Cyberattacks during vacation periods – how to protect your business this summer

Summer is here – and with it comes not only vacation, sun, and swimming, but also an increased risk of cyberattacks. For many companies, the vacation period means a less staffed IT environment, which in turn creates opportunities for attackers looking to exploit these weaknesses. Attacks during vacation times are neither random nor uncommon – they are well-planned and take advantage of organizations' temporary vulnerabilities.

Why do threats increase during the summer?

When many employees are on vacation, or when temporary staff temporarily handle critical functions, a company's overall cybersecurity preparedness often decreases. This creates a perfect opportunity for cybercriminals to:

• Send targeted phishing emails to finance departments with fake invoices.

• Call in posing as "IT support" to trick employees into revealing login credentials (vishing).

• Send SMS messages with malicious links to employees (smishing).

• Exploit MFA and support processes through social engineering.

How to strengthen your company's cybersecurity ahead of the vacation period

To minimize risks during the summer period, it’s important to take proactive measures:

1. Ensure IT staffing

   Make sure at least part of the IT security team is available during the vacation period. If this isn’t possible, consider outsourcing to a security partner or establishing clear routines for incident management.

   
   

2. Train staff – Even in the summer

   Before the vacation period, a brief cybersecurity briefing can make a big difference. Remind employees how to recognize phishing emails, the importance of not clicking on unknown links, and to never share login credentials via phone or email.
   

3. Limit access rights

   Temporary employees or substitutes should have strictly limited permissions. Make it a routine to review and revoke access rights immediately after their assignment ends.
   

4. Pause major projects – But keep systems updated

   Avoid major system changes during the summer, but don’t forget to install critical security updates.
   

5. Use strong authentication

   Ensure that MFA (multi-factor authentication) is enabled – especially for remote access solutions and administrative systems.
   

6. Watch out for fake invoices

   Fake invoices are a growing problem for businesses and organizations. To avoid paying them, it’s important to stay vigilant, carefully check invoice details, and verify the sender.

Make the vacation safe – Digitally too

By taking cybersecurity seriously even when the calm of summer sets in, you show that your company is prepared – and not an easy target for digital fraudsters. Protecting business-critical systems, data, and employees doesn’t take a vacation – but with the right preparations, you can enjoy the summer with significantly greater peace of mind.