Sure, you and your crew might be rolling back into the office with tan lines and seashell souvenirs, but guess who never takes a vacation? Cybercriminals.
Data from security vendors like ProofPoint and Check Point show phishing attacks actually spike during the summer months. So while you’re daydreaming about your next beach getaway, hackers are busy plotting how to sink your business’s cybersecurity defenses.
Here’s why phishing risks are higher this time of year—and how Gulf Coast businesses can stay ahead of the storm.
Why The Increased Risk?
First, hackers know you’ve got the travel bug. Check Point Research uncovered a sharp jump in cyberthreats tied to the travel industry—especially shady sites posing as hotel and Airbnb booking pages. In May 2025 alone, there was a 55% increase in newly registered “vacation-related” website domains compared to the same time last year. Out of over 39,000 new domains, roughly 1 in 21 turned out to be either malicious or suspicious.
Translation: cybercriminals are cashing in on your wanderlust.
August also means back-to-school season, which fuels a rise in phishing emails masquerading as legit university messages. Even if your business has nothing to do with academia, employees heading back to class—or helping kids get ready—might check personal emails on company devices. And remember: it only takes one wrong click for hackers to waltz into your business network and cause chaos.
What Gulf Coast Businesses Should Do
Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword. It’s making cybersecurity and IT support smarter and more efficient—but it’s also helping cybercrooks craft phishing emails that look scarily legit. That’s why it’s crucial to keep yourself and your team on high alert.
Here’s how Gulf Coast businesses can keep phishing threats at bay:
- Watch out for shady emails. AI can help attackers write emails that sound perfectly polished. So don’t rely on spotting typos alone. Check the sender’s email address and hover over links to inspect their real destinations.
- Double-check those URLs. Hackers love using domain names that look almost right, with sneaky misspellings or odd endings like “.today” or “.info.” Those can be giant red flags for phishing scams.
- Go straight to the website yourself. If you get an email about an account, reservation, or invoice, don’t click the link—instead, type the website’s address directly into your browser.
- Use Multifactor Authentication (MFA). MFA is like locking the vault with two keys instead of one. Even if cybercriminals steal your password, MFA helps keep your business’s data safe.
- Be careful with public Wi-Fi. Heading to your favorite Gulf Coast coffee shop or marina café? If you’re using public Wi-Fi, fire up a VPN to keep prying eyes away from sensitive data.
- Keep personal stuff off work devices. Mixing personal email or social media with business devices is risky. Save your personal browsing for your personal phone or laptop.
- Talk to your IT provider about endpoint security. Good endpoint detection and response (EDR) software can sniff out suspicious activity and alert your managed IT support team before cybercriminals do real damage.
Phishing attacks get more sophisticated every day—and AI is only helping the bad guys get craftier. For Gulf Coast businesses, staying educated is the best defense. So keep your crew informed, stay vigilant, and don’t let cybercriminals ruin your summer vibe.
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