For many businesses, summer brings a change in routine.
It’s a time when staff take annual leave, responsibilities are shared across teams, and people work from different locations. While the business continues to operate, normal processes don't always work in quite the same way.
Cybercriminals are fully aware of this, and for them it can create opportunities created by reduced oversight, unfamiliar approval processes, and employees who may be working under greater pressure to keep things moving.
Here are three areas worth paying attention to.
1. Payment Fraud and Vendor Impersonation
One of the most common cyber threats facing businesses today doesn't involve malware or sophisticated hacking techniques.
Instead, attackers impersonate someone your business already trusts.
This could be a supplier, a customer, a colleague, or even a senior member of the leadership team. The goal is usually the same: convince somebody to make a payment or share sensitive information.
These attacks can be particularly effective during holiday periods when the people who would normally approve requests are unavailable and others are covering their responsibilities.
Review your processes for:
- Changes to supplier bank details
- Urgent payment requests
- Requests for financial information
- Email instructions involving money
A simple verification process, such as calling a known contact using an existing phone number, can prevent many of these attacks from succeeding.
2. Phishing Attacks Against Busy Employees
Phishing remains one of the most effective methods used by cybercriminals because it targets people rather than technology.
Attackers send emails, messages, or login requests designed to look legitimate and rely on somebody acting quickly without questioning them.
Common examples include:
- Password reset requests
- Microsoft 365 login prompts
- Document sharing notifications
- Delivery or invoice messages
Technical security controls play an important role, but employee awareness remains essential.
Staff should feel comfortable questioning unexpected requests, even if that means taking an extra minute to verify them.
A short delay is far less costly than responding to a malicious email.
3. Third-Party Access and Supplier Risk
Most businesses rely on external suppliers for software, support, cloud services, and specialist expertise.
Many of those suppliers also have some level of access to business systems or data.
Over time, it's easy to lose visibility of who has access to what.
A mid-year review is a good opportunity to ask:
- Which suppliers have access to our systems?
- What level of access do they have?
- Is that access still required?
- Who is responsible for managing those relationships?
Third-party access is often necessary, but it should be understood, reviewed, and controlled.
Summer Is a Good Time for a Security Review
Cyber security risks don't increase because the weather changes. They increase because business processes often change during holiday periods.
Staff cover for colleagues, approval routes change, and normal routines become less predictable.
Taking time to review your payment processes, employee awareness, and third-party access can help reduce risk and identify issues before they become problems.
At PS Tech, we help businesses review their security controls, identify areas of risk, and make sure their technology remains secure and well managed throughout the year.
If you'd like an independent view of your current IT environment, we'd be happy to have a conversation.
