January 26, 2026
Right now, cybercriminals are drafting their own New Year's resolutions—not for self-improvement, but for more effective cyberattacks in 2026.
Unlike your goals around "self-care" or "work-life balance," their focus is on refining tactics to exploit businesses like yours.
Why small businesses? Not due to negligence, but because you're busy—and criminals thrive on that distraction.
Let's dive into their 2026 strategy—and how you can outsmart them.
Resolution #1: Craft Phishing Emails That Appear Authentic and Foolproof
The days of clumsy, obvious scam emails are long gone.
Today's AI-driven phishing uses emails that:
- Sound genuinely natural and conversational
- Mirror your company's tone and jargon
- Reference actual vendors your business uses
- Avoid typical red flags, making detection harder
These emails don't rely on spelling errors; they bank on impeccable timing—such as the busy post-holiday rush in January.
Example phishing email:
"Hi [your actual name], I tried sending the updated invoice, but it bounced back. Could you confirm if this is the correct accounting email? I've attached the revised version. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, [name of your actual vendor]"
No flashy scams, just simple, believable messages from trusted contacts.
How to defend yourself:
- Train your team to always verify money or credential requests through a separate communication channel.
- Implement advanced email filters to spot impersonation attempts—such as discrepancies in the sender's server location.
- Foster a culture that values verification. Celebrating "I double-checked" moments helps keep your team vigilant.
Resolution #2: Impersonate Vendors or Executives to Trick Employees
These scams are especially convincing and dangerous.
Imagine receiving an email stating:
"We've updated our banking info. Please use this new account for all future payments."
Or a text from "your CEO" saying:
"Urgent! Wire the funds now—I'm in a meeting and can't talk."
Deepfake voice scams are also on the rise, using cloned voices from public recordings to convincingly impersonate executives, making fraudulent requests that sound startlingly real.
Your defense strategy:
- Always verify bank detail changes using pre-established contact numbers, never the info in the suspicious email.
- Mandate voice confirmation through trusted channels before approving payments.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) across all finance and administrative accounts for added security.
Resolution #3: Intensify Attacks on Small Businesses
With large corporations strengthening their defenses, attackers are shifting focus to small businesses—seeing you as vulnerable, valuable, and less protected.
Small enterprises face risks like:
- Limited staffing and no dedicated security team
- Overwhelmed leadership juggling numerous priorities
- False assumption that you're "too small to be targeted"
Such misconceptions make you an ideal victim.
How to protect your business:
- Implement essential safeguards—MFA, routine updates, and tested backups—to elevate your security beyond others and deter attackers.
- Reject the belief that size offers safety; small businesses are frequent targets precisely because of their size.
- Partner with cybersecurity experts to bolster defenses without needing a full internal team.
Resolution #4: Exploit New Employees and Tax Season Confusion
January brings fresh hires who haven't yet mastered your protocols—they're keen to help and less likely to question instructions, making them prime targets.
Attackers impersonate executives or HR to send urgent requests for sensitive documents like W-2s, leading to data theft and tax fraud that impacts your entire team.
Countermeasures:
- Educate new hires about scams during onboarding, before granting email access.
- Establish and enforce clear policies, such as "W-2s are never emailed" and "all payment requests require phone verification."
- Encourage and reward verification efforts—recognize employees who confirm suspicious requests.
Prevention Outweighs Recovery Every Time
Cybersecurity leaves you with two paths:
React: Face costly ransom payments, emergency remediation, customer notifications, system rebuilds, and months of recovery—and the lasting impact on your reputation.
Prevent: Invest in robust security, continuous monitoring, ongoing training, and vulnerability management to stop threats before they arise—at a fraction of the cost.
Just like buying a fire extinguisher before a blaze, proactive cybersecurity measures keep you safe without the crisis.
How to Defend Your Business in 2026
A trusted IT partner helps by:
- Providing 24/7 system monitoring to intercept threats early
- Securing access so a single compromised password doesn't mean disaster
- Training your team on detecting advanced scams, not just obvious ones
- Implementing strict verification policies to prevent wire fraud
- Maintaining reliable backups to turn ransomware into a minor inconvenience
- Applying timely security patches to close vulnerabilities promptly
Focus on prevention, not firefighting.
As criminals set their 2026 plans hoping to exploit unprepared businesses, let's prove them wrong.
Remove Your Business from Their Target List Today
Schedule a New Year Security Reality Check!
We'll identify your vulnerabilities, prioritize what matters most, and empower you to stop being an easy target in 2026.
No hype or confusing jargon—just a clear, actionable security snapshot.
Click here or give us a call at (419) 522-4001 to book your 15-Minute Discovery Call.
Because the smartest New Year's resolution is protecting your business from becoming someone else's next goal.
