The summer travel season creates a problem most businesses don’t plan for. Most employees can’t help but check their email from airport lounges or catch up on messages from hotel lobbies. It’s also exactly what cybercriminals are counting on.
Phishing attacks don’t take vacations. They intensify when employees are away from the office and connecting over networks that are beyond your IT team’s control. For businesses, a single successful attack can mean a costly setback.
Why the travel season is a prime target for phishing
Distraction and unfamiliar networks are a gift to attackers. Someone rushing to catch a flight is far less likely to pause and question a suspicious email.
Public Wi-Fi networks at airports, hotels, and cafés can also create risk, especially when employees connect without checking whether the network is legitimate. Some attackers set up fake networks with convincing names, while others look for weakly protected connections to intercept information. If an employee logs in to work accounts over an unsafe network, sensitive data may be exposed without them realizing it.
Phishing messages have also become harder to spot. Attackers can use AI tools to write emails that sound natural, specific, and convincing. A rushed employee may not think twice about an urgent approval request that appears to come from a colleague.
What phishing attacks look like on the road
Travel-themed phishing scams often work because they match what employees are already expecting. Fake booking confirmations, itinerary changes, and urgent account notices can look believable when someone is waiting for travel updates. Attackers may also impersonate executives and ask for wire transfers, login details, or quick approvals, knowing that remote employees may not be able to verify the request in person.
Text-message phishing, or smishing, creates a similar problem. A message about a locked account, missed delivery, or travel issue can prompt someone to tap a link without thinking, especially when they are checking their phone between flights or meetings.
Practical steps to protect your team while they travel
Protecting a mobile workforce doesn’t require complicated technology. Here are a few practical policies:
- Make VPNs mandatory for any work activity on public networks. This encrypts data and reduces exposure, even when using the hotel or airport Wi-Fi.
- Enforce multifactor authentication (MFA) on all business applications.
- Train employees before they travel by showing them how to spot common phishing tactics, verify urgent requests, and recognize unsafe links and websites.
- Set a verification process for financial requests. Any wire transfer initiated by email should require a phone confirmation, regardless of who it appears to come from.
- Install the latest patches before departure. Traveling employees tend to defer updates, leaving known vulnerabilities open.
How managed IT support reduces your risk year-round
Most businesses don’t have the resources to watch for security threats 24/7, especially when employees are working from different locations or time zones. A managed IT service provider (MSP) can fill that gap with continuous monitoring, faster threat response, and support when your internal team isn’t available.
With continuous monitoring, your MSP can flag unusual activity (e.g., a login from an unexpected location or a device on a suspicious network) before it becomes a breach. Security policies will be enforced across your whole team, whether staff are in the office or in the airport
When evaluating MSPs, make sure they offer the following security solutions:
- Email filtering and anti-phishing tools that block malicious messages before they reach employees
- Security awareness training built around scenarios your team actually encounters
- Rapid incident response if something does go wrong, minimizing damage and downtime
- Policy enforcement that keeps remote devices compliant with your security standards
Is your team mobile? So should your security, too
If you’re not confident your setup protects employees when they’re off-site, now is a good time to find out. Our experts at Kortek Solutions can help businesses build practical, multilayered security that holds up in any location or scenario.
Contact us today to discuss where your remote security gaps might be.