10 Cybersecurity Priorities for Small Businesses in 2026

Small businesses are increasingly targeted by cyberattacks because they are substantially more vulnerable than enterprise targets and there are a lot more of them. A relatively small set of controls addresses the majority of the risk.

1. Multi-factor authentication everywhere — Enable MFA on every account. This single control stops the majority of credential-based attacks.
2. Phishing-resistant email security — Deploy DMARC, DKIM, and SPF. Enable email filtering. Train employees to recognize phishing.
3. Tested backup and recovery — Maintain offline or immutable backups. Test restoration quarterly.
4. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) — Replace legacy antivirus with a modern EDR solution. Microsoft Defender for Business provides enterprise-grade capability at small business pricing.
5. Patch management — Patch operating systems and applications promptly. Enable automatic updates.
6. Password manager — Require all employees to use a business password manager.
7. Privileged access management — Limit administrator rights to the minimum necessary users.
8. Remote access security — Require VPN or Zero Trust Network Access. Never expose RDP directly to the internet.
9. Incident response plan — Write down what you will do when something goes wrong. Know who to call and how to isolate affected systems.
10. Annual security assessment — Have an independent expert assess your environment annually.