Why Weekends and Holidays Are Prime Time for Cyberattacks
By Reuben Kamp, CEO and Founder, Darkhorse Tech

Cybercriminals are strategic. They do not attack at random, and they certainly do not take weekends or holidays off. According to HIPAA Journal, these low staffing periods are some of the most dangerous times for organizations, especially in healthcare and dental environments where uptime and data protection are critical.

Threat actors deliberately time attacks to coincide with reduced vigilance, knowing fewer security staff are available to detect and respond. As HIPAA Journal reports, attackers take advantage of predictable gaps in monitoring and response during nights, weekends, and holidays.

Key findings from the HIPAA Journal article include:

• “56 percent of ransomware attacks in the United States occur on a weekend or holiday.” (HIPAA Journal)
• “47 percent of ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations take place during weekends or holidays.” (HIPAA Journal)
• “73 percent of healthcare organizations reduce SOC staffing by 50 percent or more during these periods.” (HIPAA Journal)
• “5 percent of healthcare organizations report having no SOC coverage at all on weekends or holidays.” (HIPAA Journal)

These statistics highlight a dangerous mismatch between attacker behavior and defender readiness.

One of the most concerning points from HIPAA Journal is that some organizations simply do not expect attacks during off hours. That assumption creates opportunity. When alerts go unmonitored and escalation paths are slower, attackers gain valuable dwell time, allowing them to move laterally, disable backups, exfiltrate data, and deploy ransomware with devastating efficiency.

For dental and healthcare organizations, the takeaway is straightforward:

• Cybersecurity is not a business hours function
• Reduced staffing must be offset with automation or third party monitoring
• Incident response plans must account for weekends and holidays
• Assuming attackers will wait until Monday is a critical mistake

At Darkhorse Tech, we design and manage security with the understanding that attackers operate around the clock. Whether it is a holiday weekend or the middle of the night, your systems, data, and patients must remain protected.

As HIPAA Journal emphasizes, threat actors intentionally exploit low-vigilance periods, so your defenses must be deliberate and continuous. Cybercriminals plan their attacks carefully. Your security should be just as strategic.

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Darkhorse Dental IT Is Here For You

We understand that caring for your patients is your top priority. Dealing with a computer issue, slow IT response time or HIPAA compliance requirements just aren’t high on your list of to-do’s. That’s where Darkhorse Dental Tech comes in. Our team of Dental IT specialists are experts when it comes to running a great, secure and successful practice —and so much more. Whether you’re looking for IT services for startups, or existing support and security services for your practice, Darkhorse can do it all for you, so you can get back to your patients.

Have questions? Looking for ideas? Just want to talk teeth? Drop us a line at sales@darkhorsetech.com to get the conversation started! Or head to our Contact page to send us a message. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

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