New Year, New Threats – Are You Ready?

As we welcome 2026, now’s the perfect time to reset your cyber priorities and take a fresh look at your organisation’s security posture. The threat landscape isn’t slowing down — in fact, it’s evolving faster, with stealthier attacks, cloud missteps, and outdated systems creating avoidable risk.

This month’s bulletin highlights three critical areas to address early in the year, so you can stay ahead of emerging threats and compliance demands.

New Year, New Threats – Are You Ready?

The Rise of Stealthier Phishing Attacks

Phishing scams aren’t what they used to be. Thanks to AI-generated content, attackers are crafting smarter, more convincing emails — often tailored using publicly available data from social media or company websites.

Why It’s a Risk in 2026:

Generic phishing filters are no match for advanced social engineering.

These emails often mimic real internal communications or supplier messages.

Even security-savvy staff can be caught off guard.

What You Can Do:

Upgrade to email security tools that detect behavioural anomalies.

Run regular phishing simulations with realistic content.

Remind staff to double-check suspicious emails — especially those involving payment, credentials, or urgent action.

The Hidden Risk in SaaS Misconfigurations

Cloud platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Dropbox are powerful — but their security often depends on how you configure them. Misconfigured sharing links, wide-open folders, and excessive admin privileges are just some of the hidden dangers.

Why It’s a Risk in 2026:

Cloud usage is increasing, but visibility and governance often lag behind.

Users can unknowingly expose files to the public or other departments.

IT teams may not regularly audit permission settings across tools.

What You Can Do:

Conduct a SaaS security audit to spot misconfigurations.

Enforce least-privilege access across all cloud apps.

Use conditional access, DLP, and automated alerts for sensitive data.

The Cost of Ignoring End-of-Life Systems

Windows 10 will officially reach End of Support in October 2025 — but many organisations still have devices running it. Unsupported systems will quickly become one of the most attractive targets for attackers.

Why It’s a Risk in 2026:

No more security patches means vulnerabilities remain unpatched.

Attackers often scan for outdated OS versions as low-hanging fruit.

Device age and warranty status may compound the problem.

What You Can Do:

Audit your Windows 10 estate now and create a plan for upgrades.

Explore Microsoft’s Extended Security Update (ESU) programme if needed.

Assess device readiness for Windows 11 and budget for hardware replacements.


5 Ways Chaos Is Using AI to Transform Design Visualisation

28 January 2026

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way Architects, Designers, and Visualisation professionals bring ideas to life. Chaos, a global leader in rendering and visualisation technology, is at the forefront of this transformation. By integrating AI into its ecosystem of tools - Veras, Enscape, V-Ray, Corona, and Vantage - Chaos is streamlining workflows, accelerating creativity, and redefining what’s possible in design visualisation. This blog explores 5 ways Chaos solutions are supporting AI technology.

Chaos V-Ray vs Chaos Corona: Which Renderer Fits Your Workflow?

21 January 2026

Visualisation has changed dramatically over the past twenty five years. With so many powerful tools now available, choosing the right rendering engine has become a crucial decision for architects, designers, and visualisation specialists. Among the leading options, Chaos offers two standout solutions - Chaos V-Ray and Chaos Corona - each delivering exceptional photorealism in its own way. This blog outlines how they compare.

Including Visualisation as Part of Your BIM Strategy

19 January 2026

I am sure we have all heard the question “are you a visual learner” at some point, this is because today there is a greater appreciation that most of us learn and understand the world around us, including new concepts more easily via visuals.