The water may look peaceful at first glance, but that quiet surface can hide real danger.
That's exactly what makes Shark Week such a compelling reminder every year: the threat isn't always visible until it's already close. Cyberattacks work the same way. They're built to slip into everyday business activity unnoticed until an invoice is paid, data is exposed, or systems suddenly stop working.
And during the summer, the risk often increases. With staff taking vacations, schedules changing, and oversight becoming less consistent, cybercriminals know many businesses are operating with a little less focus.
Here are three attack methods that are especially active right now.
1. Fraudulent invoices and vendor impersonation
Hackers often don't need to break into a system. In many cases, all it takes is one convincing message.
This tactic, known as business email compromise (BEC), relies on pretending to be a trusted vendor, supplier, or company leader. The message looks legitimate, a payment gets sent, and by the time the fraud is discovered, the money is already gone.
These scams tend to rise during vacation season because the usual approver may be unavailable. Requests get forwarded to someone unfamiliar with the normal process, and attackers count on that person being more likely to trust the urgency.
A simple control can make a big difference: require verification for every financial request received by email. A phone call to a trusted, known number — not the one in the message — can stop most of these attempts before any damage is done.
2. Phishing attacks aimed at distracted teams
Phishing works because it targets people when they're rushed, busy, or mentally elsewhere.
Cybercriminals plan for those moments. An employee gets a password reset alert and clicks without thinking. A text appears to come from IT. An urgent wire transfer request lands right before a meeting. When time feels tight, verification gets skipped.
The best defense isn't just technology — it's a workplace culture that encourages people to pause.
Employees should feel confident slowing down when something seems unusual, such as:
· An unexpected login prompt
· A payment request that came out of nowhere
· A link in an email they weren't expecting
Attackers use urgency as a weapon. The more your team slows the process down, the less power that tactic has.
3. Third-party risks that spread quickly
If a vendor with access to your systems is compromised, the threat doesn't stay with them. It can move straight into your environment through the connection they already have to your business.
This is supply chain exposure, and most organizations have more of it than they realize. Connected software, service providers with stored credentials, and contractors who still have access long after a project ends can all create hidden entry points that never get reviewed.
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 internally is responsible for managing those relationships?
If you can't answer those questions quickly, your business may be carrying more risk than you think.
By the time you notice it, the threat is already in motion
Sharks don't announce themselves, and cybercriminals don't either.
The companies that get hit aren't always the ones that miss obvious warning signs. More often, they're the ones that assume everything is fine because nothing appears to be wrong.
Summer is when routines loosen, attention drifts, and the water looks calmest. It's also when attackers are often at their most active.
We help businesses identify exposure across vendors, employee behavior, and everyday operations before a minor issue becomes a major incident.
If you don't know where your business stands, schedule a 15-Minute Discovery Call.
Click here or give us a call at 916-626-4000 to schedule your free 15-Minute Discovery Call.
