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

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services

  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • 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.