The start of a new year is the perfect time to reset habits—not just personal ones, but digital habits too. Cybercriminals don’t need zero-days or nation-state tooling if we keep handing them easy wins through reused passwords, oversharing, and rushed reactions.
For 2026, here are six realistic, security-focused New Year’s resolutions that actually reduce risk.
Reused passwords remain a common cause of account compromise. One breached website turns into access to your email, bank, work tools, and cloud accounts.
A password manager fixes this problem almost entirely:
If one service gets breached, the damage stops there. No domino effect. In 2026, “I remember all my passwords” should be a red flag, not a point of pride.
Over time, we grant apps access and forget about them. That productivity tool from 2019? The quiz app you tried once? The browser extension you no longer use?
All of those may still have:
Attackers love abusing forgotten integrations because they bypass passwords entirely.
Phishing relies on emotion: fear, urgency, authority, or excitement.
“Your account is locked.”
“Wire this now.”
“Are you free for a quick favor?”
Before responding:
Call the sender. Text them directly. Check with IT. Do anything other than immediately replying to the original message.
Your IP address reveals more than you think: approximate location, browsing patterns, and network identity. ISPs, advertisers, and attackers all collect and correlate this data.
A reputable VPN:
It’s not a silver bullet, but it is a meaningful layer of privacy—especially as tracking becomes more aggressive in 2026.
You’re only as secure as the people around you. A compromised family member can lead to impersonation scams. A hacked friend can send you malicious links. A coworker’s mistake can expose shared systems.
Security isn’t contagious, but bad security habits are.
Normalize conversations about:
Yes, it might feel awkward. That’s better than cleaning up identity theft or malware attacks later.
Oversharing fuels social engineering. Birthdays, pet names, job history, schools, locations—all of it becomes ammunition for attackers.
You don’t owe the internet accuracy.
Less data out there means fewer ways to exploit you.
IT managers and CISOs alike can reduce the risks of human error–related breaches in their organizations by:
Knowledge is power. Educating your employees on the risks of their online behaviors is one key way to help prevent data breaches.
But education isn’t a fail-safe. Even the most knowledgeable in cybersecurity are at risk for accidentally clicking something they shouldn’t. Consider this: Professional stunt doubles still use safety nets.
Cybersecurity requires and builds upon good habits. Each of these resolutions removes an easy win from an attacker’s playbook. Combined, they dramatically lower your risk without adding much friction.
In 2026, resolve to be boring to attackers.