The three security trends set to shape 2026 for small businesses

The cyber threat to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK remains an ever-present danger. According to the latest YouGov Cyber Breaches Survey, 42% of small businesses suffered a security breach in the past year. While headlines in 2025 focused on high-profile hacks targeting large corporations, the real vulnerabilities often lay with much smaller entities. Suppliers and contractors have become common entry points, serving as ladders to access bigger targets – highlighting how modern supply chains, interconnected through shared Cloud services and connected technologies, can amplify cyber risks.

For business owners in 2026, the challenge is no longer just keeping attackers out but managing expanding digital footprints and ensuring a rapid recovery when incidents occur. Three clear trends are set to change the cyber risk landscape for small businesses this year:

An increasingly human face of AI scams

As AI accelerates cybercriminal activity, it is also raising the bar for how businesses must approach their security. Criminals can now use AI to convincingly mimic writing styles, voices, and even videos, making scams far harder to recognise. Attacks are shifting from simple phishing emails to highly targeted messages, voice recordings, or fake videos designed to imitate colleagues and customers.

To meet this challenge, embracing AI-powered protection tools that can spot suspicious activity, synthetic voices and manipulated content is the way forward for small businesses. As well as enhancing their defences, this also frees up time to focus on expansion. BT’s research shows that businesses that create a cyber-aware culture in their operations grow 20% faster than those that do not.

Criminals will expand their endpoint attacks

As full-fibre and 5G become ubiquitous, SME networks now link everything from payment terminals to CCTV, sensors and building systems. Each new device adds another point of entry for cybercriminals, and with staff increasingly working on the go and using connected laptops and mobiles to do so, the attack surface is growing.

BT data shows web-connected devices are scanned over 4,000 times daily, with malicious scans up 300% in 2025. With these scans expected to rise again this year, SMEs must prioritise managing and securing their digital footprint. This means monitoring the number of connected devices, ensuring they are regularly updated, and training staff on security protocols.

Cyber resilience going beyond prevention

Ransomware attacks on smaller businesses doubled between 2024 and 2025, with SMEs viewed as a particularly attractive target for criminals because of their limited security budgets. For small businesses, even a brief period of downtime can lead to significant financial impact, so in 2026 SMEs should consider moving from asking, “How do we prevent every attack?” to “How quickly can we detect threats, limit damage, and recover?” Building this cyber resilience means having reliable backup systems, a clear recovery plan, and access to expert support when incidents occur.

To ensure businesses know what to do in the event of a potential attack, BT delivers tailored Security Awareness Training to help companies and their teams recognise scams and emerging threats. Alongside this, businesses can receive clear, jargon-free advice on protecting systems and data through the Cyber Security Decoded platform.

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Conclusion

In 2026, UK SMEs will be a growing target for cybercriminals, with their increased use of connected systems creating more vulnerable endpoints that can be exploited by AI-driven attacks. Prevention of breaches remains important, but the volume of attack attempts means companies must also be prepared for if one does break through.

Small businesses that are vigilant, with the right security tools and robust recovery strategies in place to protect their networks won’t just weather cyber threats; they’ll maintain customer trust and feel empowered to grow.