At first glance, the water seems still.
That's what makes Shark Week so compelling every year: the real danger isn't on the surface. It's already moving below it.
Cybercriminals work the same way. Today's threats are built to blend into everyday operations until the exact moment something breaks, money is redirected, or systems go offline.
And during the summer months, when routines change, employees are traveling, and oversight naturally thins out, attackers know businesses are easier to catch off guard.
Right now, these are three of the biggest risks circling your business.
1. Invoice fraud and vendor impersonation
In many cases, attackers never need to break in. They only need to send one convincing email.
This is known as business email compromise (BEC), and it happens when a criminal poses as a vendor, supplier, or executive your team already trusts.
The message looks routine, a payment gets approved, and by the time anyone questions it, the money is gone.
These attacks increase during vacation season for a reason. When the usual approver is out of office, requests often land with someone who doesn't know the process well enough to spot the warning signs. A temporary backup is also less likely to challenge urgency, and attackers count on that.
The solution is straightforward: create a verification step for every financial request received by email. A fast callback to a verified number, never the one included in the message, can stop most fraudulent requests before they move forward.
2. Phishing that catches distracted employees
Phishing succeeds because it is designed around how people behave when they are rushed, distracted, or multitasking.
Attackers build those moments on purpose. An employee sees a password reset notice and clicks without thinking. Another receives a text that appears to come from IT. An urgent email arrives before a meeting asking for wire transfer approval. Because slowing down feels inconvenient, no one pauses to verify.
The strongest defense is not just technology; it's awareness.
Employees should feel confident taking a moment when something doesn't seem right:
· An unexpected login request
· A payment instruction sent out of nowhere
· A link in an email they weren't expecting
Attackers rely on speed. When your team slows down, you take away one of their biggest advantages.
3. Third-party risk that spreads quickly
If a vendor with access to your systems is compromised, the threat doesn't stop with them. It can move straight into your environment through the connection they already have to your business.
That's supply chain exposure, and most businesses have more of it than they realize. Connected software, outside service providers with stored credentials, and former contractors whose access was never removed all create entry points many business owners never fully map out.
Outsourcing a service does not outsource responsibility.
To understand your supply chain exposure, you need clear answers to three questions:
1. Which vendors can access your data or systems?
2. What are they connected to?
3. Who inside your organization is responsible for managing those relationships?
If you can't answer those questions confidently, your exposure may be greater than you think.
By the time you notice it, it's already in motion
Sharks don't announce themselves, and neither do the cybercriminals targeting your business right now.
The companies that get hit aren't always the ones ignoring obvious red flags. Often, they're the ones that assume everything is fine because nothing looks wrong.
Summer is when schedules loosen, attention drifts, and the water looks calmest. It's also when attackers are most active.
We help businesses identify exposure across vendors, employee behavior, and daily operations before a problem turns into a costly incident.
If you don't know where your business stands, schedule a 15-Minute Discovery Call.
Click here or give us a call at 866-523-2985 to schedule your free 15-Minute Discovery Call.
