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Cyber Security Awareness Month 2026: What New Zealand Businesses Need to Know
October 14, 2026
Cyber Security Awareness Month 2026: What New Zealand Businesses Need to Know
Cyber security threats continue to evolve, but protecting your business does not have to begin with complex technology.
Cyber Security Awareness Month 2026 is an opportunity for New Zealand businesses to take a closer look at cyber security, from phishing and deepfakes to ransomware, backups and cyber resilience.
This October, we’re focusing on something simple: understanding why cyber threats work, why they matter to businesses, and what we can do to reduce the risk.
Through our Creating Answers to Your Why series, we’re breaking down some of the questions businesses have about cyber security and asking our Focus engineers to explain the thinking behind them.
Why does phishing still work?
Phishing has been around since the early days of the internet, yet it continues to be a significant cyber security risk.
Why?
Because phishing does not rely solely on technology. It relies on people.
A phishing email can arrive during a busy working day, appear legitimate and create a sense of urgency that encourages someone to act before taking a moment to think.
In our first episode, we explore why phishing still works and some of the warning signs businesses and employees should look out for.
How do you know if something is a deepfake?
AI has made it increasingly possible to manipulate video, images and audio in convincing ways.
For businesses, that creates a new question: how do you know what you are seeing or hearing is real?
Deepfakes can imitate people and create content that appears authentic, which makes verification increasingly important.
In our deepfake episode, we look at why businesses should be aware of manipulated content and what to do when something does not seem right.
Why are backups so important for cyber resilience?
Cyber security is not only about preventing an incident.
It is also about how effectively your business can recover if something does go wrong.
Ransomware, accidental deletion, system failures and other incidents can affect access to important business information. Having the right backup and recovery approach can form an important part of building cyber resilience.
Watch out for this episode dropping soon!
Why does having the right technology partner matter?
Technology continues to become more connected and more complex.
For many businesses, cyber security is no longer something that can be considered separately from the rest of their technology environment.
Having the right technology partner is about more than responding when something breaks. It is about understanding your environment, identifying risks and helping your business make informed technology decisions.
Watch out for this episode dropping soon!
Cyber Security Awareness Month is a useful reminder, but cyber security awareness should not disappear when October ends.
The goal is not to make everyone a cyber security expert.
It is to help people recognise risk, pause before acting, ask questions and understand why good cyber security practices matter.
Because when people understand the why, making safer decisions becomes a little easier.
Creating better business through technology.
