January 26, 2026
Right now, cybercriminals are crafting their own New Year's resolutions—but these aren't about self-care or balance.
Instead, they're analyzing successful scams from 2025 and plotting sophisticated attacks to steal more in 2026.
Small businesses are their prime targets—not due to carelessness, but because your busy schedules create perfect vulnerabilities.
Here's a glimpse into their 2026 strategy and how you can effectively disrupt it.
Resolution #1: Craft Phishing Emails That Blend Seamlessly Into Your Inbox
The era of obvious scam emails is over.
With AI, attackers send messages that:
- Sound authentic and natural
- Incorporate your company's terminology
- Reference legitimate vendors you work with
- Avoid typical giveaway mistakes
Instead of relying on typos, these attacks rely on perfect timing—January, when distractions are high post-holidays, is their prime moment.
Picture this phishing email:
"Hi [your actual name], I attempted to send the updated invoice but it bounced back. Could you confirm if this is still the right email for accounting? Here's the new version—let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, [your actual vendor's name]."
No flashy scams here—just a convincing message from a familiar contact.
Your defense:
- Educate your team to verify all requests involving money or credentials through separate, trusted channels.
- Deploy advanced email filters that detect impersonation, flagging suspicious senders.
- Foster a work culture where verifying requests is encouraged and applauded.
Resolution #2: Impersonate Your Vendors or Executives With Unmatched Realism
This tactic is especially dangerous because it feels authentic.
Examples include emails saying:
"We've updated our bank details; please use this new account for payments."
Or urgent texts from "the CEO" demanding immediate wire transfers due to back-to-back meetings.
Even more alarming are deepfake voice scams where attackers clone voices from online sources to trick your finance team.
Your defense:
- Implement strict callback procedures for bank account changes, always using known phone numbers.
- Require voice confirmation via trusted channels before any payments move forward.
- Activate multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all finance and admin accounts to block unauthorized access.
Resolution #3: Target Small Businesses With Increased Frequency and Sophistication
Previously focused on large corporations, cybercriminals now view small businesses as lucrative and less protected targets.
Why risk one massive $5 million attack when multiple smaller $50,000 breaches nearly guarantee profit?
Attackers know small businesses often lack dedicated security teams and are overextended.
Your defense:
- Implement fundamental security practices: MFA, timely updates, and reliable backups to deter attackers.
- Reject the myth, "We're too small to be targeted"—size doesn't grant immunity, only invisibility.
- Partner with cybersecurity experts to safeguard your operations without needing an in-house team.
Resolution #4: Exploit New Employee Onboarding and Tax Season Confusion
January ushers in new hires who are eager but inexperienced with your security protocols.
This eagerness is exploited by attackers posing as executives, prompting rushed actions from new staff.
Tax season scams escalate too, using fake IRS notices and fraudulent W-2 requests.
If attackers obtain W-2 forms, employees' identities are at severe risk, leading to fraudulent tax filings.
Your defense:
- Integrate scam awareness training into onboarding before email access is granted.
- Establish clear policies: No W-2 forms via email and mandatory phone verification of payment requests.
- Encourage and reward employees who proactively verify suspicious requests.
Prevention Always Beats Recovery
You face two choices in cybersecurity:
Option A: React post-attack—pay ransoms, hire emergency responders, notify clients, rebuild systems, and repair your reputation, incurring heavy costs and long recovery times.
Option B: Proactively defend—establish strong security, train your team, monitor threats vigilantly, and close vulnerabilities early, all at a fraction of the cost and disruption.
Like fire safety, you invest not because disasters are expected, but so they never happen.
How to Keep Your Business Off the Cybercriminals' Radar
Partnering with a reliable IT security team means:
- Continuous system monitoring to catch threats before breaches occur.
- Strengthening credentials to prevent access from a single compromised password.
- Educating your team on sophisticated scams that bypass traditional filters.
- Enforcing verification processes to prevent wire transfer frauds.
- Maintaining tested backups, so ransomware incidents are manageable, not devastating.
- Regular patch management to close vulnerabilities ahead of attackers.
Focus on prevention rather than crisis management.
Cybercriminals are already crafting their 2026 goals, hopeful that businesses remain unprepared and understaffed.
Don't make their plans succeed.
Secure Your Business Now
Schedule a comprehensive New Year Security Reality Check.
We'll identify your vulnerabilities, prioritize what matters most, and guide you to stop being an easy target in 2026.
No fear-mongering. No complex jargon. Just a clear, actionable security roadmap.
Because the smartest New Year's resolution is ensuring you're never on a cybercriminal's target list.
