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Tax Season Readiness • CPA / Accounting • 7 min

Cybersecurity Checklist for CPA Firms Before Tax Season

A practical checklist CPA firms can use to reduce ransomware risk, prevent downtime, and keep tax season running smoothly.

Published: 2026-02-26

Why CPA firms get targeted

CPA firms hold high-value data (SSNs, bank info, payroll records) and tax season downtime is expensive. That combination makes accounting and tax practices prime targets for phishing and ransomware.

The quick checklist (do this before peak season)

  1. Turn on MFA everywhere (email, admin portals, remote access, bookkeeping/tax apps).
  2. Lock down admin access (separate admin accounts + least privilege).
  3. Patch endpoints weekly (OS + browsers + Adobe/Java/line-of-business apps).
  4. Harden email (phishing filters + safe links/attachments + mailbox monitoring).
  5. Verify backups (immutable + test restores — not just “backup succeeded”).
  6. Run a phishing drill and tighten training before deadline pressure ramps up.
  7. Confirm incident plan (who to call, what gets shut down, how to restore).

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