Bobby Acri, a cybersecurity analyst based in Winnetka, Illinois, outlines the security shifts he is seeing across identity, phishing, and passwordless sign-ins.
WINNETKA, IL / ACCESS Newswire / February 4, 2026 / Bobby Acri, a cybersecurity analyst focused on threat detection and incident response, is highlighting four recent trends that matter to individuals who want fewer account takeovers, fewer scam losses, and less daily risk.
Trend 1: Password attacks are still the main door attackers try first
Password based attacks are not fading. They are scaling.
Microsoft reports blocking about 7,000 password attacks per second over the past year, and notes that password-based attacks make up over 99% of daily identity attacks it tracks.
In practice, this means most people are still being targeted the same way: stolen passwords, reused passwords, and logins captured through phishing pages.
Quote from Bobby Acri: "The fastest way to lower your personal risk is to treat passwords as disposable. Use a password manager, stop reusing logins, and turn on strong sign-in methods anywhere you can."
Trend 2: Phishing remains the most reported cyber crime, and it keeps evolving
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center lists phishing and spoofing among the top reported cyber crimes in 2024.
Phishing is not only email. It is texts, calls, fake support chats, and lookalike sign-in pages designed to capture one thing: access.
Quote from Bobby Acri: "Phishing works because it targets attention, not technology. If a message creates urgency, that is a signal to slow down, not speed up."
Trend 3: Stolen credentials keep showing up in real breaches
Verizon's 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report highlights how often stolen credentials are involved in major breach patterns. In one common pattern, Verizon reports that about 88% of breaches involved the use of stolen credentials.
For individuals, that shows up as takeover attempts that do not look like a hack. They look like a normal login from a new device, at a bad time.
Quote from Bobby Acri: "Account security is not only about blocking hackers. It is about limiting what a stolen login can do when it shows up."
Trend 4: Passkeys are moving from optional to normal
Passwordless sign-ins are expanding quickly. The FIDO Alliance reported in late 2024 that more than 15 billion online accounts can use passkeys.
Passkeys reduce the value of a stolen password and help block many phishing-based login captures, because there is no password to type into a fake site.
Quote from Bobby Acri: "If a service offers passkeys, it is worth switching. It removes entire categories of everyday risk."
What this means in plain language
Most individual risk still comes from identity attacks: stolen passwords, login tricks, and account recovery abuse. The practical answer is not a single tool. It is a short set of habits that reduce exposure, tighten account recovery, and make logins harder to steal.
Bobby Acri: "Security is built before systems are tested. For individuals, that means setting up stronger sign-ins and cleaner recovery paths before you need them."
Your next 7 days
Turn on multi-factor authentication for your primary email account first.
Change the password on your email and your password manager (if you use one).
Stop password reuse by moving your top 10 accounts into a password manager.
Review account recovery options: remove old phone numbers and unused emails.
Check for sign-in alerts and turn them on where available.
Update your phone and laptop operating systems and browsers.
Choose one high-risk service (email, bank, social) and enable passkeys if offered.
Your next 90 days
Move your most important accounts to passkeys as they become available.
Reduce your "blast radius": separate your email used for sign-ins from your public email.
Build a simple monthly cadence: updates, sign-in review, recovery check, and password manager audit.
Clean up old accounts: close or secure services you no longer use, especially ones tied to the same email.
Create a personal incident plan: who to contact, which accounts to lock down first, and how you will recover access.
Pick one step and start now. The goal is not perfection. The goal is fewer easy wins for attackers.
About Bobby Acri
Bobby Acri is a cybersecurity analyst based in Winnetka, Illinois. He focuses on threat detection, incident response, risk mitigation, and secure systems design in large enterprise environments, with an emphasis on documentation, continuous improvement, and reducing alert fatigue.
Media Contact
Bobby Acri
info@bobbyacricybersecurity.com
https://www.bobbyacricybersecurity.com/
SOURCE: Bobby Acri
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