Eye-Opening Cybersecurity Factoids for 2026: Protecting Your Business in a Threat-Filled World

In today’s digital landscape, cybersecurity isn’t just an IT concern; it’s a business survival imperative for small and mid-sized organizations in Illinois and across the Midwest. As threats evolve with technologies like AI and cloud computing, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly in the crosshairs. At TEC Services Consulting, Inc., we specialize in Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions that deliver expert cybersecurity without the overhead of an internal IT team.

Drawing from the latest industry data, here are five eye-opening cybersecurity factoids for 2025 and what they mean for your organization. Use them to educate your staff and leadership, justify security investments, and choose the right partners.

Factoid 1: Cybercrime Costs Will Surpass $10.5 Trillion Annually by 2025

CompTIA, as cited in Fortinet’s Cybersecurity Statistics 2025: Rising Threats and Industry Impact article, reports that global cybercrime costs will cross $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, with growth of roughly 10% year over year. (fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/cybersecurity-statistics).

This would make cybercrime the third-largest “economy” after the U.S. and China.

For businesses, that growth translates into more frequent and more expensive attacks: not just stolen data, but downtime, recovery costs, legal exposure, and lost customer trust. A single incident can disrupt operations for days or weeks, especially for small organizations that do not have a large IT or security team.

What this means for SMBs:

If you still think of cyber incidents as unlikely worst-case scenarios, these numbers are a signal that they are now a routine cost of doing business for someone. The real question is whether you will pay for prevention and resilience up front, or pay much more after an incident.

TEC Tip: Take one critical system and estimate what one business day of downtime would cost. Use that number to justify stronger security controls.

Factoid 2: Ransomware Remains the Top Threat, Affecting 88% of SMB Breaches

Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) shows that ransomware and other extortion malware were involved in 44% of all data breaches between November 2023 and October 2024. For small and mid-sized businesses, the picture is even more stark: ransomware appeared in 88% of breaches affecting SMBs, compared to 39% of breaches at larger organizations. 

(https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/verizon-dbir-smb-ransomware-attacks/; https://www.halcyon.ai/blog/verizon-dbir-shows-ransomware-involved-in-44-of-data-breaches). On the cost side, analysis summarized by GetAstra notes that the average ransom in 2023 was about $1.54 million, almost double the 2022 figure of $812,380 (https://www.getastra.com/blog/security-audit/cyber-security-statistics/). SMBs are prime targets because limited resources and small internal teams often struggle to keep up with sophisticated attacks.

By outsourcing to an MSP, you gain a team of specialists in cybersecurity, ensuring rapid detection, response, and layered protections that internal hires might lack. A good MSP will combine endpoint protection, active monitoring, network controls, and backup strategies designed specifically to blunt ransomware impact.

What this means for SMBs:

Ransomware operators assume small organizations will pay quickly because “everything is on one server” and there’s no tested recovery plan. If your backups, patching, and endpoint protections are ad hoc, you’re in their ideal target profile.

TEC Tip: Ask three practical questions: Do we have recent offline backups? Have we tested a full restore? Do we know who to call in the first hour of a ransomware attack? If any answer is no, tighten your plan.

Factoid 3: Phishing Attacks Bombard Businesses with 3.4 Billion Malicious Emails Daily

Phishing remains the most common cybercrime vector. Recent analysis compiled by GetAstra estimates that nearly 1.2% of all emails sent are malicious, which translates to roughly 3.4 billion phishing emails every day (https://www.getastra.com/blog/security-audit/phishing-attack-statistics/). Other 2025 summaries of phishing trends arrive at a similar scale, citing 3.4 billion phishing emails per day as a working estimate for the current landscape (for example, https://aag-it.com/the-latest-phishing-statistics/ and https://deepstrike.io/blog/Phishing-Statistics-2025).

Attackers are also evolving their techniques. Huntress’ 2025 Cyber Threat Report: Phishing Schemes found that QR code phishing accounted for 8.1% of observed phishing emails in 2024, and e-signature impersonation (for tools like DocuSign and Adobe Sign) accounted for 28.8% of phishing themes, nearly one-third of the total (https://cdn.base.parameter1.com/mindful/im/workspaces/default/uploads/2025/09/huntress-cyber-threat-report-phishing.GAgmriQv2m.pdf).

Attackers increasingly use convincing logos, sign-in pages, QR codes, and fake e-signature requests to trick users into giving up credentials or approving fraudulent transactions. Employee training is essential, but it’s not enough on its own.

MSPs can provide advanced email filtering, AI-driven threat detection, identity protection, and ongoing user education to reduce the odds that a single click turns into a full-blown incident.

What this means for SMBs:

If you’re relying on “don’t click weird links” training once a year, you’re outmatched. Phishing kits and AI tools make it easy for attackers to create highly convincing messages that bypass basic spam filters.

TEC Tip: Use strong email security with advanced filtering. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all key accounts. Reinforce both with short, regular trainings. Together, these three controls sharply reduce the risk from one bad click.

Factoid 4: 35% of Small Organizations Report Inadequate Cyber Resilience

Since 2022, the share of small organizations that admit their cyber resilience is insufficient has increased sevenfold. Today, 35% of small organizations say they are not resilient enough, even as many larger firms improve and narrow the gap (https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-cybersecurity-outlook-2025/in-full/executive-summary-4e44b16c32/). This vulnerability stems from skills shortages, limited budgets, and competing priorities.

Cyber resilience isn’t just about blocking attacks; it’s about how quickly you can detect, contain, and recover when something does go wrong. That requires planning, tested backups, clear roles, and the right tools. Many small organizations have pieces of the puzzle (like antivirus and a cloud backup) but lack a cohesive strategy.

MSPs help bridge this gap by offering scalable expertise, including cloud security, network management, endpoint protection, and compliance support—without requiring you to hire multiple full-time specialists.

What this means for SMBs:

If you don’t have a written incident-response plan, if your backups haven’t been tested in the last 6–12 months, or if you’re unsure who would lead a response, you’re likely part of that 35%.

TEC Tip: Run a simple tabletop exercise once a year with leadership and IT to walk through a realistic incident and close the gaps you discover.

Factoid 5: AI-Powered Attacks Are on the Rise

The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 finds that 66% of organizations anticipate AI will significantly impact cybersecurity in 2025, yet only 37% have processes to vet AI tools for security. (https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/cybersecurity-statistics and https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/01/global-cybersecurity-outlook-2025-navigating-through-rising-cyber-complexities/). Adversaries are already using generative AI to craft more evasive phishing messages, develop malware more quickly, and automate reconnaissance.

On the defender side, AI and machine learning can also enhance detection, correlation, and response, but only if they’re implemented thoughtfully and governed properly. Without clear policies, staff may adopt AI tools that unintentionally expose sensitive data.

An MSP team stays ahead with specialized tools and 24/7 vigilance, helping you benefit from AI-driven defenses while reducing the risks of AI-powered attacks.

What this means for SMBs:

AI is not just a “big enterprise” issue. Even small organizations are seeing AI-generated phishing, deepfake-style voicemail or email, and unvetted AI apps used by staff.

TEC Tip: Treat AI tools like any new application: review the vendor, limit what data staff can paste in, and train them on what is safe to share.

What These Cybersecurity Facts Mean for Your Business

Taken together, these factoids tell a clear story:

• Attacks are getting more frequent, more sophisticated, and more expensive.

• SMBs are disproportionately at risk because of limited staff, budget, and specialized expertise.

• Resilience, not perfection, is the goal. You can’t stop every attack, but you can control how prepared you are and how quickly you recover.

The new baseline for small and mid-sized organizations now includes:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) on critical accounts

• Modern endpoint protection (EDR), not just legacy antivirus

• Strong email security and user awareness

• Reliable, tested backups with at least one offline/immutable copy

• A documented incident-response plan with clear roles and vendor contacts

If any of those elements feel uncertain, now is the time to close the gaps before you become the next statistic.

Your 2025 Cybersecurity Game Plan (Condensed)

You don’t have to fix everything at once. Start with a focused, practical game plan:

1. Lock down identities and access. Turn on MFA wherever possible, especially for email, remote access, and key business apps.

2. Harden endpoints. Standardize device configurations, enable modern endpoint protection (EDR), and keep operating systems and browsers patched.

3. Secure email and collaboration tools. Use advanced spam/phishing filters, safe-link and attachment scanning, and regular user awareness training focused on real-world attacks.

4. Strengthen backups and recovery. Maintain at least one offline or immutable backup of critical systems. Document and test restores at least twice a year.

5. Write down your incident-response plan. Define who does what during an incident, how you’ll communicate, and which external partners you’ll call first.

6. Consider an MSP partnership. If your internal team is already stretched thin, an MSP can handle 24/7 monitoring, patching, and incident response so your staff can stay focused on core work.

TEC Tip: Start with a simple security assessment or risk review. Even a short engagement that identifies your top 3–5 gaps can help you prioritize budget and avoid “tool sprawl” that doesn’t actually reduce risk.

How TEC Services Consulting, Inc. Can Help

If these stats make you wonder whether your current protections are enough, you’re not alone. We help small and mid-sized organizations in Illinois and across the Midwest assess their security posture, prioritize practical improvements, and implement the right mix of tools and processes without over-buying or overwhelming your team.

We can work with you to:

• Review your current security controls, backups, and incident-response plans

• Identify the most urgent gaps in identity, endpoint, email, and network security

• Build a realistic 12–24 month roadmap that fits your budget, regulatory environment, and risk tolerance

Contact TEC Services Consulting, Inc. to schedule a cybersecurity review:

• Phone: (630) 305-7486

• Email: info@tecsinc.com

• Web: https://www.tecsinc.com

We’ll help you turn these cybersecurity factoids into a concrete, actionable plan to protect your organization in a threat-filled world.