Twenty‑six industry‑leading reports. One Playbook.
The Cyber Resilience Playbook, authored by Dr. Chase Cunningham (“Doctor Zero Trust”), distills the findings of 26 reports into a single security blueprint for emerging and mid‑size companies.
Drawing on the latest breach intelligence from sources like the 2025 Verizon DBIR, CrowdStrike’s Global Threat Report, Mandiant M‑Trends, and dozens more, the data is unequivocal: smaller businesses now face the same adversaries, the same attack techniques, and the same operational risks as large enterprises.
Designed specifically for growing businesses, the Cyber Resilience Playbook Action Plan equips teams facing enterprise‑level threats with a clear path forward, even when resources are limited. You don’t need a sprawling tech stack to defend your business – you just need to follow these nine steps.
Let’s get started.
Why this Action Plan is different from other cyber resilience strategies
Built from real breach data
This Playbook is not theory. It is synthesized from the latest breach investigations and industry reports that show how attackers succeed and where defenses fail. The Playbook maps those findings into concrete controls that directly address the most common and highest-impact attack paths for emerging and mid-size companies.
Prioritized for impact, not complexity
Every recommendation in the Action Plan is ranked by the real-world effect it has on reducing breach likelihood and business disruption. The goal is measurable risk reduction – fast. That means focusing first on identity, backups, and detection, because those controls cut the most damage in the shortest time.
Designed for teams with limited time, budget, and staff
This Action Plan assumes you are resource constrained. It emphasizes low-friction, high-return actions, practical sequencing, and managed services where appropriate. You don’t need a large security team to make meaningful progress – just a clear sequence and disciplined execution.
Your 2026 cyber resilience strategy: the 9 key security controls your small business needs
Below are the nine prioritized controls every emerging and mid-size company should implement. Each item is written as an actionable directive, so it’s easy for teams to surface, index, and operationalize.
1. Strengthen identity and access management (IAM)
Identity is the new perimeter. Attackers overwhelmingly rely on stolen credentials, making IAM the highest‑impact control.
- Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) everywhere, including email, cloud consoles, VPNs, and admin accounts. Use phishing-resistant methods (FIDO2, hardware keys) for high-risk users.
- Adopt least privilege to remove unnecessary admin rights, enforce role-based access, and perform regular access reviews.
- Centralize identity by using a directory/IAM provider (single sign-on) to enforce policies, revoke access quickly, and detect anomalous logins.
- Use password managers to enforce unique, complex credentials and monitor for leaked credentials.
2. Enhance security awareness and training
Human error remains a top breach driver, especially as AI‑powered phishing and vishing attacks surge.
- Run regular, short training modules and focus on phishing, vishing, and social engineering.
- Simulate phishing by measuring click rates and remediate with targeted coaching.
- Promote a verification culture by requiring out-of-band confirmation for financial requests and sensitive actions.
- Track metrics and report phishing click rates and training completion to leadership.
3. Secure email and communication channels
Email is still the most common initial access vector for attackers.
- Deploy email filtering and sandboxing to block malicious attachments and links before they reach users.
- Implement SPF, DKIM, DMARC (essential email authentication protocols) to reduce domain spoofing and protect brand trust.
- Harden against Business Email Compromise (BEC) by requiring multi-step verification for wire transfers and vendor payment changes.
- Lock down mailbox hygiene by enforcing MFA, disabling auto-forwarding to external domains, and monitoring mailbox rules.
4. Defend endpoints and networks
Modern attacks are increasingly “malware‑free,” making traditional antivirus insufficient.
- Deploy advanced endpoint protection (EDR/XDR) to catch malware-free intrusions and lateral movement.
- Use managed detection and response (MDR) if you lack 24/7 staff. Outsourced Security Operation Centers (SOCs) dramatically cut mean time to respond.
- Segment networks toisolate backups, finance systems, and production environments to limit blast radius.
- Enable host firewalls and disk encryption to protect devices from theft and unauthorized access.
5. Implement rigorous patch and vulnerability management
Unpatched systems remain one of the most exploited weaknesses for emerging and mid‑size companies.
- Inventory internet-facing assets and prioritize patching for those systems first.
- Run regular vulnerability scans to remediate high/critical findings within defined SLAs.
- Patch firmware and shadow IT, including routers, NAS, and IoT devices in your cadence.
- Use virtual patching or WAF shielding when immediate fixes are not possible.
6. Backup data and test recovery
Backups are the single most important factor in avoiding ransom payments.
- Follow the 3-2-1 rule with three copies, two media types, one offsite or immutable copy.
- Use immutable cloud backups or offline copies to prevent ransomware from destroying backups.
- Automate frequent backups and verify job success daily.
- Practice restores and test recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) regularly.
7. Develop an Incident Response plan and practice it
A well‑rehearsed Incident Response (IR) plan dramatically reduces downtime and financial impact.
- Create a concise IR playbook, which includes roles, escalation paths, and decision points (including who can declare an incident).
- Maintain an IR go-kit of contact lists, backup credentials, and recovery procedures.
- Run tabletop exercises at least annually to validate roles and communications.
- Perform post-incident reviews and update the plan based on lessons learned.
8. Protect and “devalue” sensitive data with cryptography
If attackers steal encrypted or tokenized data, its value drops dramatically.
- Encrypt data at rest and in transit, including databases, file shares, and backups.
- Use tokenization and masking for payment and personal data in non-production environments.
- Handle keys securely by using managed key services and avoiding hard-coded secrets.
- Leverage encryption for compliance since encrypted data often reduces notification obligations and legal exposure.
9. Leverage external security expertise and services
Most emerging and mid‑size companies cannot operate a full security program alone.
- Engage Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for 24/7 monitoring and incident containment.
- Use a “virtual CISO” (vCISO) for strategy, policy, and board-level reporting without full-time hire costs.
- Evaluate cyber insurance as a risk transfer and source of response support.
- Tap free government and nonprofit resources for scanning, guidance, and training where available.
How emerging and mid-size companies can prioritize the Action Plan
Use the maturity model to sequence actions
The Playbook includes a tailored maturity model that helps organizations identify where they stand today – Initial, Basic, or Intermediate – and what to do next:
- Initial: Security is minimal and/or reactive. Basic firewall. No security policies. Employees are using weak passwords.
- Basic: Enabled MFA for email and critical apps. Deployed anti-malware/endpoint protection. Basic employee security training. Set up regular data backups.
- Intermediate: Centralized logging and alerting (SIEM or MSP). Role-based access controls implemented. Managed security service (MSS) or vCISO leveraged. Backups include offsite/cloud copies.
This structured approach ensures that each step builds on the last, creating sustainable progress.
Focus on controls that reduce ransomware risk first
Ransomware remains the most disruptive threat for emerging and mid‑size companies. The fastest path to resilience is to prioritize the controls that directly reduce ransomware impact:
- MFA everywhere
- Immutable backups
- EDR/MDR deployment
- Patch management
- Practiced incident response
These controls convert a catastrophic ransomware event into a recoverable IT incident.
Leverage free and low‑cost tools where possible
Security maturity doesn’t require enterprise budgets:
- Use built‑in cloud security features.
- Deploy free vulnerability scanners.
- Use authenticator apps for MFA.
- Leverage government‑provided scanning and training resources.
- Adopt open‑source tools for logging, monitoring, and configuration management.
The goal is progress, not perfection.
Start small. Scale deliberately. Build resilience that lasts.
Security doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The Cyber Resilience Playbook proves that meaningful protection is achievable – even for small teams with limited resources.
The Action Plan is intentionally simple, measurable, and sequenced for impact. Start with identity and backups, add detection and patching, then harden communications and data. Use external partners to fill gaps and a maturity model to track progress.
Download the Playbook, adopt the Action Plan, and build cyber resilience that lasts.
