The Ransomware Holiday Bind: Burnout or Be Vulnerable
Summary
Ransomware actors deliberately time attacks to hit organisations during off-hours, weekends and holidays when Security Operations Centres (SOCs) are understaffed and response times lag. Recent research shows a significant proportion of incidents occur outside normal working hours: a Semperis report found 52% of ransomware events in the past year happened on a weekend or holiday, and many organisations cut SOC staffing by half or more during those times.
The article highlights industry observations (including Google and security vendors) that encryption events often start before 08:00 or after 18:00, and that attackers exploit burnout and skeleton crews. Experts recommend clear documentation, network segregation, tabletop exercises, automation and maintaining a minimum, year-round security coverage with on-call rotations to mitigate the risk.
Key Points
- Ransomware gangs intentionally target non-working periods (weekends/holidays) to exploit reduced staffing and slower responses.
- Semperis data: 52% of reported ransomware attacks over the last 12 months occurred on weekends or holidays; 78% of organisations cut SOC teams by 50%+ during those times; 6% did not staff SOC outside normal hours.
- Google found >70% of encryption events in 2024 happened before 08:00 or after 18:00; around 30% of encryptions in that window began over the weekend.
- Burnout drives leave policies that unintentionally increase exposure; distracted or overworked staff are more likely to fall for phishing.
- Practical mitigations: well-documented IR and crisis plans, network segregation, tabletop exercises, automation/AI for routine tasks, on-call rotations, outsourcing or subcontracting and reassessing leave policies for critical roles.
Context and Relevance
This is highly relevant to CISOs, SOC managers and operational security teams planning staffing and incident response strategies. The article ties into wider trends: increasing professionalisation of ransomware groups (customer service-style operations), staffing shortages in cyber teams, and the growing use of automation/AI in SOC workflows.
Organisations that treat holiday coverage as a simple cost problem risk longer remediation timelines and larger financial and reputational losses. The piece underlines that defensive posture must be continuous, not just nine-to-five.
Why should I read this?
Because if you’re the one getting woken at 03:00, you’ll wish you’d read it sooner. Short version: attackers pick your quiet times; your tired skeleton crew is exactly what they’re banking on. Read for quick, practical ideas to avoid being the organisation that gets hit over Christmas and only notices on Monday morning.
Author’s Take
Punchy and to the point: this article is a timely reminder that leave policies and burnout management have security consequences. If you care about reducing ransomware risk, the recommended steps (segregation, clear docs, rotations and automation) deserve immediate attention — and some budget.