by Spectrum Business
Cybercrime is expected to target small businesses in 2026 by combining familiar methods with new technologies. This trend, which has been on the rise for years, will test the resilience of new and established entrepreneurs alike.
Leaders today need to be ready for these challenges. Readiness itself takes many forms, from a well-trained workforce to installing smart solutions to having a partner you can count on.
According to the National Small Business Association, “Many small businesses remain susceptible to cyberattacks due to lack of resources and surprisingly, a lack of knowledge of the threat.” This latter condition, which has been growing for some time, will only deepen in 2026.
The full effects of AI’s widespread use in business today are still being felt. But more of that impact is being seen in how it is used to attack businesses by stealing and hijacking data and disrupting activity.
Recent history shows no target is too small for hackers; in fact, AI allows them to be less selective with its ability to design attacks with greater degrees of frequency and complexity. But AI is being used to stop breaches, too.
AI already has the capacity to detect and counter breaches the moment they occur; in 2026 the phenomenon called “AI vs. AI” will be more pronounced. Having advanced security tools and high-speed connectivity in place are keys for small businesses to be proactively postured.
One of the oldest forms of cyberattack, phishing continues to be a bane for all businesses. Using fake emails as trojan horses to infect networks with malware, phishing has only grown in popularity, especially for criminals using ransomware.
For small businesses, phishing can carry a steep cost. It is estimated that on average, a successful phishing attack costs a small business $200,000. Lower expectations of running into stringent security protocols and technology make them appealingly soft targets to hackers.
Add to this agentic AI, able to simulate communications from people known to small business employees, and phishing is on track to continue as a preferred tactic for cybercriminals in 2026.
The good news? Small business leaders have been investing in the right tools. This includes proactively training employees to be more wary of suspicious communications and know how to respond if they think they have been breached.
Learn how Spectrum Business helps small businesses be better prepared for different types of cybercrime.
