Don’t Let Cybersecurity Habits Check Out for the Holidays
27 Oct 2026
Holiday routines may change, but cyber threats don’t. A few practical security reminders can help your team stay alert when travel, leave and end-of-year pressure change the way people work.
As the end-of-year holidays approach, the way people work starts to change.
Employees take leave. People travel. Teams rush to finish projects. Responsibilities shift while colleagues are away.
That doesn’t mean employees suddenly care less about security. It means familiar cybersecurity habits are being tested in less familiar circumstances.
Rather than simply reminding everyone to “remember your security training,” give your team practical guidance that matches how they’ll actually be working over the holidays.
Here are five habits worth reinforcing.
1. Slow Down When Something Wants You to Hurry
Urgency is a common tactic used in scams, and the holiday rush gives it the perfect disguise.
Requests such as:
- “Can you take care of this quickly before you leave?”
- “Payment is needed by the end of today.”
- “I’ll be out of office for the next two days. Can you handle this before I’m back?”
may not feel unusual when everyone is already rushing.
That’s exactly why they deserve a second look.
When a message pressures someone to provide sensitive information, approve a payment or bypass a normal process, slow down and verify it.
The greater the pressure to hurry, the more important it is to stop and check.
2. Verify the “Quick Favour”
During busy periods, employees naturally want to be helpful and get requests handled quickly.
Cybercriminals can exploit that willingness.
Any unusual request involving money, credentials, access or sensitive information should be independently verified.
If you know the supposed sender:
- Call them on a trusted number
- Contact them through your approved communication platform
- Follow your normal payment or approval process
This is wherecybersecurity awareness becomes practical.
Taking an extra minute to verify a request is far better than responding quickly to the wrong person.
3. Don’t Let Convenience Take Over When You Travel
Holiday travel changes where and how people work.
Airports, hotels, cafés and other public locations can introduce risks that employees may not encounter at their usual workplace.
Before people travel, make sure they understand your policies around:
- Personal devices
- Remote access
- Public networks
- Sensitive business information
- Approved software and applications
Shadow IT is worth addressing too. Employees may use unapproved apps or AI tools simply because they're convenient.
Before the holiday period begins, make sure everyone knows which tools are approved and what information can be shared with them.
Good business cybersecurity should support flexible work without sacrificing sensible safeguards.
4. Think Before You Click on Holiday Bait
Holiday inboxes can become crowded with convincing messages:
- Shipping notifications
- Travel confirmations
- Order receipts
- Gift card offers
- Discounts
- Payment updates
That extra noise makes suspicious emails easier to overlook.
Even when you're expecting a delivery or booking confirmation, stop before following an unexpected link.
Where appropriate, navigate directly to the organisation's familiar website or application rather than using the link in the message.
Most importantly, don't rely on poor spelling or strange formatting to identify scams.
Modern phishing attacks can look polished and professional.
A convincing email can still be malicious.
5. Know Who to Ask When Something Feels Off
This may be the most important habit of all.
Even a security-conscious employee will eventually encounter something they're unsure about.
Everyone should know:
- Who to contact
- How to report a suspicious email
- What to do after clicking a questionable link
- Where to report unusual login activity
- How to escalate an urgent security concern
Employees shouldn't be left to “try their best” when something suspicious happens.
Clear reporting procedures create confidence and help potential problems reach the right people sooner.
Your Team Probably Doesn’t Need Another Hour-Long Training Session
The week before the holidays isn't necessarily the best time to pull everyone away from year-end work for another long presentation.
A short, relevant security reset may be more valuable.
Keep it simple:
Slow down. Verify unusual requests. Use approved tools. Think before clicking. Speak up when something feels wrong.
Those habits reinforce the most important part of cybersecurity: people knowing what to do when technology alone can't make the decision for them.
Give Your Cybersecurity a Holiday Check-In
Before employees start travelling or taking leave, check whether your security approach still fits the way your team will actually work during the holiday period.
A proactive managed cybersecurity approach can help identify areas that deserve attention, from remote access and device policies to employee awareness and reporting processes.
If your business could use an end-of-year security check-in, contact BlueReef Technology and let's take a closer look.
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