On the surface, the water looks calm.
That’s part of what makes Shark Week so compelling every year, the focus isn’t always on what’s visible, but on what may be happening below the surface.
Cybersecurity risk can work in a similar way.
Many business risks don’t announce themselves clearly. They can blend into normal day-to-day activity until a payment is misdirected, access is misused or systems become unavailable.
Periods where schedules change, teams’ travel or routines become less consistent can create opportunities for issues to go unnoticed. That makes regular reviews and clear processes especially valuable.
Here are three areas worth paying attention to.
1. Fake invoices and vendor impersonation
Attackers don’t always need to break into systems.
Sometimes they rely on convincing messages that appear to come from someone your team already knows.
This type of activity is commonly known as business email compromise (BEC). It often involves impersonating a vendor, supplier or internal contact to request payment, account update or urgent action.
The message may appear routine. Someone responds, a payment is processed and only later does the business realize something wasn’t right.
Changes in staffing, handovers or temporary coverage can sometimes make these requests harder to spot.
A practical way to reduce risk is to create a verification process for financial or account-related requests.
For example:
- Confirm payment changes using a known contact method
- Verify urgent requests through a secondary channel
- Document approval processes clearly
Small checks can reduce the chance of avoidable mistakes.
2. Phishing that takes advantage of busy moments
Phishing often succeeds because it targets attention, timing and urgency.
Examples might include:
- A password reset request you weren’t expecting
- A message that appears to come from IT support
- An email requesting urgent approval or action
When people are moving quickly, unusual requests can be easier to overlook.
Technology controls help, but awareness and process matter too.
Encourage employees to feel comfortable pausing when something seems unusual and confirming before taking action.
Questions worth asking include:
- Was I expecting this request?
- Does the sender look legitimate?
- Is there another way to verify it?
Creating space to pause and validate can be a useful part of reducing risk.
3. Third-party access and supply chain exposure
Businesses rely on more connected services than ever.
Software platforms, service providers and external contractors can all improve efficiency, but they can also introduce complexity.
If a third party has access to systems or data, it’s worth understanding:
- What access they currently have
- Which systems do they connect to
- Whether access is still required
- Who internally owns that relationship
Using external services doesn’t remove the need for visibility and oversight.
Regular reviews can help ensure access remains appropriate over time.
The biggest risks aren’t always the most visible
Not every issue starts with something obviously broken.
Sometimes risk builds gradually through changes that were never revisited.
Businesses that stay ahead of this tend to focus on a few fundamentals:
- Reviewing who has access to what
- Verifying processes instead of assuming they work
- Maintaining visibility across vendors and systems
- Making ownership and accountability clear
That clarity can make it easier to respond confidently when something unexpected happens.
If you’d like an outside perspective, we offer short discovery calls to help businesses review their current environment, identify areas worth attention and understand where improvements may help.
Call us at 206-414-7441 or visit this to schedule a time.