The New Year Agenda for Hackers (Yes, Your Business Is Included)

Right now, somewhere in the world, a cybercriminal is planning for the new year.

They are not setting goals about wellness or balance.
They are reviewing what attacks paid off in 2025 and mapping out how to make even more money in 2026.

And small businesses are at the top of their list.

Not because you are reckless.
Because you are stretched thin.
And attackers count on that.

Here is what their 2026 strategy looks like, and what you can do to shut it down.

Resolution #1: “I Will Make Phishing Emails Look Completely Legit”

Obvious scam emails are mostly a thing of the past.

Today’s attacks are polished, believable, and hard to spot. Thanks to AI, phishing messages now:

• Read like normal business communication
• Match your company’s tone and wording
• Mention real vendors and partners you actually use
• Avoid the classic warning signs everyone was trained to look for

Attackers no longer rely on spelling mistakes. They rely on catching people at the right moment.

January is ideal for that. Teams are busy, inboxes are full, and everyone is moving quickly after the holidays.

A modern phishing message might look like this:

“Hi [your real name], I tried sending the updated invoice earlier, but it didn’t go through. Can you confirm this is still the correct email for accounting? I’ve attached the revised file. Let me know if you need anything. Thanks, [actual vendor name].”

No outrageous story. No urgent demand. Just a reasonable request from a familiar name.

How to shut it down:

• Teach your team to verify requests, not just read them. Any message involving payments or login details should be confirmed through a second method.
• Use advanced email security tools that detect impersonation, such as messages claiming to be from a trusted contact but originating from suspicious servers.
• Build a culture where double checking is encouraged. Taking time to confirm before responding should be seen as smart, not paranoid.

Resolution #2: "I Will Pretend to Be a Vendor… or Someone in Charge"

This tactic works because it feels completely legitimate.

An email comes in that looks routine:
“We’ve changed our banking information. Please update your records and send future payments to this account.”

Or a message appears from what looks like the owner or CEO:
“Need this wired immediately. I’m tied up and can’t talk.”

In some cases, it is not even a written message anymore.

Deepfake voice impersonation scams are increasing fast. Criminals can recreate voices using clips from videos, podcasts, public interviews, or even voicemail greetings. A finance employee gets a call from what sounds exactly like their boss asking for a quick, confidential favor.

This is not futuristic technology. It is already happening every day.

How to shut it down:

• Put a clear verification process in place for any changes to payment details. Always confirm using a trusted phone number that is already on file, never the contact information included in the message.
• Do not approve payment changes or wire transfers without direct confirmation through established communication channels.
• Require multifactor authentication on all financial and administrative accounts. Even if a password is compromised, access is still blocked.

Resolution #3: "I Will Focus on Small Businesses More Than Ever"

Cybercriminals used to aim almost exclusively at large organizations like banks, hospitals, and major corporations.

That changed.

Big companies invested heavily in security. Insurance requirements tightened. Attacks became harder, slower, and more likely to fail.

So attackers adjusted their strategy.

Instead of chasing one high risk payout, they now prefer many smaller wins. A series of $25,000 or $50,000 incidents is easier, faster, and far more predictable.

Small businesses have become the primary target.

You handle real money. You store valuable data. And most small organizations do not have a dedicated security team monitoring threats around the clock.

Attackers assume:

• Your team is stretched thin
• You do not have a dedicated security staff
• You have too many priorities competing for your time
• You believe "our business is too small to attract attention"

That assumption is exactly what makes you appealing.

How to shut it down:

• Stop making yourself an easy target. Simple protections like multifactor authentication, timely updates, and regularly tested backups make your business harder to attack than the one next door. Most criminals move on quickly.
• Drop the idea that size equals safety. Small businesses may not make headlines, but they make up a huge share of successful attacks.
• Bring in expert support. You do not need a massive security department. You need experienced professionals actively protecting your systems and watching for problems before they escalate.

Resolution #4: "I Will Take Advantage of Hiring Season and Tax Time Confusion"

The start of the year often means new employees joining the team. New hires have not learned your internal processes yet.

They want to help. They want to prove themselves. And they are less likely to challenge requests that appear to come from leadership.

From an attacker’s point of view, that makes them ideal targets.

A message shows up that sounds authoritative:
“Hi, this is the CEO. I’m on the road today. Can you take care of this quickly for me?”

A long tenured employee might pause. A brand new hire trying to make a strong first impression is far more likely to act immediately.

Tax season makes this even worse. Payroll related scams increase sharply. Requests for W-2s. Fake messages from HR. Phony IRS notices.

The playbook is simple: Someone pretends to be an executive or HR leader and sends an "urgent" request to payroll asking for employee tax forms. “I need copies of all W-2s for a meeting with the accountant. Please send them right away.”

Once those forms are handed over, every employee’s personal information is exposed. Social Security numbers, home addresses, and income details are now in criminal hands. Fraudulent tax returns get filed before your employees submit their own. Most people only discover the problem when their legitimate return is rejected as "duplicates".

How to shut it down:

• Include security awareness in the onboarding process. Before new employees receive email access, they should understand common scams and know that urgent gift card or payment requests are never legitimate.
• Put clear policies in writing. For example, W-2s are never sent by email, and any payment related request must be confirmed by phone. Make these rules easy to find and reinforce them regularly.
• Encourage verification. Employees who pause to confirm a request should be thanked and supported, not made to feel like they overreacted.

Prevention Always Wins.

When it comes to cybersecurity, there are really only two paths forward:

Option A: Deal with the fallout. An attack happens. You pay the ransom, bring in emergency support, notify customers, rebuild systems, and work to restore trust. Cost: tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Recovery: weeks or longer. Outcome: Your business may continue, but the experience leaves a permanent mark.

Option B: Stop the attack before it starts. You put the right protections in place. Your team knows what to watch for. Systems are monitored. Weak points are addressed before anyone takes advantage of them. Cost: the expense is far lower than Option A. Timeline: work happens quietly in the background. Outcome: Very simple. Nothing goes wrong, which is exactly the goal.

You do not purchase a fire extinguisher after a building burns down.
You keep one on hand so you never have to use it.

How to Derail Their Year

The right IT partner helps keep your business off the list of "easy wins" by:

• Watching your systems around the clock to spot threats before they turn into real damage
• Locking down access so a single stolen password cannot unlock everything
• Educating your team on realistic, modern scams, not just the obvious ones everyone already knows
• Putting verification rules in place so payment fraud cannot succeed with one convincing message
• Managing and testing backups so ransomware causes disruption, not a business ending crisis
• Applying updates and patches early to eliminate vulnerabilities before attackers can use them

This is about stopping problems early, not scrambling after the damage is done.

Cybercriminals are already planning the year ahead. They are confident, organized, and counting on businesses being distracted, short staffed, and under protected.

The goal is simple. Make sure yours is not one of them. Let’s make their plans fail.

Remove Your Business From The Target List

Schedule a New Year Cybersecurity Reality Check.

We will identify where your risks actually are, what deserves immediate attention, and how to stop your business from being an easy target in 2026.

No fear based messaging. No technical jargon. Just an honest assessment of your current security posture and clear next steps.

Book your 15-minute New Year Security Reality Check here

Because the smartest New Year’s resolution is making sure your business is not helping criminals hit their goals.