#security

Security

Protect your financial data with security best practices and tools

July 20, 20268 min read

IRS Dirty Dozen 2026: How Payroll Phishing and Direct-Deposit Scams Target Small Businesses

The IRS's 2026 Dirty Dozen list flags a payroll-specific phishing wave: fake HR portal emails and direct-deposit change requests that reroute paychecks to scammers. The FBI's IC3 logged 24,768 business email compromise complaints totaling roughly $3.05 billion in 2025, with 86% of losses moving by wire or ACH — the same rails payroll runs on. Here are the three warning signs (urgency, unusual requests, process changes), five process controls that close the email-only loophole, and the first-72-hours response if a paycheck has already been diverted.

Mike Thrift

payrollfraud-preventionfraud-detection

July 20, 20268 min read

Missouri's HB 974 Insurance Data Security Law: What Small Agencies Must Do Before January 1, 2026

Missouri's HB 974, signed July 2, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, applies the NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law to nearly every insurance licensee in the state — requiring a written security program, annual risk assessments, an incident response plan, vendor oversight, and breach notification to regulators within four business days.

Mike Thrift

insurancecompliancesecurity

July 19, 20269 min read

NIST CSWP 50: The First Federal Cybersecurity Guide Written for Businesses of One

NIST's draft CSWP 50, released April 2026, is the first federal cybersecurity guidance written explicitly for non-employer firms — the 28+ million U.S. businesses with zero employees. Here's what changed from the 2009 guidance, how the CSF 2.0 six functions translate to a solo operation, and a 30-minute checklist to act on today.

Mike Thrift

securitysmall-businessfreelance

July 18, 20268 min read

IRS Contractor Data Security Failures: What the 2026 TIGTA Report Found — and How to Protect Your Tax Data

A 2026 TIGTA audit found 1,375 unauthorized entries into restricted taxpayer-document areas and critical vulnerabilities left unpatched an average of 223 days at IRS scanning contractors. Here is what the watchdog found, how the IRS responded, and the concrete steps — IP PIN enrollment, early filing, e-filing — that reduce your exposure.

Mike Thrift

taxsecurityprivacy

July 15, 20269 min read

Why Every CPA Firm Needs a Written AI Policy Before the Next Staff Member Uses ChatGPT

73% of accounting firms now use AI tools but only 37% have any formal AI training, and staff pasting client data into consumer chatbots can trigger data breach notification duties under the AICPA's Confidential Client Information Rule — here is what a usable two-page AI policy for a small CPA firm actually covers.

Mike Thrift

cpaaicompliance

July 15, 20268 min read

Bookkeeping for Code-Audit Firms: How to Book Static Audits, Hourly Remediation, and Resold SAST Subscriptions

A code-audit firm selling fixed-scope static audits, hourly remediation, and resold SAST subscriptions runs three ASC 606 revenue-recognition rules under one roof — point-in-time, as-performed, and ratable. This guide covers the chart of accounts to separate them, the principal-vs-agent test for reseller margin, and a worked example posting one client engagement across unearned revenue, unbilled receivables, and subscription margin.

Mike Thrift

bookkeepingrevenue-recognitionconsulting

July 14, 20269 min read

Chase's New Passkey and Trusted Contact Features: A Small Business Security Guide

Chase rolled out passkey login and a Trusted Contact Person feature in early 2026 to counter AI voice-cloning fraud, which costs small businesses $30,000 to $400,000 per incident on average.

Mike Thrift

securitybankingfraud-prevention

July 14, 20269 min read

SOC 2 Type II Audit Cost: A Small SaaS Company's Complete Budgeting Guide

A first-year SOC 2 Type II report for a 10–50 person SaaS company typically costs $25,000–$80,000 total, with the audit fee itself covering only about 40% of that — internal labor and readiness work make up the rest.

Mike Thrift

compliancesecuritystartup

July 12, 20269 min read

CIRCIA's 72-Hour Cyber Incident Reporting Rule: A Small Business Guide

CIRCIA requires covered entities to report substantial cyber incidents to CISA within 72 hours and ransomware payments within 24 hours, with the final rule expected in fall 2026 and coverage reaching an estimated 300,000-plus organizations across 16 critical infrastructure sectors.

Mike Thrift

compliancesecuritysmall-business

July 12, 20268 min read

Financial Scams Targeting Small Businesses: The Warning Signs Before the Wire Goes Out

The FBI's IC3 logged $3.05 billion in business email compromise losses in 2025, and only 25% of small businesses have a whistleblower reporting mechanism versus 85% of large companies — here's how vendor impersonation, payroll diversion, and check fraud unfold, and the controls that stop them before a wire goes out.

Mike Thrift

fraud-detectionfraud-preventionsmall-business

July 10, 20269 min read

Digital Estate Planning for Business Owners: What Happens to Your Domains, Crypto, and Cloud Accounts When You're Gone

An estimated 20% of all Bitcoin is permanently inaccessible because owners died without sharing private keys — a practical guide to inventorying domains, crypto wallets, and cloud accounts under RUFADAA before a crisis forces the issue.

Mike Thrift

estate-planningsuccession-planningdigital-assets

July 10, 20267 min read

The Mid-2026 State Privacy Law Wave: What Small Businesses Need to Know

On July 1, 2026, Connecticut lowered its privacy law threshold to 35,000 residents, Arkansas banned targeted ads to minors under ACTOPPA, and Utah added a data correction right, pulling more small businesses into scope than ever before.

Mike Thrift

privacycompliancesmall-business

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