January 25, 2026
Right now, somewhere out there, a cybercriminal is drafting their New Year's resolutions — but not the kind focused on self-improvement or balance.
Instead, they're analyzing their 2025 tactics and strategizing smarter ways to exploit businesses in 2026.
Small businesses are at the top of their hit list.
Why? Not because you're careless, but because your busy schedule creates opportunities.
Cybercriminals prey on that busyness.
Here's their cyberattack playbook for 2026 — and how you can dismantle it.
Resolution #1: Craft Phishing Emails That Blend Seamlessly
The days of obvious, poorly written scam emails are behind us.
Thanks to AI, fraudulent messages now:
- Sound authentic and natural
- Mirror your company's communication style
- Reference genuine vendors you actually work with
- Exclude typical warning signs like typos or urgent pleas
They rely on perfect timing instead of obvious mistakes.
January, when attention is divided and workloads spike, is their prime time.
Imagine this phishing email:
"Hi [your actual name], I attempted to send the updated invoice but it bounced back. Could you confirm if this email is still correct for accounting? Here's the revised file — let me know if you need anything else. Thanks, [name of your actual vendor]"
No sensational scams or urgent demands — just a believable request from a trusted contact.
How to Protect Your Business:
- Empower your team to verify every financial or credential-related request through a different communication channel.
- Implement sophisticated email filters that detect and flag impersonation attempts, such as emails spoofing your accountant but originating from suspicious locations.
- Foster a company culture where questioning unusual requests is encouraged and rewarded, not dismissed as paranoia.
Resolution #2: Perfect Vendor and Executive Impersonations
This tactic is highly effective because it sounds so genuine.
Example scenarios:
"We've updated our bank details. Please use the new account for all future payments." — supposedly from a vendor.
Or a text from "the CEO" to your finance team:
"Urgent wire transfer. I'm in a meeting and can't talk."
These days, scams can even utilize deepfake audio, mimicking your CEO's voice exactly by harvesting samples from online content.
This isn't science fiction — it's happening now.
How to Defend:
- Institute a mandatory callback policy for bank detail changes, using phone numbers independently verified — never those in suspicious emails.
- Require voice confirmation over trusted channels before any payment authorization.
- Protect financial and administrative accounts with multi-factor authentication to block unauthorized access even if passwords are compromised.
Resolution #3: Intensify Targeting of Small Businesses
Historically, hackers aimed at major organizations — banks, hospitals, large corporations.
But as enterprise defenses improved, the risk and effort involved grew.
So, attackers shifted focus to small businesses — where defenses are often weaker.
Rather than one risky $5 million heist, they attempt many smaller, often successful, $50,000 breaches.
They count on small businesses being:
- Understaffed and overwhelmed
- Lack dedicated security teams
- Believing they're too small to attract hackers
This false sense of security is their greatest advantage.
Counter Strategies:
- Implement basic, effective security measures like MFA, regular system updates, and tested backups to make yourself a tough target.
- Discard the myth that your business is too small to be attacked — this only makes you vulnerable.
- Partner with cybersecurity experts who can provide continuous monitoring and support without needing a full in-house team.
Resolution #4: Exploit New Employees and Tax Season Confusion
January brings fresh hires unfamiliar with your company's security protocols.
Their eagerness to help can make them susceptible victims.
Attackers leverage this by sending messages like:
"I'm the CEO. Please process this quickly — I'm traveling and can't attend to it personally."
Veteran employees may hesitate, but new hires often comply instantly.
Classical tax season scams also escalate: fake payroll requests, W-2 fishing, counterfeit IRS notices.
These ploys aim to gather sensitive employee information for fraudulent tax filings, causing financial chaos for your staff.
Your Best Defense:
- Include comprehensive security training during onboarding to educate new hires about scams and never rushing payment or information requests.
- Establish and communicate clear policies: examples include "W-2s are never emailed" and "all payment requests are verified by phone."
- Recognize and reward employees who verify suspicious requests rather than penalize them.
Prevention is Always More Affordable than Recovery
In cybersecurity, you face two clear paths:
Option A: React post-attack — paying ransoms, hiring emergency teams, managing damaged reputation, and enduring lengthy downtime. Costs can soar into the hundreds of thousands, and recovery might take months.
Option B: Proactively protect your business — implement strong security, train your staff, and monitor threats continuously. This approach costs a fraction of recovery and ensures peace of mind.
Think of this like buying a fire extinguisher — you hope you never need it, but you're ready if you do.
How to Stay Off Their Radar in 2026
An expert IT partner helps keep your business out of the "easy target" category by:
- Providing 24/7 system monitoring to detect threats before they cause harm
- Securing access credentials so stolen passwords can't compromise all systems
- Delivering advanced scam awareness training to recognize sophisticated attacks
- Implementing strict verification processes to thwart wire fraud
- Maintaining regular, tested backups so ransomware becomes only a minor inconvenience
- Applying updates promptly to close vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them
Focus on prevention, not firefighting.
Cybercriminals are optimistic for 2026, counting on businesses like yours to be unprepared. It's time to turn the tables.
Remove Your Business from Their Target List
Schedule a New Year Security Reality Check.
Discover your vulnerabilities, prioritize what truly matters, and learn how to become a difficult target in 2026.
No scare tactics. No complex jargon. Just a clear understanding of your security stance and effective next steps.
Click here or give us a call at 1300 136 410 to book your 15-Minute Discovery Call.
Remember, the smartest New Year's resolution is to ensure you're never on a cybercriminal's to-do list.
