Cybercriminals Have Resolutions Too — And Salt Lake Medical Practices Are a Prime Target
While you’re focused on patient outcomes and Q1 compliance deadlines, cybercriminals are finalizing their 2026 strategy.
And healthcare practices in Salt Lake are squarely in their sights.
Not because you’re doing anything wrong. But because you’re busy. And busy medical teams often leave digital doors open.
At Qual IT, we specialize in managed IT services for healthcare practices in Salt Lake City, and we've seen firsthand how overlooked systems become attack surfaces.
Here are the top four cybercriminal "resolutions" for 2026 — and how your practice can ruin their plans.
Resolution #1: "Send Phishing Emails That Actually Work"
Gone are the typo-ridden, generic spam emails.
Today’s phishing attempts mimic:
- Referral coordination portals
- Lab results notifications
- Insurance verifications
They use your real logos, spoofed domains, and language your team sees every day.
January is prime time. Your staff is catching up post-holidays, moving quickly, and more likely to click before verifying.
Salt Lake-Smart Counter-Move:
- Provide quarterly phishing training tailored to medical office workflows
- Deploy advanced email filtering that scans for behavioral anomalies
- Create a culture where verifying before clicking is praised, not punished
We offer these protections by default through our Salt Lake IT support services at Qual IT.
Resolution #2: "Impersonate Your Billing Office or Medical Director"
Cybercriminals are now:
- Spoofing your billing team to request wire transfers
- Sending fake "updated banking details" for insurance reimbursements
- Using deepfake voice to impersonate your medical director requesting urgent financial actions
This isn’t theory. These are real cases we’ve seen in Utah clinics.
Salt Lake-Smart Counter-Move:
- Require phone verification for any bank account changes
- Enforce MFA (multi-factor authentication) on all systems that access PHI or financials
- Educate your team on how to spot deepfake scams and voice spoofing
We help practices build airtight financial verification workflows through our managed services plans.
Resolution #3: "Focus on Salt Lake Practices Instead of Big Hospital Systems"
Enterprise healthcare systems have upped their game.
But small-to-mid-sized clinics?
- Still using outdated Windows machines
- Running local servers with no offsite backups
- Missing security policies altogether
It’s faster and easier for hackers to get $10,000 from 50 clinics than $1M from one health system.
Salt Lake-Smart Counter-Move:
- Close the basics: tested backups, updated firewalls, HIPAA-compliant network segmentation
- Partner with a Salt Lake City managed IT provider who proactively maintains your systems
- Stop thinking "we're too small to matter"
You matter. And that makes you a target.
Resolution #4: "Exploit New Staff and Insurance Season Confusion"
January isn’t just busy. It’s chaotic.
New staff are onboarding. Patients are updating insurance. Financials are flying back and forth.
That makes this peak season for:
- W-2 scams and HR impersonation
- Fake insurance inquiries
- Fraudulent vendor emails
Salt Lake-Smart Counter-Move:
- Require security onboarding before new staff get system access
- Simulate phishing attacks to build real-time awareness
- Use role-based permissions so no one has access to more than they need
At Qual IT, we customize training modules for medical staff, billing teams, and admin roles.
The Real Choice: Preventable vs. Recoverable
Recovering from a breach can mean:
- EMR downtime
- Compromised patient data
- HIPAA violation penalties
- Damaged reputation
Preventing a breach means:
- Monthly check-ins
- Proactive patching
- Credential controls
- 24/7 monitoring
Cost comparison? Prevention is a fraction of the cost of a breach.
That’s why growing practices across Salt Lake choose Qual IT.
How to Get Off Their Hit List
If you want to stay off the 2026 target list:
- Test your backups regularly
- Use MFA everywhere
- Audit access monthly
- Simulate attacks
- Partner with a healthcare-specific IT provider in Salt Lake
We bake these protocols into every managed cybersecurity and compliance plan we deliver.
Book Your Free Security & Network Assessment
Start the year with certainty.
Book your 15-minute network assessment with Qual IT. We’ll show you:
- Where your current vulnerabilities lie
- What fast fixes you can make
- How to build long-term protection without adding more to your plate
Click here to book your free network assessment.
Let’s make sure your Salt Lake medical practice is the one they skip.
