It’s no surprise that cyber criminals target high-profile individuals or those with access privilege. Malicious actors often use social engineering and whale phishing attacks against these people to breach systems. But households and family members of company executives may also be the target of cyberattacks. In some cases, such as sextortion attempts, criminals demand monetary payment.
There’s also a new trend where family members are being targeted, but the actors aren’t asking for money. Instead, attackers seek network access, passwords and requests to download files — all in an attempt to reach bigger targets and carry out wider attacks.
In short, modern company security should also include household security.
No perimeter to secure
If anything, the pandemic eliminated any notion of perimeter-based security. How many companies these days have employees connecting from a distance? How many businesses have hundreds, if not thousands, of devices connecting to their network? While the security risks are clear, 24/7 availability from any place on any device enables brands to stay competitive. And this means security must extend to all endpoints, human and machine, to secure a company’s network.
While we obsess over online security, threat actors might not stay limited to digital-only tactics. For example, cyber pro Reuven Aronashvili reported a case that involved the teenage son of an executive. The actors threatened to reveal that the teen was gay — something he had not shared with his family at the time — unless he installed some files on his home Wi-Fi network. Once the files were installed, the attacker could then target his mother, the executive.
The FBI has also released a warning about the rise of “
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