Right now, cybercriminals are setting their 2026 goals.
Not “self-care” or “work-life balance.”
They’re planning how to steal more and small businesses are their favorite target.

Not because you’re careless.
Because you’re busy.
And criminals love busy.

Here’s their game plan and how to stop them cold.

Resolution #1: “Send Phishing Emails That Look Real”

Forget the old scam emails full of typos. AI now writes messages that:

  • Sound normal
  • Use your company’s language
  • Reference real vendors
  • Skip obvious red flags

January is prime time, everyone’s distracted and catching up after the holidays.

Your defense:

  • Train staff to verify requests, not just read them
  • Use advanced email filtering to catch impersonation attempts
  • Create a culture where questioning is praised, not punished

Resolution #2: “Impersonate Your Vendors… or Your Boss”

Fake vendor emails. Deepfake voice calls. Texts from “the CEO” demanding urgent payments.
This isn’t sci-fi, it’s happening now.

Your defense:

  • Callback policy for any bank changes
  • MFA on every finance and admin account
  • No payment moves without voice confirmation through known channels

Resolution #3: “Target Small Businesses Harder Than Ever”

Big companies got harder to hack. So criminals pivoted:
100 attacks at $50K each are easier than one $5M attack.
Small businesses have money worth stealing and often lack dedicated security.

Your defense:

  • Stop being low-hanging fruit: MFA, updates, tested backups
  • Drop the “we’re too small” mindset
  • Get professional help: Managed IT services make you harder to hit

Resolution #4: “Exploit New Hires and Tax Season”

New employees don’t know your rules yet. They want to impress. Perfect targets.
Tax season scams? W-2 phishing, fake IRS notices, payroll fraud.

Your defense:

  • Security training during onboarding
  • Written policies: “We never email W-2s”
  • Reward verification, make caution a virtue

Preventable Beats Recoverable

You have two choices:
Option A: React after the attack. Pay ransom, hire emergency help, notify customers. Cost: six figures.
Option B: Prevent the attack. Implement security, train staff, monitor systems. Cost: a fraction.

You don’t buy a fire extinguisher after the fire.
You buy it so you never need it.

How to Ruin Their Year

A good IT support partner keeps you off the “easy target” list by:

  • 24/7 monitoring to catch threats early
  • Tightening access and credentials
  • Training your team on modern scams
  • Setting verification policies for payments
  • Maintaining and testing backups
  • Patching vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them

Fire prevention, not firefighting.

Take Your Business Off Their Target List

Book a New Year Security Reality Check:
✅ 15 minutes
✅ No jargon
✅ No pressure
✅ Just clarity

Schedule your 15-minute call now

Because the best resolution is making sure you’re not on someone else’s list.