Let’s be honest—email runs your business.

It’s how you communicate with clients, collaborate with your team, get invoices out, and approve financials. But as email has become more powerful, it’s also become one of the biggest security risks facing small and mid-sized businesses today.

And no—this isn’t about spam filters or the occasional sketchy link.
We’re talking about Business Email Compromise (BEC)—one of the most damaging and fastest-growing threats in the cyber world.

What is a BEC attack, really?

A BEC attack is when a cybercriminal pretends to be someone inside your company—often a CEO, managing partner, or someone in IT or finance—and tries to get another team member to send money, approve a wire transfer, or share sensitive information.

And these emails don’t look like spam. They’re targeted, personal, and often incredibly convincing.

In fact, almost 90% of BEC attempts use impersonation tactics—because they work. Especially if the recipient trusts the sender or is used to acting quickly on requests.

Why does this matter right now?

Researchers recently analyzed 1.8 billion emails and found that over 200 million were malicious. Of those, a staggering 58% were BEC attacks.

That makes BEC the most common and most successful email-based threat today. And it’s not just targeting executives—many of these attacks focus on front-line or mid-level staff who may be less likely to question authority or slow down when things look urgent.

And it’s not just BEC…

Scammers still use traditional phishing, spoofed login pages, and commercial spam to get credentials and access accounts. Combined, these threats now overshadow traditional ransomware and malware in both frequency and damage.

But here’s the good news…

Protecting your business doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive

The most important thing you can do is train your team to pause before they act.

If an email requests:

• A wire transfer

• Login credentials

• Sensitive client info

• Or feels overly urgent...

Teach your team to verify before they respond. A quick phone call or internal message can stop an attack cold.

And if you want to go further, things like multi-factor authentication, inbox rules monitoring, and executive impersonation protection can add powerful layers of defense without overcomplicating your day-to-day operations.

Need help making this real for your business?

At Big Water Technologies, we help SMBs—especially in legal, accounting, and healthcare—take practical steps to protect their people and their data. From email security to identity protection and compliance, we keep IT simple, secure, and aligned with how your business works.

If you’re rethinking your email security—or just want a second opinion—we’re here to help.