Somewhere Right Now, a Cybercriminal Is Setting New Year’s Resolutions
They’re not working on self-care.
They’re not planning work-life balance.
They’re reviewing what worked in 2025 and planning how to steal more in 2026.
And small businesses are their favorite target.
Not because you’re careless.
Because you’re busy.
And criminals love busy.
Here’s their 2026 game plan and how to ruin it.
Resolution #1: “I’ll Send Phishing Emails That Don’t Look Fake Anymore”
The days of obvious scam emails are over.
AI now writes phishing messages that:
- Sound completely normal
- Match your company’s tone and language
- Reference real vendors you actually work with
- Skip the obvious red flags
They don’t need bad grammar anymore.
They need timing.
And January is perfect timing. Everyone’s distracted, moving fast, catching up after the holidays.
A modern phishing email looks like this:
Hi [your actual name],
I tried sending the updated invoice but the file bounced back. Can you confirm this is still the right email for accounting? Here’s the new version, let me know if you have questions.
Thanks,
[Name of your actual vendor]
No Nigerian prince.
No panic language.
Just familiar and reasonable.
That’s why it works.
Your counter-move:
- Train your team to verify, not just read. Any request involving money or credentials gets confirmed through a second channel.
- Use advanced email filtering that detects impersonation — not just spam.
- Build a culture where verification is praised.
“I checked first” should be a win, not an embarrassment.
Resolution #2: “I’ll Impersonate Your Vendors… or Your Boss”
This one hurts because it feels real.
A vendor email arrives:
We’ve updated our banking details. Please use this new account going forward.
Or a text hits accounting:
Urgent. Wire this now. I’m in a meeting.
Sometimes it’s not text anymore.
Deepfake voice scams are real and increasing.
Attackers clone voices from videos, podcasts, even voicemail greetings.
Your “CEO” calls finance asking for a quick favor and it sounds exactly like them.
That’s not science fiction.
That’s already happening.
Your counter-move:
- Mandatory callback verification for anybanking or payment change.
- No money moves without confirmation through known, trusted channels.
- MFA on all finance and admin accounts. A stolen password alone should never be enough.
Resolution #3: “I’ll Target Small Businesses Harder Than Ever”
Attackers used to focus on big companies.
Then big companies got better:
- Stronger security
- Tighter insurance requirements
- More monitoring
So criminals adapted.
Why attempt one difficult $5M attack when you can quietly pull off 100 smaller $50K attacks?
Small businesses have:
- Money worth stealing
- Data worth ransoming
- No dedicated security team
And one dangerous belief:
“We’re too small to be a target.”
That belief is their favorite vulnerability.
Your counter-move:
- Stop being low-hanging fruit. MFA, patching, and tested backups already make you harder than most.
- Remove “too small to matter” from your vocabulary.
You’re not too small to be targeted, just too small to make headlines. - Get professional security help. You don’t need an enterprise SOC; you need someone watching your environment.
Resolution #4: “I’ll Exploit New Hires and Tax-Season Chaos”
January brings new employees.
New employees:
- Want to impress
- Don’t know your rules yet
- Won’t question authority
From an attacker’s perspective? Ideal.
“Hey, I’m the CEO. Can you handle this quickly?”
A seasoned employee pauses.
A new hire jumps.
Then tax scams ramp up:
- Fake IRS notices
- Payroll phishing
- W-2 requests impersonating HR or leadership
Once attackers get W-2s, every employee’s identity is exposed.
Fraudulent returns get filed before your team files their own.
They find out when legitimate returns are rejected.
Your counter-move:
- Security training during onboarding beforeemail access.
- Clear, written rules:
- “We never email W-2s.”
- “Payment requests must be verified.”
- Reward verification. Make checking first a protected behavior.
Preventable Beats Recoverable. Every Time.
You have two cybersecurity paths:
Option A: React
Pay the ransom.
Hire emergency help.
Notify customers.
Rebuild systems.
Repair trust.
Cost: Tens or hundreds of thousands
Timeline: Weeks to months
Outcome: You survive, permanently changed
Option B: Prevent
Secure systems.
Train people.
Monitor threats.
Close vulnerabilities early.
Cost: A fraction
Timeline: Ongoing and mostly invisible
Outcome: Nothing happens which is the goal
You don’t buy a fire extinguisher after the building burns.
You buy it so you never need it.
How to Ruin a Cybercriminal’s Year
A good Managed Security Service Provider keeps you off the “easy target” list by:
- Monitoring systems 24/7
- Catching threats before damage starts
- Locking down access so one mistake doesn’t cascade
- Training teams on modern, realistic scams
- Enforcing verification for financial actions
- Testing backups so ransomware becomes an inconvenience
- Patching vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them
That’s fire prevention, not firefighting.
Take Your Business Off Their Target List
Cybercriminals are optimistic about 2026.
They’re counting on businesses being:
- Busy
- Understaffed
- Unprotected
Let’s disappoint them.
We’ll show you:
- Where you’re exposed
- What actually matters
- How to stop being low-hanging fruit in 2026
No scare tactics.
No jargon.
Just clarity.
To see how we help businesses like yours solve problems using tech, give us a call at (303) 423-4500 or book your FREE Security Huddle instantly here: https://business.newpush.com
Because the best New Year’s resolution is making sure you’re not on someone else’s list of goals.
