I work with a lot of small accounting firms.
Most of them are smart, hardworking, and very careful with money.
They know every dollar.
Every receipt.
Every cent.
But that same mindset creates a weakness in today’s world.
It’s not that they don’t care about security.
It’s that they were trained to protect money, not protect systems.
And hackers know this.
The “down to the pennies” mindset
Accountants are always thinking:
Do we really need this expense?
Can we save a little here?
Let’s wait until next year.
This works in accounting.
It does not work in cybersecurity.
Cyber attackers don’t wait.
They don’t care about budgets or cash flow.
They move fast, and they target small firms the most.
Why hackers love accounting firms
To a hacker, a small accounting firm can be better than a bank.
Because accountants hold:
- SIN numbers
- Bank information
- Payroll data
- Tax history
- Identity documents
But many firms also:
- Don’t have IT staff
- Rely on older systems
- Delay upgrades to save money
- Avoid security tools because they seem expensive
- Trust emails that look like CRA or IRS messages
Hackers see this and think:
Easy target.
A real example I’ve seen
One accounting firm received a phishing email that looked like it came from the CRA.
Someone clicked the link and entered their username and password.
That was all it took.
The attackers didn’t steal money right away.
They logged into the firm’s email and stayed quiet.
They read emails.
They watched conversations.
They learned who the clients were.
Then they sent emails from the firm’s real email account.
The message said banking information had changed.
Now the risk wasn’t just the accounting firm anymore.
Every client who trusted that email was exposed.
And if even one client clicked by accident, the damage spread again.
That’s how small incidents turn into big ones.
Not because people are careless.
But because trust is used against them.
It’s not their fault
Accounting firms aren’t trained in cybersecurity.
They’re trained in:
- Accuracy
- Detail
- Saving money
- Reducing financial risk
Cyber risk is different.
It’s invisible until it explodes.
So firms do what they know:
Protect pennies.
Avoid extra costs.
Hope nothing happens.
It’s normal.
It’s human.
And it’s dangerous.
A gentle truth
I never blame accounting firms for getting hacked.
They’re not lazy.
They’re not careless.
They’re not stupid.
They’re using a mindset that worked for decades, but doesn’t work against modern cyber threats.
Hackers don’t target you because you’re small.
They target you because you’re predictable.
You’re busy.
You respond fast.
You trust attachments.
You use email for everything.
You have valuable data.
You don’t have cybersecurity tools.
And in cyber, predictability is weakness.
A better way
Good security doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
Accounting firms need:
- Multi-factor authentication
- Email protection
- Proper backups
- Safe file sharing
- Basic staff training
- A simple response plan
Nothing extreme.
Nothing heavy.
Nothing that slows down tax season.
Just the basics, done right.
That’s what I help firms build, security that fits their workflow, their budget, and their reality.
Not fear.
Not shame.
Just protection.
Because accountants protect everyone else’s money.
Someone needs to protect theirs too.
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