Security Tips for the Holidays

Security Tips for the Holidays

  • Dec 23, 2016

While you are out shopping for last-minute gifts for Christmas, thieves are out shopping for homes to burglarize. Use these tips to make sure your house doesn’t make an easy target this holiday season.

Christmas Tree Display

Burglars are lazy, so they tend to look for the easiest entry and escape routes. To make it more difficult for them, don’t display you Christmas tree and presents near a front or back window. It is too tempting for them to smash a window, grab the valuables and run.

Out of Town

If you are planning on heading out for the holidays, make sure that you home doesn’t look still for too long. Thieves tend to stake out at homes that look unoccupied, so make sure you tell a neighbor to gather your mail, pick up your newspapers and report any suspicious activity around your house if you plan to be gone. To throw criminals off, use a lighting system that automatically lights up when a doorbell rings, or that you can control remotely from a mobile device.

Easy Entrance

I know that it is easy to have a spare key hidden near your house in case on day you lose yours, but during the holidays be sure to pick up any hidden keys. Burglars will be sure to look under welcome mats, potted plants and lawn decorations to see if they can find an easy entry into your home. When you leave, make sure all doors are locked and dead bolted as well as windows and garage doors are closed and locked.

Social Media Tips

Try not to post travel plans on social media. If your last name is on anything on your house, burglars will try to use Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to find out if you are gone for an extended amount of time. Don’t worry, you can still share all the photos you want from your family trip to Hawaii, just make sure you wait to share them until you are back home.

Empty Boxes

After Christmas morning when all the presents are opened, be sure you don’t stack up the empty boxes outside on your curb. You are basically displaying all your new items to the neighborhood and all those who might be looking for a house to rob. Cut the boxes into small pieces and put them in a trash bag before you put them on the curb.

I hope that these tips help you out this holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the team at Security Today!

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.