Did you know that cyberattacks spike during the holiday season? As Christmas approaches in Utah, many businesses slow down, but cybercriminals do not. Staff are working from home, traveling to visit family, logging in from hotels and airport lounges, and checking email on personal devices. That mix of holiday distractions, unfamiliar networks, and fewer people watching the shop is exactly what attackers count on.
The holidays increase your business’s cyber risk because employees work from unfamiliar networks and devices, often distracted and away from usual safeguards. This is when attackers take advantage of lapses in attention and weaker security, targeting your business through phishing emails and unsecured connections. Relying on Managed Firewall and Managed Email Security is essential to protect your company, wherever your staff may be.
Key Takeaways
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The Christmas season is high-risk for cyberattacks, especially with remote and traveling staff.
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Common threats include phishing emails, insecure Wi-Fi, and personal device use.
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Managed Email Security stops most attacks before they reach your inbox.
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Managed Firewall protects your office network, servers, and VPN access even when the office is empty.
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A quick holiday security checkup helps ensure safe, stress-free holidays for your team.
Why the Christmas Season Is High-Risk for Cyberattacks
A few things come together in December that make Utah businesses more vulnerable:
Short-staffed IT and office teams means fewer eyes on alerts and logs. Distracted employees are rushing to wrap up work and personal holiday tasks. There is more online shopping and shipping, which is a perfect cover for fake “order,” “delivery,” and “gift card” emails. Heavy travel means staff are connecting from hotels, airports, and relatives’ homes on networks you do not control.
Attackers know many companies relax their guard over the holidays. That is when they send targeted phishing emails, try weak passwords, or probe exposed services, hoping no one notices until January.
How Remote and Traveling Staff Increase Your Risk
When staff are away from the office, the security perimeter moves with them. A few common holiday scenarios create serious risk:
1. Unsecured hotel and airport Wi-Fi
Hotel, airport, and coffee shop Wi-Fi are convenient but often completely unsecured. On these networks, attackers can try to intercept traffic from devices that are not properly encrypted. They can impersonate legitimate networks with lookalike names, for example “HotelGuestFree_WiFi” instead of “Hotel_Guest_WiFi”. Attackers may also launch man-in-the-middle attacks to capture credentials and session cookies. If an employee logs into email, a remote desktop, or cloud apps from this kind of network without strong protections in place, an attacker may be one step away from your business data.
2. Home networks that are “set and forgotten”
Many employees have never changed the default password on their home router or updated its firmware. Their kids’ gaming consoles, smart TVs, and IoT gadgets all share the same network as the company laptop. If one of those home devices is compromised, an attacker may be able to scan the home network, try to reach the work laptop, and use it as a stepping stone toward your business.
3. Personal and shared devices
During family visits, it is tempting for staff to quickly check email from a personal laptop with no business security tools, a shared family computer, or an old tablet without current updates. If corporate email is accessible from these devices and a phishing email lands, there is very little protection between that click and your environment.
Email: The Number 1 Holiday Attack Channel
While networks matter, email is still the front door for most attacks, especially during the holidays. Common holiday-themed email threats include fake shipping notifications, bogus gift-card offers, fake invoice or donation requests, and lookalike CEO or CFO emails asking to urgently pay a vendor or change banking details. If that email reaches an employee’s inbox, especially when they are rushed or relaxing on vacation, the chance of a bad click goes way up. This is where Managed Email Security earns its keep.
How Managed Email Security Protects Remote Workers Anywhere
A modern, managed email security service does its work before messages ever reach your users, no matter where they are connecting from. With Managed Email Security, your business can filter out phishing, malware, and spam before they land in the inbox. The service automatically scans attachments in a safe sandbox environment. It rewrites and protects links, blocking access if they later turn malicious. Managed Email Security also detects impersonation attacks, for example, someone pretending to be your CEO or a key vendor. Consistent security policies are applied whether staff read email in the office, at home, or on the road. Even if an employee is on hotel Wi-Fi or a personal device, Managed Email Security reduces the chance that a dangerous email ever reaches them in the first place.
Why a Managed Firewall Still Matters When Everyone Is Out of the Office
It is easy to think, “If everyone is remote, why worry about the office firewall?” In reality, the firewall at your main office or data center is still a critical line of defense, especially during the holidays. A Managed Firewall at your main office can protect any on-site servers, applications, or VoIP systems that remain online during the break. It secures your VPN connections back into the office, inspecting traffic and blocking suspicious activity. Managed Firewall enforces geo-blocking and intrusion prevention, helping stop attacks from high-risk regions, which is important if staff are logging in from abroad. The firewall keeps security patches and rules up to date, even when your internal team is on vacation. It provides 24/7 monitoring and alerting, so unusual activity does not go unnoticed until January. Think of the managed firewall as the always-on security guard for your digital front door, watching the network while you and your team are with family.
Simple Holiday Safety Tips to Share With Your Team
To make this practical, consider sending staff a short reminder before the Christmas break. Key points to include:
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Only connect to business systems over trusted networks or via VPN, especially on hotel or airport Wi-Fi.
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Never approve login prompts or MFA requests that were not initiated by the user.
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Be extra cautious with holiday-themed emails about shipping, gift cards, or unexpected invoices.
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Avoid working from shared family computers; use only company-approved devices where possible.
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Immediately report anything suspicious—emails, login prompts, or unusual device behavior.
Managed services are powerful, but they work best when paired with informed, cautious users.
How 1Wire Can Help Utah Businesses Stay Secure This Holiday Season
For Utah businesses, the Christmas season should be about slowing down, not stressing about who might be trying to get into the network. By combining Managed Email Security to block phishing, malware, and impersonation attacks before they reach employees (wherever they are), and Managed Firewall at the main office to protect your core systems, VPN access, and internet edge around the clock, your organization can significantly reduce the risks created by remote and traveling staff over the holidays.
Stay Secure, From Anywhere.
If your business is unsure how well protected it is before everyone heads out, this is an ideal time to schedule a quick holiday security checkup. A short review of your email security, firewall configuration, and remote access setup can go a long way toward ensuring your only holiday surprises are good ones.
Let’s make sure you’re protected before the holidays.
FAQs
What is Managed Email Security?
Managed Email Security is a service that filters out malicious emails, phishing, and spam before they reach your staff, using advanced scanning and impersonation detection.
Why do I need a Managed Firewall if staff are remote?
Your office firewall still protects servers, VPN, and internal systems, blocking attacks and monitoring for suspicious activity around the clock.
How can staff stay safe on public Wi-Fi?
Use VPN, avoid accessing sensitive systems on open networks, and never log in to business accounts from shared or untrusted devices.
What if I think we have had a breach?
Report it to your IT provider and 1Wire immediately for assessment and mitigation.
