Hackers are targeting executives’ personal email, app and social media accounts as they can be less secure than corporate accounts, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Research firm Ponemon Institute found that 51% of U.S. corporate cybersecurity leaders have experienced attacks on their executives’ personal accounts this year, up from 42% in 2023, according to the April 7 story.
“[Personal accounts] are prime targets for attackers who use them as easier entry points into sensitive networks that are more secure,” Nabil Hannan, chief information security officer at cybersecurity firm NetSPI, told the newspaper.
The hackers may be attempting to gather data such as reused passwords, cellphone numbers, home addresses, and browser history, according to the story. Cybersecurity experts advise using strong passwords with multifactor authentication, avoiding public Wi-Fi without a VPN, having encrypted home routers backed by a complex password, and keeping software and operating systems up to date on personal devices.