Your Website Doesn’t Take a Holiday

As the holidays approach, your business might slow down, but cybercriminals don’t take a break. In fact, the holiday season is prime time for hackers, with increased online shopping, distracted employees, and businesses that lower their guard during the festivities. 

Here’s how you can ensure your website stays secure while you enjoy the holiday cheer.

1. Lock It Down with Secure Passwords

The holidays are a time for generosity and cheer, but don’t give hackers easy access to your website with a weak password. Studies show that hackers often exploit the holiday season, leveraging human error and poor password security to breach websites. Ensure all login credentials — yours and your team’s — are strong, unique, and updated regularly.

Avoid predictable passwords like “Holiday2024” or “Pa$$w0rd“ that can be easily guessed. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, or consider a password manager like 1Password to generate and store complex passwords. Remember, safeguarding your site starts with securing the virtual front door.

2. Update Plugins and Software

Outdated plugins, themes, and CMS software can create vulnerabilities that hackers love to exploit, especially during the busy holiday season. Regular updates often include patches for known security issues, so keeping everything up to date is critical.

Set reminders to review your website’s updates before the holidays. Better yet, enable automatic updates for your CMS and plugins to minimize risk while you’re busy with holiday preparations.

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your website by requiring a second form of verification beyond a password. Hackers often try to gain access to sites during the holidays when vigilance may wane, but 2FA can stop them in their tracks.

Enable 2FA for all admin accounts to ensure that even if someone guesses a password, they won’t get in without a unique verification code.

4. Monitor Traffic for Unusual Activity

Hackers don’t always announce themselves with big, dramatic crashes. Subtle changes, like the addition of malicious code or a sudden spike in traffic from unusual sources, could signal a breach. Set up website monitoring tools that alert you to suspicious activity.

Think of it like keeping an eye on your holiday packages—just because you don’t see someone tampering with them doesn’t mean it’s safe to ignore. A little vigilance can save you from a big mess later.

5. Back Up Your Website

Backing up your website is your safety net if the worst happens. With increased hacking attempts during the holidays, having a reliable backup means you can restore your site quickly in case of an attack.

Schedule automatic backups throughout the season, and ensure they’re stored securely in a separate location from your live site. This ensures that no matter what happens, you’ll have access to your data and can keep your business running smoothly.

Enjoy a Secure Holiday Season

While you’re decking the halls, don’t let your website be a target for cybercrime. By securing passwords, keeping software updated, enabling 2FA, monitoring traffic, and maintaining backups, you can enjoy the holidays without worrying about your website’s security.

Your website may not take a holiday, but with these tips, it can take the season in stride — keeping your business safe and running all year long.