Cybercriminals Have 2026 Resolutions Too — and Salt Lake Manufacturers Are in Their Sights
While you're busy setting Q1 production schedules and maintenance priorities, cybercriminals are finalizing a different kind of plan.
They’re targeting Salt Lake’s manufacturing sector — especially shops with 25 to 150 employees. Not because you’ve done something wrong. But because you're running lean, working fast, and IT sometimes takes a back seat.
Here are four real-world hacker "resolutions" for 2026 — and how Salt Lake manufacturers can shut them down.
Resolution #1: "Send Phishing Emails That Actually Work on Busy Teams"
Today’s phishing isn’t the junk spam of 2014. Criminals now use AI to craft believable messages:
- Posing as your materials vendor
- Using real production or invoice details
- Spoofing internal emails from your plant manager or ERP provider
They know January is busy. New POs, supplier shifts, and everyone moving fast.
Salt Lake Manufacturer Counter-Move:
- Train floor managers, admin, and purchasing to verify before acting
- Deploy advanced email filters that catch behavioral and domain-based threats
- Reinforce a culture of "double-checking is smart, not annoying"
At Qual IT, we include phishing defense training as part of every Managed IT Services package in Salt Lake.
Resolution #2: "Impersonate Your Vendors or Executives"
"Please update our banking details."
"This is Dave — wire that deposit before EOD."
These attacks now include fake voice messages and even spoofed texts. Criminals mimic your vendors, plant leadership, or finance team.
Salt Lake Manufacturer Counter-Move:
- Require phone callbacks before processing financial changes
- Use MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) across banking, ERP, and payroll tools
- Train finance and ops staff on impersonation tactics
We’ve helped several Salt Lake companies build airtight verification systems after near-misses.
Resolution #3: "Hit Salt Lake Manufacturers Before They Harden Defenses"
Cybercriminals aren’t chasing Fortune 500s anymore. They’re hitting:
- CNC shops still using Windows 7
- Plastics facilities without endpoint protection
- Fabricators with no MFA or alerting tools
It's easier to hit 50 small firms for $10K each than battle one big corporation.
Salt Lake Manufacturer Counter-Move:
- Stop assuming you’re "too small to matter"
- Harden your environment with managed services, not just reactive support
- Prioritize basic protections: MFA, patching, secure backups
This is our bread and butter at Qual IT: Salt Lake-based cybersecurity and IT support designed for manufacturers.
Resolution #4: "Exploit New Hires and January Confusion"
New hires on the floor. Shifting schedules. Finance teams buried in 1099s and year-end closeouts.
That’s when hackers send:
- W-2 phishing emails
- Gift card scams from fake execs
- Vendor invoice scams to fresh accounting staff
Salt Lake Manufacturer Counter-Move:
- Require onboarding security training before giving email access
- Simulate phishing attacks with real-world scenarios
- Set up clear policies: "We never request financial info over email"
If your team knows the playbook, they don’t fall for the trick.
Prevention Beats Recovery Every Time
Let’s be clear:
Recovering from a breach means downtime, missed orders, lost data, and legal risk.
Preventing one? That takes:
- Smart systems
- Consistent patching
- Real-time monitoring
- Tested backups
- Clear policies
At Qual IT, we build these protections into every IT services plan we deliver across Salt Lake.
Want to Stay Off the 2026 Hit List?
Cybercriminals want easy targets. Don’t be one.
- MFA? Mandatory.
- Admin access? Locked down.
- Password reuse? Eliminated.
- Backups? Tested monthly.
This isn’t hype. It’s what it takes to protect your machines, your specs, and your clients.
Book Your Free Security Assessment
Let’s take 15 minutes to spot the cracks before they cost you big.
Click here to book your free network assessment.
We'll show you where you're vulnerable, what to fix now, and how to scale securely this year.
