As the holidays approach, companies are gearing up for the busiest time of the year. For retailers, it’s peak shopping season. For businesses, it’s the time to close out Q4 and prep for a strong start in January. But while the rest of the world is focused on holiday sales and year-end projects, another group is just as busy: cybercriminals looking to exploit vulnerabilities in your cybersecurity posture.
December has rightfully earned its reputation as the “breachiest time of the year.” With an influx of e-commerce activity, reduced staff availability, and an uptick in phishing scams disguised as holiday deals or urgent requests, businesses are more vulnerable than ever to cyberattacks.
In this blog, we’ll explore why preparation is crucial during the holiday season and dive into six key strategies to help businesses stay vigilant: incident response table-top exercises, purple teaming, SIEM and SOC readiness, blind spot testing, governance and compliance risks, and cyber awareness.
1. Practice Makes Perfect – Battle Readiness for the Real Fight
Incident Response Table-Top Exercises
The most dangerous breach is the one you’re not ready for. Too often, organizations react to incidents in a state of panic because their incident response plan exists only on paper—or worse, in someone’s head.
Table-top exercises offer a proactive way to pressure-test your incident response process without the risk or chaos of a real incident. These structured simulations allow key stakeholders—IT, legal, PR, compliance, and executives—to walk through scenarios such as ransomware attacks, data breaches, or insider threats.
By simulating realistic incidents through table-top exercises, organizations can uncover and address gaps in communication, roles, and technical response. This preparation is especially critical in December when teams are often spread thin. The goal isn’t just to check a compliance box; it’s to make sure that when an incident occurs, your cybersecurity posture is strong and your team is ready to act quickly and effectively to minimize damage.
2. Next Level Battle Readiness – Live Fire Exercises
Purple Teaming
Gone are the days when red teaming (offensive security) and blue teaming (defensive security) operated in silos. Today, purple teaming—an approach that fosters real-time collaboration between the offense and defense—delivers better insights into your security landscape.
In December, cybercriminals don’t rest. They exploit zero-day vulnerabilities (especially on December 24-25) as well as use advanced social engineering techniques to bypass traditional defenses. Purple teaming enables organizations to simulate these attack scenarios and gain actionable data to both identify and close gaps in your defenses.
This collaboration doesn’t just improve your security posture—it builds resilience, agility, and next-level preparedness. In a landscape where attackers constantly evolve, your cybersecurity posture should be just as dynamic.
3. Detect the Undetected, Respond Without Delay
SIEM and SOC Readiness
Your Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system and Security Operations Center (SOC) are the heartbeat of your cybersecurity program. However, during the holiday season, high-volume web traffic, spikes in alerts, and reduced staffing can expose weaknesses.
Testing your SIEM and SOC readiness now can prevent you from being blindsided later. Key questions include:
- Are alert thresholds calibrated to reduce false positives without missing critical events?
- Is your SOC prepared for increased phishing campaigns?
- Can your analysts quickly detect and respond to anomalous activity in your cloud environments?
Additionally, test your incident escalation procedures. In a high-pressure breach scenario, every minute counts, and delays can lead to costly consequences. A ready and robust cybersecurity posture can make all the difference.
4. Proactive Defense: Finding Vulnerabilities Before They’re Exploited
Blind Spot Testing
Many organizations believe their security measures are solid—until they get breached. Blind spots, whether technical (like unmonitored endpoints) or procedural (like overly permissive access rights), are often to blame.
Penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and configuration audits are your best tools for uncovering these blind spots. However, testing shouldn’t be a one-and-done activity. Continuous assessments are critical, especially as threat actors become more creative. For instance, many businesses adopt new tools or cloud services late in the year to hit annual goals, often without fully integrating them into their security strategy. Attackers capitalize on these rushed implementations. A comprehensive test before the holiday season can prevent costly breaches.
5. Risk-Proofing the Busy Season
Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Continuous Monitoring
Governance, risk, and compliance often become the Achilles’ heel of otherwise well-secured organizations, especially during busy periods. End-of-year deadlines can lead to shortcuts in areas like access reviews, policy updates, or vendor risk assessments.
Continuous monitoring tools help ensure adherence to governance frameworks, even when teams are stretched thin. For example:
- Cloud Security Assessments & Posture Management ensures your ever-changing agile cloud environments are resilient against risk creep, configuration drift, and remain compliant with industry-accepted frameworks like CIS CSC, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, and others.
- Identity-as-a-Perimeter Governance reduces the risk of identity theft or compromised accounts (user accounts, privileged accounts, service accounts, API keys, and other credentials and secrets) by verifying that no unnecessary permissions or dormant accounts are inadvertently lingering in your environment, ripe for exploitation. With identities spanning on-prem and cloud, a comprehensive IAM review helps uncover blind spots that allow attackers to perform lateral movement, privilege escalation, or account and MFA hijacking.
It’s also a good time to conduct a privacy compliance risk review, especially as privacy regulations intersect with cyber regulatory standards. Whether it’s GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, or other state or regional regulations, ensuring you’re compliant as the regulatory landscape changes helps you avoid fines and maintains trust with your customers.
6. The Human Factor in Holiday Cybersecurity
Cyber Awareness
No cybersecurity strategy is complete without addressing the human element. Phishing attacks skyrocket during December, often disguised as holiday deals, gift card requests, or fake shipping notifications. Employees, distracted by the holiday rush, are more likely to click on malicious links.
A well-executed cyber awareness program can mitigate this risk. Tailor your cyber awareness training to your organization’s culture and risks. For example, simulate a real-world phishing attack by running a “holiday special” phishing exercise. Metrics from these exercises—such as how many employees clicked the link or reported the email—can drive home the importance of vigilance and provide valuable insights into your organization’s readiness.
Turning “Breach Season” Into “Season of Triumphant Resilience”
Cybersecurity isn’t about achieving perfection—it’s about managing risk to protect your business, employees, and customers. December may be the breachiest time of the year, but it’s also an opportunity to showcase the strength of your cybersecurity posture.
At Converge, we emphasize that security isn’t a department—it’s a critical business enabler, with security being a journey, not a destination. A well-prepared organization can fend off attacks and build trust and resilience that pays dividends year-round.
As your organization finalizes holiday sales campaigns,wraps up Q4 projects, and looks ahead to the new year, don’t let cybersecurity fall to the bottom of your priority list. The stakes are too high, and the threats are too real. Take this time to:
- Conduct table-top exercises.
- Invest in purple teaming.
- Test SIEM and SOC readiness.
- Hunt for blind spots.
- Strengthen governance.
- Empower your employees with cyber awareness.
Want to strengthen your cybersecurity posture before the year ends?
Reach out to our cybersecurity team today. We’re here to help you navigate risks, fortify your defenses, and ensure a safe and secure holiday season.
Here’s to a secure holiday season—because even now, security never takes a break.
