{"id":19116,"date":"2026-06-17T11:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/?p=19116"},"modified":"2026-06-17T11:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:16:12","slug":"summer-cybersecurity-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/summer-cybersecurity-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Summer Cybersecurity Tips for Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19118\" src=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pexels-kraken-media-392419767-17159292.jpg\" alt=\"summer cybersecurity tips\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pexels-kraken-media-392419767-17159292.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pexels-kraken-media-392419767-17159292-980x655.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pexels-kraken-media-392419767-17159292-480x321.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Hackers don&#8217;t take summer vacations, so your cybersecurity needs to remain vigilant, even when your workforce may be out of the office for part of the season. Our cybersecurity partner, <a href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/2026\/06\/11\/summer-cybersecurity-playbook-small-businesses\/?utm_campaign=2026%20%7C%20Email%20%7C%20CyberView&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--B19e5NDH064jVpixvDFXZJgnhkRj-iBVODvIN6kI-W8TP3dBL3oOa5-BtvLn1tsLxLs3fvJQhfrXB_FRAyOZdLXY8Bw&amp;_hsmi=423911014&amp;utm_content=423911014&amp;utm_source=hs_email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OrbitalFire<\/a>, offers tips and FAQs to keep your business safe during this time of year.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wvc-mobile-text-align- wvc-text-color-default\" data-heading-text=\"Out of Office, Open Season: The Summer Cybersecurity Playbook\" data-max-font-size=\"48\" data-min-font-size=\"24\">Out of Office, Open Season: The Summer Cybersecurity Playbook<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">Memorial Day weekend was the unofficial start of summer. It\u2019s also the unofficial start of three months of business operations running on lighter staffing, faster approvals, and people opening emails from the airport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Most summer cybersecurity content focuses on the individual on vacation: don\u2019t use sketchy airport Wi-Fi, don\u2019t click links in weird emails on your phone. Those tips matter, but they miss the bigger exposure: the business itself, running on a skeleton crew, with finance staff covering for each other and a vendor email arriving at exactly the wrong moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Out-of-office cybersecurity for smaller businesses operates at two levels: business operations and employee behavior. The operations layer means verify-don\u2019t-act payment rules, minimum viable OOO messages, and a designated deputy approver. The behavior layer means trusted Wi-Fi only, no real-time location posting, and a \u201cwait until I\u2019m at a desk\u201d rule for any urgent-looking email arriving on a phone.<\/p>\n<h3>Tip 1: Verify, don\u2019t compromise<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Scenario:<\/strong> Your finance person is on vacation. A vendor emails an \u201curgent\u201d request to change a wire transfer. The deputy approver wants to help. The email looks fine. The wire goes through.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Best Practice:<\/strong>\u00a0Any payment change, vendor banking update, or wire over a set threshold gets second-channel confirmation. Not a reply to the same email. Instead, a phone call to a known number, a Slack message to the person who actually approves, an in-person check. No exceptions. Especially not when the requester says \u201cthe boss approved it from the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li>Pre-summer: Write down the threshold and the second-channel rule. Print it and make sure everyone understands the importance.<\/li>\n<li>Brief the deputy: Whoever is covering needs to know the rule before the primary leaves.<\/li>\n<li>Make it your company\u2019s mantra: pause and verify. Simple but important.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\">For context: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/AnnualReport\/Reports\/2025_IC3Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2025 FBI IC3 Annual Report<\/a> logged $3.05 billion in Business Email Compromise (BEC) losses across roughly 24,768 complaints. BEC is where smaller businesses have the most exposure because it targets the workflow most likely to be running on half a team in July: payment approvals.<\/p>\n<h3>Tip 2: Silence is golden<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Scenario:<\/strong>\u00a0An enthusiastic out-of-office auto-reply: \u201cI\u2019m hiking in Iceland from June 12 through June 26. Please contact Orby at\u00a0<span class=\"apbct-email-encoder\" title=\"This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.\" data-original-string=\"im4HS3QXMkGKquFyWCxpwQ==b48HuT9RO9xjr0IGcwIA7sVemwKof+kj6lO73YjfvcA\/u0=\">or<span class=\"apbct-blur\">**<\/span>@<span class=\"apbct-blur\">*****<\/span>ny.com<\/span>\u00a0for anything urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Risk:<\/strong>\u00a0That message is a reconnaissance report. It tells an attacker exactly who\u2019s gone, for how long, who to impersonate (Orby), and what window to operate in. Combined with a couple of LinkedIn posts about the trip, an attacker has everything they need to send Orby a fake message from you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Best Practice:<\/strong>\u00a0Minimum viable OOO. Something like: \u201cI\u2019m out of the office and will respond when I return. For urgent matters, please contact our team at\u00a0<span class=\"apbct-email-encoder\" title=\"This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.\" data-original-string=\"TahiwfTluoI\/BU0pzkI\/Qg==b48vfgCDGLZYKbBdzcgwFr+szzITur\/FCc\/NjYyQyezm88=\">in<span class=\"apbct-blur\">**<\/span>@<span class=\"apbct-blur\">*****<\/span>ny.com.<\/span>\u201d That\u2019s it. No destinations. No dates if you can avoid them. No personal-life details.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li>No specific dates: if you can get away with \u201creturning shortly\u201d or \u201clater this month.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>No personal-life details: Anniversary, beach, conference name, kid\u2019s graduation. All of it is intelligence to a fraudster.<\/li>\n<li>Internal OOOs can be longer: your team needs context. External OOOs stay generic.<\/li>\n<li>Train the team: This is one of the most-skipped policies in smaller businesses, and one of the easiest wins to make. Our\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"Awareness Training\" href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/pages\/awareness_training_services\/\">Awareness Training<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"Phishing Testing\" href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/pages\/phishing_testing_services\/\">Phishing Testing<\/a>\u00a0services can build a culture that reinforces the importance of catching these and gives people the training to know how.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Tip 3: Think before you click<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Scenario:<\/strong>\u00a0Phone is open at gate B17. Email arrives from \u201cthe boss.\u201d Looks fine. Tap.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Risk:<\/strong>\u00a0Mobile email apps hide sender details, suppress preview features, and make hover-to-check-the-link impossible. The cognitive defenses you use at your desk, including the millisecond pause where something feels off, get short-circuited on a phone. Phishing thrives on mobile.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Best Practice:<\/strong>\u00a0When in doubt, wait. No urgent click is more urgent than a confirmed click. If a desktop is 30 minutes away, the email can wait 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li class=\"\">Train people to expand the sender field on mobile before tapping any link. The \u201cFrom: CEO\u201d that looks fine often hides \u201c<span class=\"apbct-email-encoder\" title=\"This contact has been encoded by Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser.\" data-original-string=\"dSAq2LXH55IYSLwMAe50Kw==b48HZ2JUs4LHttZ+YrJrrDTy0jjca21568mbp0pqFndvEY=\">ce<span class=\"apbct-blur\">******<\/span>@<span class=\"apbct-blur\">***************<\/span>in.com<\/span>\u201d one character below.<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Treat any \u201curgent payment\u201d or \u201curgent password reset\u201d email arriving on a phone as suspicious by default. Real urgent requests can survive a 10-minute verification call.<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">When in doubt, call. The 30-second call beats the cleanup.<\/li>\n<li class=\"\">Two seconds is the bar. We often say spotting a phish takes about 2.1 seconds. Everyone on your team is capable of it; they just need to know where to look and what to look out for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Tip 4: Wi-Fi: choose wisely<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Scenario:<\/strong>\u00a0Free_Airport_WiFi_2* at the bottom of the available networks list. Looks legit. Looks free.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Risk:<\/strong>\u00a0Rogue access points harvest credentials, session tokens, and unencrypted traffic, and they\u2019re routine at airports, hotels, and conferences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Best Practice:<\/strong>\u00a0Trusted networks only, or VPN. Mobile hotspot beats unknown Wi-Fi every time.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li>For sensitive work, including payroll, vendor banking changes, and customer data: your mobile hotspot, not the hotel Wi-Fi. Or, better: those tasks can wait until you\u2019re home.<\/li>\n<li>Keep it locked: Get into the habit of locking your device when you are not using it. Even a few minutes is enough time for someone to steal your information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Tip 5: Share memories, not your location<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Scenario:<\/strong>\u00a0Real-time vacation post on LinkedIn or Instagram, tagged with the resort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>The Risk:<\/strong>\u00a0That post confirms three things to an attacker: you\u2019re gone, you\u2019re\u00a0<em>here<\/em>, and you\u2019re gone for at least\u00a0<em>this long<\/em>. Combined with your OOO message, it\u2019s a full reconnaissance package. Your CFO\u2019s vacation post is intel for a BEC attacker who is about to impersonate them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Best Practice:<\/strong>\u00a0Post when you get back: Throwback Thursday is your friend.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li>Senior executives in particular: your travel posts are operational intelligence for fraud.<\/li>\n<li>Same rule for the family: A kid posting \u201cvacation in Maui!\u201d from your phone is the same exposure as you posting it.<\/li>\n<li>The AI layer: Combine a public vacation post with a voice cloned from any 30-second clip of your CEO online, and a fraudster has the makings of a very convincing \u201curgent call from the boss.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\">For the deeper take on AI-enabled fraud, see\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"READ: AI Scams and Deepfakes: The New Frontier of Small Business Fraud\" href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/2025\/09\/29\/ai-scams-and-deepfakes-small-business\/\">AI Scams and Deepfakes: The New Frontier of Small Business Fraud.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Your pre-summer 30-minute checklist<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\">If you do nothing else this week:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li>Write down the verify-don\u2019t-compromise threshold and post it where finance can see it.<\/li>\n<li>Brief the summer deputy approver and tell them what to expect.<\/li>\n<li>Rewrite the team\u2019s OOO templates to the minimum viable version.<\/li>\n<li>Send the team this article and have them read it before they log off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>When you\u2019re back at your desk, but the season isn\u2019t over<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\">Peak summer travel runs through Labor Day. If you put these five rules in place at the beginning of summer, plan a 10-minute re-brief in mid-July.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019ve read our article on\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"READ: Holiday Cybercrime: Why Distraction Is the Real Threat\" href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/2025\/11\/06\/holiday-cybercrime-why-distraction-is-the-real-threat\/\">Holiday Cybercrime: Why Distraction is the Real Threat<\/a>, think of this as its summer cousin. Same lesson: attackers aren\u2019t busier; the operational shape of your business is what shifts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">You\u2019re having a great summer. So are most cybercriminals. The good news: 30 minutes of pre-summer prep is what separates the businesses that spend a Tuesday cleaning up after a fake wire from the businesses that just enjoy the beach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">You shouldn\u2019t need to be a rocket scientist to get good cybersecurity. Ready to launch? <a class=\"internal-link\" title=\"Contact Us #2\" href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/pages\/contact\/\">Schedule a Cyber Reality Check<\/a> to review your cybersecurity strategy and how we can help.<\/p>\n<h3>Frequently asked questions<\/h3>\n<h4>What is the biggest cybersecurity risk during summer for smaller businesses?<\/h4>\n<p class=\"\">For smaller businesses, the biggest summer cybersecurity risk isn\u2019t the airport Wi-Fi; it\u2019s the business running on half a team. Fast approvals, distracted finance staff, and well-meaning deputies are exactly what fraudsters target with Business Email Compromise and wire-transfer scams. The operational gap matters more than the individual traveler\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n<h4>What should an out-of-office message say to be secure?<\/h4>\n<p class=\"\">A secure OOO message provides the minimum necessary information. State that you\u2019re out, give a generic team contact (info@ or a shared inbox), and skip the specifics: no dates, no destinations, no personal details. Detailed OOO replies are reconnaissance reports for attackers; minimum viable replies still get the job done.<\/p>\n<h4>Is it safe to use airport or hotel Wi-Fi for work?<\/h4>\n<p class=\"\">Public Wi-Fi is safe enough for general browsing if you use a trusted VPN. For sensitive work including payroll, vendor banking changes, customer data, and payment approvals, use your mobile hotspot or wait until you\u2019re on a known network. The risk isn\u2019t theoretical; rogue access points and credential harvesting are routine at airports and hotels.<\/p>\n<h4>How do you prevent BEC fraud when the boss is on vacation?<\/h4>\n<p class=\"\">Before anyone leaves, document a \u201cverify, don\u2019t compromise\u201d rule: any payment change, banking update, or wire over a set threshold requires a second-channel confirmation. Assign a deputy approver and brief them on the rule. Train the team to expect \u201curgent\u201d requests \u201cfrom the airport.&#8221; They\u2019re often fake.<\/p>\n<h4>Should employees post about their vacations on social media?<\/h4>\n<p class=\"\">Save the posts for when you\u2019re back. Real-time vacation posts confirm you\u2019re away, where you are, and for how long: useful intelligence for BEC scams and executive impersonation. The risk is higher for senior staff and finance leaders. Family members posting from your phone create the same exposure.<\/p>\n<h2>GTM\u2019s Cybersecurity Practices<\/h2>\n<p>Security is integral to our operations. It\u2019s at the core of what we do, with multiple layers of protection embedded into our products, processes, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/why-gtm\/data-security\/\">state-of-the-art security measures<\/a>\u00a0are designed to safeguard your data from unauthorized access and cyber threats. We employ a robust combination of physical, administrative, and technical controls, including advanced encryption technologies, continuous network monitoring, and strict access controls, ensuring your data is protected around the clock.<\/p>\n<p>GTM undergoes annual security assessments conducted by the New York State Department of Financial Services and adheres to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity standards. GTM also undergoes several third-party audits, including SOC 1, Nacha, and financial statement audits.<\/p>\n<h3>Cyber and Data Breach Liability Insurance<\/h3>\n<p>As an additional security measure, cyber and data breach liability insurance is available to cover costs in the event of a cyberattack or data breach. A cyber liability and data breach insurance policy can help if your business\u2019s computers are infected with a virus that exposes private or sensitive information, your business is sued for losing customers\u2019 sensitive data, or your business incurs public relations costs to protect its reputation after a data breach.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in cyber and data breach insurance, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gtminsurance.com\/business-insurance\/cyber-data-breach-liability\/\">GTM Insurance Agency<\/a>\u00a0can discuss your options.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gtminsurance.com\/contact-us\/\">Contact them<\/a>\u00a0for a free quote or more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn cybersecurity tips and FAQs to keep your business safe this summer, including real-life scenarios and best practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[287,104,18,42,28],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-19116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gtm-biz-blog-isolved","tag-cybersecurity","tag-data-security","tag-employer-policies","tag-safety","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19116"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19121,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19116\/revisions\/19121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19116"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=19116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}