Phishing Attacks in 2026: Is Your Business Prepared?

You might think your team would spot a phishing email immediately.

A strange email address. A suspicious link. Poor spelling. An unexpected request for money.

Unfortunately, phishing isn’t always that obvious anymore.

Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly convincing, and the emails, messages and websites they create can look remarkably similar to the genuine thing. For businesses, that means relying on employees simply being able to “spot the dodgy email” is no longer enough.

According to the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/26, 43% of businesses identified a cyber security breach or attack during the previous 12 months. Phishing remained by far the most common type, experienced by 38% of businesses.

So, what does phishing look like in 2026, and what can businesses do about it?

What Is a Phishing Attack?

Phishing is a form of cyber attack designed to trick someone into revealing information, transferring money, downloading malicious software or giving an attacker access to a business system.

Traditionally, phishing attacks were associated with mass emails sent to thousands of people. Today, attacks can be far more targeted. A member of your finance team might receive what appears to be an email from a director asking them to urgently pay an invoice. An employee could receive a Microsoft 365 notification asking them to log back into their account. Someone might even receive a Teams message appearing to come from a colleague.

The goal is usually the same: create enough trust or urgency that the recipient acts before questioning the request.

Why Phishing Is Still Such a Big Problem

Businesses have invested significantly in cyber security technology over the past few years. But attackers know that people can sometimes be easier to target than technology. The Government’s latest figures show just how persistent the problem remains. Among UK organisations that identified a cyber breach or attack, phishing was overwhelmingly the most frequently reported type.

The challenge is that phishing attacks don’t necessarily need to be technically sophisticated.

They need to be believable.

That is why modern phishing attacks often imitate the systems employees already use every day, including:

• Microsoft 365
• SharePoint
• OneDrive
• Teams
• banks and payment providers
• suppliers
• delivery companies
• senior members of staff

The more familiar the message feels, the easier it can be to lower someone’s guard.

Has AI Made Phishing More Convincing?

Artificial intelligence has made it easier to create polished written content quickly, and unfortunately the same technology can be misused by cyber criminals. The old advice to “look for spelling mistakes” is becoming much less useful. A phishing message can now be professionally written, use the correct tone and potentially include information gathered from public websites or social media.

For employees, the question should therefore move away from:

“Does this email look badly written?”

and towards:

“Was I expecting this, and can I verify the request?”

That subtle change in thinking is important.

Five Warning Signs Your Team Should Look For

Although phishing emails are becoming more sophisticated, there are still signs worth watching.

1. Unexpected urgency

Messages such as “payment required immediately”, “your account will be disabled” or “I need this completed before the meeting” are designed to make people act quickly.

Urgency itself isn’t proof of an attack, but it should encourage employees to double-check the request.

2. Requests to log in unexpectedly

Microsoft 365 phishing pages are particularly common because email accounts can provide attackers with access to a huge amount of valuable business information.

Rather than clicking a link in an unexpected email, employees can navigate directly to the service themselves.

3. Unusual payment instructions

An email appearing to come from a trusted supplier may ask you to use new bank details.

Always verify changes to financial information using a known contact method, not the contact details contained in the suspicious email.

4. MFA requests you didn’t initiate

Multi-factor authentication adds an important layer of security, but employees still need to understand how to use it safely.

If you receive an authentication request when you haven’t attempted to sign in, don’t approve it.

5. Something simply feels unusual

Perhaps the wording is slightly different from how a colleague normally communicates.

Maybe a supplier is asking for something they have never requested before.

Employees should feel comfortable questioning unusual requests rather than worrying about inconveniencing someone.

Cyber Security Needs More Than One Layer

There isn’t a single product that can completely eliminate phishing.

Good business cyber security relies on multiple layers working together.

That can include:

Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA means a stolen password alone may not be enough for someone to access an account.

Email Security

Modern email security can help detect suspicious links, attachments, domains and messages before they reach employees.

Endpoint Protection

If a malicious file does reach a device, endpoint security provides another layer of protection.

Security Awareness Training

Employees need regular, relevant guidance.

Annual cyber training that everyone clicks through as quickly as possible isn’t enough.

Short, regular training and simulated phishing exercises can help employees recognise attacks in a realistic environment.

Monitoring

Identifying unusual logins or account behaviour quickly can significantly reduce the amount of time an attacker has inside an organisation.

What Happens If Someone Clicks a Phishing Email?

First, don’t panic and don’t hide it.

The sooner your IT or cyber security team knows what has happened, the sooner they can investigate.

Depending on what happened, the response might include:

• resetting passwords
• revoking active sessions
• checking login activity
• scanning the affected device
• reviewing mailbox rules
• determining whether information was accessed
• blocking malicious domains
• notifying relevant parties where necessary

The National Cyber Security Centre recommends that businesses have plans in place for responding to incidents, including identifying critical systems, knowing who is responsible for different actions and having up-to-date contact details for external IT providers.

Reporting quickly can make a huge difference.

Don’t Just Protect Your Technology. Protect Your People.

Your employees are often one of the first lines of defence against phishing.

But they shouldn’t be the only one.

Technology, monitoring, training and clear internal processes should work together so that one mistaken click doesn’t immediately become a serious business incident.

At Silver Lining, we help businesses take a more complete approach to cyber security, from protecting devices and Microsoft 365 environments to improving employee awareness and monitoring potential threats.

If you’re unsure how well protected your business currently is, now is a good time to find out.

Speak to the Silver Lining team about reviewing your cyber security and identifying where additional protection may be needed.