What the FBI’s Cyber Awareness Session Revealed: The Threats Leaders Can’t Ignore in 2026

Cybersecurity is no longer a “tech problem” you can push to the side until something breaks. It is a business reality that affects operations, revenue, reputation, and trust. That message came through clearly during a recent cyber awareness session hosted by the FBI in South Carolina.

“Your security posture is built long before an incident happens. The strongest organizations are the ones that prepare early, train often, and respond fast.” — Joe Breen, VP of Client Growth at Cantey Tech Consulting

The goal of the session wasn’t to scare people. It was to sharpen awareness. The FBI focused on how cyber incidents actually unfold today, what criminals are targeting, and what practical steps organisations can take to reduce risk. The biggest takeaway was simple: cyber threats are evolving fast, and your response has to evolve faster.

Below are the most important themes leaders should take away from the session, along with the steps that can help you stay ahead.

Why Cybercrime Keeps Working: The Targets Are Valuable and the Methods Are Scalable

Cybercriminals are not choosing targets at random. They go where the payoff is high and the resistance is low. In many cases, they are not looking for “the perfect breach.” They are looking for one weak link that gives them access to systems, people, and money. That pressure is only increasing.

The frequency of ransomware attacks on governments, businesses, consumers, and devices is expected to keep rising over the next several years, reaching an estimated attack every two seconds by 2031.

During the session, the FBI reinforced a point many organisations learn too late: cybercrime is often driven by access to sensitive data and systems that keep operations running. That can include personal information, financial data, healthcare information, or access to vendors and third-party partners.

This is why cybersecurity cannot be treated as a one-time project. It has to be an operating discipline.

The Anatomy of a Cyber Attack: How Incidents Typically Unfold

Most attacks follow a pattern. The tools change. The entry points shift. The playbook stays familiar.

A modern cyber incident often starts with one of these triggers:

• A compromised password

• A convincing phishing email

• A vendor or third-party weakness

• A fake invoice or payment request

• A phone call that sounds legitimate

Once access is gained, attackers move quickly. They look for valuable systems. They escalate privileges. They search for financial pathways. They exploit gaps in visibility and response time.

This is what makes cybercrime so dangerous today. It’s not only technical. It’s operational. If your internal process is slow, the attacker wins time.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) Is Still One of the Most Costly Threats

Many organisations think cybercrime always looks like ransomware. Loud. Disruptive. Impossible to miss.

BEC is the opposite.

It often looks like a normal email thread. A vendor request. A leadership message. A routine payment approval. That’s what makes it so effective. And it’s not slowing down. In fact, BEC activity jumped 37% between May and June 2025, showing just how profitable these attacks remain for threat actors, and why they continue to plague organisations heading into 2026.

With Business Email Compromise, attackers don’t need to break your entire network. They only need to manipulate one person at the right moment. That could mean:

• changing banking details on an invoice

• impersonating a vendor or internal executive

• requesting an urgent wire transfer

• redirecting payments to a fraudulent account

BEC is dangerous because it targets human trust. It uses urgency and authority to bypass normal caution.

If your organisation handles payments, procurement, payroll, or vendor approvals, this is a threat category you should treat as high priority.

Social Engineering Attacks: The Real Entry Point for Cybercrime

Most cyber incidents don’t begin with code. They begin with conversation.

Attackers are skilled at creating pressure. They use timing. They use familiarity. They use confidence. And they are getting better at it.

Social engineering tactics often include:

• phishing emails that mimic real vendors

• “help desk” impersonation

• urgent messages from leadership

• phone-based manipulation (vishing)

• text-based fraud alerts and account warnings

The FBI session highlighted a reality that leaders need to accept: your staff will be targeted. Not because they are careless. Because they are human.

That’s why training matters. It builds pattern recognition. It gives people permission to slow down. It creates consistent response habits that reduce risk across the entire organisation.

AI-Powered Phishing and Impersonation Are Changing Cybercrime

The most important shift discussed in the session was the impact of generative AI. Not as a future risk. As a current accelerant.

AI can help attackers:

• write more convincing phishing emails

• tailor language to your organisation’s tone

• remove obvious grammar and spelling “tells”

• generate believable scripts for phone fraud

• create deepfake-style voice impersonation

This matters because it raises the baseline. Even low-skilled attackers can now produce high-quality scams.

In other words, the “cheap attacks” no longer look cheap.

That changes how organisations need to defend themselves. Traditional awareness training still matters, but it has to be modern. Your team needs to recognise sophisticated manipulation, not just obvious spam.

Wire Fraud and BEC: Why Speed Matters After an Incident

One of the most practical takeaways from the FBI session was this: the faster you act after fraud, the better your odds of limiting losses.

The FBI referenced the role of IC3 and the Recovery Asset Team, including performance results showing that rapid reporting can support real recovery efforts. In 2024, the Recovery Asset Team achieved a 73% success rate, freezing $561 million in fraudulent funds out of $763 million reported, while total potential losses were $1.5 billion.

That is not a guarantee. It is a signal. Timing changes outcomes.

If your organisation experiences suspected wire fraud, impersonation-based payments, or other financial cybercrime, waiting “to see what happens” is the wrong move. You need a plan. You need escalation paths. You need fast action.

Why Partnering With the FBI Before a Cyber Incident Helps

Key takeaway: You don’t want your first conversation with law enforcement to happen during your worst day. When a cyber incident happens, stress rises and time compresses. Clear expectations and clear reporting processes reduce confusion when it matters most.

Cyber Readiness for Leaders: What to Prioritise Now

Cyber readiness is not only firewalls and antivirus. It is leadership decisions and repeatable habits.

Here are the core readiness principles organisations should focus on:

1. Set the tone at the top

Security culture starts with leadership. If executives treat cybersecurity as optional, teams will too. If leaders enforce process, staff follow process.

2. Build an incident response plan you can actually use

An incident response plan should not live in a binder. It should be practical. Clear. Easy to follow under pressure.

At minimum, it should define:

• who owns the incident

• who communicates internally

• who contacts external partners

• what systems must be protected first

• what decisions require executive approval

3. Identify your “crown jewels”

Every organisation has a few systems that matter more than the rest. Your crown jewels may include financial systems, email and identity platforms, or sensitive records tied to compliance.

If you don’t know what matters most, you can’t protect it properly.

4. Reduce risk through structure, not heroics

The goal is not to have one person who “knows everything.” That model breaks under pressure.

Real security comes from clear access controls, consistent approval workflows, repeatable processes, visibility into key systems, and ongoing training.

What You Can Do Next: Practical Cyber Awareness Steps That Reduce Risk

If you want a clear starting point, focus on actions that reduce exposure quickly:

• strengthen password and access controls across critical accounts

• review vendor payment and invoice approval workflows

• train staff on phishing, impersonation, and urgent request patterns, especially since 88% of all data breaches are caused by employee mistakes

• create escalation rules for financial requests and account changes

• confirm backups are working and recovery is tested

• document incident response steps and contact paths

• improve visibility so suspicious activity is detected faster

None of these steps require perfection. They require consistency.

Conclusion: Cyber Awareness Is Useful, Action Is What Protects You

Cyber awareness only works when it leads to action. The FBI session made it clear that today’s biggest risks often come from social engineering, impersonation, and fast-moving fraud, not just technical vulnerabilities. The best defence is a combination of training, clear processes, and a plan your team can follow under pressure.

With more than 25 years of hands-on IT leadership and delivery, Cantey Tech Consulting helps organisations build readiness that holds up under pressure through structured support and security-first guidance. Contact us to strengthen your cyber readiness and build a response plan your team can rely on when timing matters most.