January 25, 2026
Right now, somewhere in the digital shadows, cybercriminals are crafting their own New Year's resolutions.
Instead of focusing on wellness or balance, they analyze what schemes succeeded in 2025 and strategize on increasing their stolen gains in 2026.
And guess who's their prime target? Small businesses.
Not due to negligence,
but because small businesses are relentlessly busy — the perfect environment for cybercrime.
Here's the cyber attacker's 2026 playbook — and how you can shut it down.
Resolution #1: "I Will Craft Phishing Emails That Are Nearly Impossible to Spot"
The days of glaringly obvious scam emails are behind us.
Today's AI-powered emails:
- Sound authentic and conversational
- Match your company's tone and language perfectly
- Include references to your real vendors and partners
- Avoid traditional red flags that raise suspicion
Phishing no longer relies on spelling mistakes — it thrives on impeccable timing.
January is a prime window. With everyone rushing to catch up post-holidays, vigilance drops.
Imagine receiving an email like:
"Hi [your actual name], I couldn't deliver the updated invoice. Could you verify this's still the correct accounting email? Here's the revised copy — please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, [your actual vendor's name]."
It's genuine and unassuming. No grand tales about Nigerian princes or wire transfers, just a routine request from a familiar contact.
Your strategic defense:
- Educate your staff to verify all requests involving finances or credentials through alternate communication channels.
- Deploy smart email filters that detect spoofed or impersonated senders, especially those coming from suspicious locations.
- Foster a workplace culture that applauds double-checking, where "I verified before responding" is valued, not dismissed.
Resolution #2: "I Will Mimic Your Vendors and Leadership to Trick Your Team"
This tactic is alarmingly convincing.
Picture this:
A vendor sends an email: "Our bank account details have changed. Please update your payment information."
Or a text from "the CEO" commands urgently:
"Transfer funds immediately. I'm tied up in meetings and can't take calls."
And it's not limited to texts or emails anymore.
Deepfake voice scams are escalating. Criminals clone voices from online videos, podcasts, or voicemail greetings. Suddenly, a "CEO's" voice asks your finance team for an urgent favor — sounding completely authentic.
This is today's reality.
Your proactive approach:
- Implement a strict callback policy for all changes to bank account information using known, verified phone numbers.
- Mandate voice confirmation through trusted channels before any payment is processed.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all finance and administrative accounts to block unauthorized access even if passwords are compromised.
Resolution #3: "I Will Intensify Attacks on Small Businesses"
Historically, cybercriminals targeted large corporations like banks, hospitals, and Fortune 500 companies.
But as these entities fortified their defenses and insurance rules tightened, they became tougher to breach.
So attackers shifted strategy.
Rather than risk one massive $5 million attack, they prefer multiple smaller, near-certain $50,000 breaches.
You, as a small business, hold valuable data and funds but often lack dedicated cybersecurity teams.
Attackers count on these facts:
- Your team is stretched thin
- You don't have specialized security staff
- You juggle multiple priorities simultaneously
- You believe "we're too small to be targeted"
That last assumption is exactly what hackers exploit.
Your defense strategy:
- Implement fundamental security measures like MFA, continuous updates, and regular backup testing to make yourself a tougher target than your competitors.
- Rid yourself of the myth that small size means security; attackers focus on small businesses precisely because they often lack visibility.
- Partner with cybersecurity experts who provide vigilant monitoring and support without requiring a full internal team.
Resolution #4: "I Will Exploit New Employee Onboarding and Tax Season Confusion"
January is a time of fresh hires, who are eager but unfamiliar with your security protocols.
Such employees want to please and rarely question instructions, making them prime targets.
Scams creep in like:
"I'm the CEO. Please handle this urgent task—I'm traveling and can't talk right now."
Tax season also fuels scams with fake W-2 requests, payroll phishing, and counterfeit IRS notices.
An attacker impersonates HR or leadership, demanding employee W-2s "immediately." This leaks sensitive employee information, enabling fraudulent tax filings that disrupt your staff's finances.
Your preemptive measures:
- Integrate cybersecurity training into employee onboarding before email access, educating them on spotting scams and understanding your policies.
- Establish clear, written policies: no W-2s sent via email, and all payment requests must be verified by phone.
- Recognize and reward employees who proactively verify suspicious requests, transforming caution into a valued behavior.
Prevention Always Beats Damage Control.
Facing cybersecurity threats, you have a choice:
Option A: Respond after the breach — paying ransoms, hiring emergency teams, notifying clients, restoring systems, and rebuilding trust. This costs thousands to hundreds of thousands, takes weeks or months, and leaves lasting scars.
Option B: Prevent attacks through strong security measures, team training, ongoing threat monitoring, and patching vulnerabilities. This option costs significantly less, runs quietly in the background, and means your business stays secure.
Remember, you don't purchase a fire extinguisher after your building burns — you have it ready to avoid disaster.
Protect Your Business in 2026.
An expert IT partner will safeguard you by:
- Monitoring your networks around the clock, stopping threats early
- Securing access controls to limit damage from compromised credentials
- Training your employees on sophisticated scams, beyond the obvious tricks
- Enforcing strict verification rules so wire fraud demands more than an email
- Maintaining tested backups, making ransomware a minor setback
- Applying patches promptly to close vulnerabilities before they're exploited
Focus on fire prevention, not emergency response.
Cybercriminals are mapping out their 2026 attacks, counting on small businesses to remain vulnerable.
Let's turn the tables and make your business untouchable.
Remove Your Business from the Hacker's Radar.
Schedule your New Year Security Reality Check.
Discover your vulnerabilities, prioritize what matters, and learn how to stop being an easy target in 2026.
No fear-mongering, no confusing jargon — just clear, actionable insights.
Click here or give us a call at 1300 765 014 to book your 15-Minute Discovery Call.
Make the best resolution this year: ensuring you're never a goal on a cybercriminal's list.
