federal advisory from the US Department of the Treasury explicitly states that “with the holiday season here, cybercriminals are using multiple platforms to conduct fraudulent activities, targeting consumers during holiday shopping events”. (US Department of the Treasury)
Online traffic surges, creating more opportunity. More transactions, more devices, more unknowns. An article from Forbes notes the holiday shopping season increases cybersecurity risks: “Employees (and seasonal staff) must be trained … if security hasn’t been top of mind” as the shopping season ramps up. (Forbes)
Scams will be tailored. Holiday shopping brings its own unique scams: fake delivery notices, “claim your gift card now” scams, “urgent account notice because of your shopping” emails. The site AllAboutCookies, highlights that during the holidays, scam attempts escalate in the context of shopping, shipping and gift-givers. (AllAboutCookies)
AI is amplifying their power. Threat actors increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to craft more convincing phishing attempts, they can cleverly evade filters, and personalize their attacks so that they are more difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications.
What That Means For You
Whether you’re an individual juggling personal holiday tasks, or an MSP preparing for year-end, here are some practical considerations:
- Awareness training for all staff, including seasonal hires: During holiday surge periods, businesses often rely on temporary or less experienced staff.
- Simulate holiday-related phishing campaigns: Use holiday-themed lures (fake gift cards, order notifications, internal holiday surveys) to test and reinforce employee training.
- Pause before you click: Treat all deals, shipping alerts, gift-card activations with suspicion. Go directly to the retailer website rather than clicking any embedded links.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all major accounts (email, shopping, banking), especially since credential theft is a common initial access route.
- Shop from trusted devices and networks: Avoid public WiFi when transacting; update your devices operating system and/or antivirus protection; secure your home network.
Holiday season should be one of the most joyous times of the year. But for cybercriminals, it’s one of the richest windows of opportunity. As we juggle shopping carts, travel plans, and year-end deadlines, our mental bandwidth for security drops. That gap often means risk.
By acknowledging that risk, focusing on the human layer, and staying alert to the ways that AI is now super-charging attacks, you can keep your season merry and secure. Whether you’re an individual clicking “buy now” or an MSP helping clients through the holiday surge, make this year the one where your guard stays up.
Stay safe, stay merry, and happy holidays.
– Breach Secure Now
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