As Christmas approaches, businesses are underestimating the risk posed by cyber threats during the holiday season, says Liam Dermody, Red Team Director at Darktrace, a global leader in AI-powered cybersecurity. I am concerned that this may be the case. He advises being extra vigilant during this period, as cybercriminals are known to take advantage of the increased holiday spirit and distractions.
“Cybercriminals often target the holidays, so you need to take precautions to avoid anything worse than a lump of coal in your Christmas stocking,” Darmody warns. He added: “Christmas cheer can be contagious, but having too much going on can be distracting and cause people to let their guard down. Suspicious emails can get leaked. “The security team may be understaffed as people are taking a break,” he added.
According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), almost half of Australians have been affected by a data breach in the past 18 months. The OAIC also reported an increase in the number of data breaches reported later this year in the run-up to Christmas.
To combat these threats, Dermody suggests several measures for security teams to consider. By first testing your incident response playbook, including disaster recovery, you can ensure faster recovery. Next, security teams should update their backups before going offline during the holidays, keeping in mind that ransomware teams often target his backups online to cause maximum disruption. there is. Additionally, we recommend establishing contact arrangements in the event of an incident, specifying the contact person, contact information, availability, location, and role.
Security teams are also encouraged to develop a monitoring plan for their security tools during the break. Dermody said that understanding who is being monitored and what is being monitored is important, as many tools “send critical alerts to phone calls, emails, and apps to enable rapid investigation.” ing. An additional precaution could be consulting with various business departments to understand their plans for activities during the holidays.
Importantly, Dermody suggests using AI-based cybersecurity solutions to allow security teams to focus their efforts “on areas where strategy and human intuition can make a difference.” That’s it. We also recommend partnering with a cybersecurity expert as it can take some of the burden off and ensure your organization is protected during the holidays.
Dermody concludes, “Don’t put cybersecurity on the backburner this holiday season. Cybercriminals will take every opportunity to attack your business.” He warns that attackers will take advantage of times when people are most vulnerable and distracted by festivities. “Give yourself and your staff the best gift of all: a vacation free from cyber worries.”