It’s January 23, and 2026 is already breaking records for data breaches.
In the first three weeks of this year, 29 organizations got hit. Over 5.5 million records compromised. Industries affected: healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and telecom. Even ICE and Border Patrol got hit.
Here’s the part that matters: the attack methods haven’t changed. They are still the good old classic vulnerabilities we are constantly warning about: stolen credentials, no multi-factor authentication, and no monitoring. But there’s one new trend that’s genuinely scary (and it’s not what you think).
Ransomware Groups Are Recruiting Insiders
In January 2026, ICE and Border Patrol lost sensitive data on 4,500 employees. This wasn’t phishing. It was an insider who had legitimate access and walked out with the data.
But it gets worse.
Ransomware groups are now actively recruiting corporate insiders to do this for them. In one FBI case, attackers hired a gig worker through a legitimate platform to physically enter an office and steal data. The gig worker thought they were performing a legitimate IT task. The company thought they were helping their help desk. Think about that: a hacker posted a “job” on Upwork or Fiverr, paid someone $50 to walk into an office, plug in a USB drive, and walk out. The person doing it had no idea they were part of a cyberattack.
Why this matters: If your industry faces layoffs in 2026, disgruntled employees become prime recruitment targets. And if you’re hiring contractors for IT tasks, you need verification processes (because the person showing up might not be who they say they are).
The Other Pattern: Your Vendor’s Breach Becomes Your Breach
Ledger (the crypto wallet company) didn’t get breached directly. Their e-commerce vendor Global-e did. Result: 1.1 million email addresses and personal data for 292,000 customers exposed. Betterment (the fintech platform) got hit through “third-party platforms.”
Here’s the analogy: You lock your front door, install a security system, and put bars on the windows. But you gave your house key to a contractor who leaves it sitting on their dashboard. When their car gets broken into, the burglar now has access to your house too. Your vendor’s security becomes your security. If your payroll provider or CRM vendor gets breached, your customer data walks out with theirs (and you’re the one explaining it to your clients).
What Went Wrong
Every one of these 29 breaches traces back to three failure points:
No Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Stolen credentials opened the door. Without MFA, a compromised password is the only thing between hackers and your network (that’s not a security system; that’s a screen door).
No Endpoint Detection (EDR): Attackers installed ransomware, exfiltrated terabytes of data, and operated for days before anyone noticed. Think of EDR like a security camera. Without it, you only know someone broke in after they’ve stolen everything.
No Vendor Security Audits: You wouldn’t let a stranger access your files, but that’s what happens when you hand data to a vendor who doesn’t secure it properly.
Is Your Business Next?
Ask yourself:
- Does your VPN require multi-factor authentication?
- Do you have 24/7 monitoring?
- Have you audited your vendors’ cybersecurity in the last 12 months?
- Do you verify contractors performing IT tasks?
If you answered “no” or “I don’t know,” you have the same vulnerabilities that exposed 29 companies in 22 days.
Don’t wait for a ransomware attack to find out where your security gaps are.
→ Schedule Your Free Security Assessment
Published: Jan 23, 2026
