Holiday Security Tips for Small Businesses During Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year for many small businesses. Sales increase, employees travel, and owners are pulled in many directions. Attackers know this. They use the rush and distraction to push scams, trick staff members, and look for weaknesses in systems that may not be monitored as closely as usual.

You do not need a large security team or complex tools to stay safe. You only need clear ownership, practical habits, and consistency. This is the same approach used when building living risk programs and GRC roadmaps for small companies.

1. Understand Why Holiday Threats Increase

Activity rises across the board during the holiday season. Customers place more online orders, teams process more invoices, and people click through promotional messages at a higher rate. At the same time many businesses have fewer people watching alerts or responding to issues.

Attackers take advantage of this by sending fake shipping notifications, limited time offers, refund notices, and urgent account warnings. Their goal is always the same. They want someone to act quickly before taking a moment to verify the message.

When these patterns are predictable, preparation becomes easier. You can treat holiday risk as part of your regular security planning.

2. Help Employees Recognize Suspicious Messages

Most holiday scams arrive by email or text. They often appear to come from well known retailers, carriers, vendors, or even internal staff.

Give employees a few simple rules.

If a message asks for passwords, money, or personal information, treat it as suspicious until confirmed.

If a message uses urgency to create pressure, slow down rather than speeding up.

If a message claims to be from a customer, vendor, or executive but seems unusual, confirm through another channel before acting.

Even a small company benefits from naming one person who handles security questions. Employees are more likely to report concerns when responsibilities are clearly defined.

3. Review Access and Accounts Before the Break

Before your team signs off for the holiday, spend a short amount of time reviewing access to critical systems. Focus on the accounts that matter most for your operations such as cloud platforms, email, and financial systems.

Confirm that all users still need their access. Remove accounts for former staff. Reduce administrative privileges to the fewest people necessary. Enable multi factor authentication on every system that supports it.

Small steps taken regularly help maintain a healthy security posture without overwhelming your team.

4. Be Careful With Online Purchases and Vendor Payments

Many small businesses make purchases during Thanksgiving promotions. Attackers use this moment to distribute fake invoices, fraudulent order confirmations, and counterfeit retail websites.

When you receive a payment request or purchase link, verify three things.

Do we recognize the vendor and the specific request.

Does the payment information match what we already have on file.

Can we confirm this request through a method other than email such as a phone call to a known contact.

Visit vendor websites directly by typing the address into the browser instead of clicking through advertisements or links. Use credit cards when possible because they offer stronger fraud protection.

5. Prepare for Travel and Remote Work

Thanksgiving often means travel and remote work. Employees may connect from hotels, airports, or family homes where networks are less secure.

Encourage staff to update devices before traveling. Remind them not to access sensitive systems on public networks unless they use a trusted VPN. Ask them not to leave laptops or tablets unattended in vehicles or public areas.

If you have a remote work or acceptable use policy, resend it before the holiday so expectations remain clear.

6. Plan for Reduced Staffing During the Week

Many small businesses operate with limited staffing during Thanksgiving week. This can delay responses to alerts or unusual activity.

Check where your alerts are sent. Make sure notifications reach someone who will be available. If you work with a managed service provider, confirm how they will contact you and what actions they will take if an issue appears while your team is offline.

You do not need a complex incident response plan to prepare. You only need to answer a few questions in advance. Who makes decisions during an emergency. Who contacts customers if needed. Who coordinates with your security partner.

7. Watch for Charity and Gift Card Scams

The holiday season brings a rise in charitable giving, which means attackers create fake donation requests and gift card scams targeting both individuals and businesses.

Real charities will not pressure you to donate immediately or demand unusual payment methods. If a request asks for gift cards or transfers to personal accounts, treat it as a clear warning sign.

Direct employees to visit charity websites manually if they want to contribute and follow normal approval processes for company donations.

8. Make Holiday Security Part of Your Year Round Program

Thanksgiving is a useful checkpoint. The habits that protect your business during the holidays support your broader governance, risk, and compliance goals throughout the year.

Clear ownership. Simple and accessible policies. Periodic access reviews. Ongoing monitoring.

When these practices become routine, security shifts from a seasonal challenge to a stable part of your company’s operations.

Anchor Cyber Security supports small and midsized businesses in building practical and effective security programs. If your organization needs help preparing for the holiday season or strengthening your year round security posture, we are ready to assist.