At first glance, the water seems perfectly still.
That's exactly what makes Shark Week so compelling each year. The real danger is rarely visible on the surface. It's already in motion beneath it.
Cybercriminals work the same way. The threats facing businesses today are built to blend into everyday activity until the moment something fails, funds are diverted, or critical systems stop working.
And during the summer, when routines shift, employees travel, and oversight becomes lighter, attackers know many businesses are easier to catch off guard.
Here are three ways they're moving right now.
1. Fraudulent invoices and vendor impersonation
In many cases, attackers don't need to break into anything. They only need to send one email that looks convincing enough.
This tactic is known as business email compromise (BEC), and it works by posing as a vendor, supplier, or executive your team already trusts.
The message appears routine, someone sends payment to the fake "vendor," and by the time the request is questioned, the money is already gone.
These scams become even more effective during vacation season. When the usual approver is unavailable, requests often land with someone unfamiliar with normal procedures. A temporary backup is far less likely to challenge urgency, and attackers count on that hesitation.
The solution is straightforward: create a verification step for every financial request that arrives by email. A quick phone call to a trusted number, not the one included in the message, can stop most fraud before any money leaves your business.
2. Phishing campaigns aimed at distracted staff
Phishing succeeds because it's designed around how people react when they're rushed.
Attackers create moments that feel normal and urgent at the same time. An employee gets a password reset alert and clicks without thinking. Someone receives a text that appears to come from IT. An email shows up just before a meeting asking for immediate wire approval. The danger is that people don't pause because pausing feels inconvenient.
The strongest defense isn't just technology; it's a security-minded culture.
Team members should feel confident slowing down whenever something feels unusual:
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An unexpected login request
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A payment instruction that appeared without warning
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A link in an email they were not expecting
Attackers rely on speed to pressure people into mistakes. When your team slows down, that advantage disappears.
3. Third-party risk that spreads quickly
If a vendor with system access is compromised, the threat doesn't stop with them. It can move straight into your environment through the connection they already have to your business.
That's supply chain exposure, and most organizations have far more of it than they realize. Network-connected software tools, service providers holding credentials, and contractors whose access was never removed after a project ended all create entry points many business owners have never fully 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 on your team is responsible for managing those relationships?
If those answers aren't clear, your business may already be exposed to unnecessary risk.
By the time you notice it, the threat is already moving
Sharks don't give a warning before they strike, and neither do the cybercriminals targeting your business right now.
The companies that get hit aren't always the ones that miss obvious red flags. They're often the ones that assume everything is fine because nothing has gone wrong yet.
Summer is when schedules loosen, attention drifts, and the water looks calmest. It's also when attackers are most active.
We help businesses identify where they're vulnerable across vendors, employee behavior, and day-to-day operations before a costly incident occurs.
If you don't know where your business stands, schedule a Consultation.
Click here or give us a call at (858) 538-4729 to schedule your free Consultation.
