The digital landscape continues to evolve, and with it, the nature of threats facing corporate leaders, often through their online profiles. Social media, once a platform for branding and public relations, has become a primary attack vector for cybercriminals. And the line between an executive’s personal digital life and their professional security is no longer blurry, it’s nonexistent.

Security and risk management professionals have been inquiring about reputation management and cybersecurity’s role in it for years, with social media becoming an increasingly critical factor. As the stakes continue to rise, threatening the reputations, finances, and overall protection of executives and their families, organizations must recognize the vital role social media security plays in comprehensive Digital Executive Protection (DEP). 

Executive social media hijacking is a growing cybersecurity risk 

Social media accounts are increasingly being compromised as a precursor to, or as the result of, a cyberattack, fraud, or identity theft. 

Such threats are consequential to executives and their families, but also to the organization they lead. For example, an adversary with access to an executive’s social media profile could facilitate social media impersonations, deepfakes, and email spoofing, to name a few. This could capture sensitive or proprietary information that could be used to launch a significant attack or data breach. 

Likewise, an attacker with access could negate an executive’s privacy protections by enabling location tracking, which can lead to cyberstalking and even physical confrontation. Threat actors also routinely aim to create fake profiles based on real ones, damaging reputations, and using them for social engineering tactics against employees and others in the target’s circle. 

A few recent examples of executive social media impersonation include: 

  • Arup’s $23 million deepfake scam: An employee at the engineering firm Arup was deceived into wiring more than $23 million to scammers after a video conference with individuals impersonating senior executives using deepfake technology. This case highlights how AI-generated impersonations, often fueled by an executive’s publicly available digital content, can be used for significant financial fraud
  • Radhika Gupta impersonators: The CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Radhika Gupta, issued a public warning about numerous fake social media profiles impersonating her on multiple platforms. These accounts were used to offer fraudulent stock and crypto advice. It’s just one of many examples of fake accounts, particularly in the financial sector, being used for malicious purposes. 

No one practice or implementation is going to completely eliminate these types of threats. But being aware of them, and knowing how to proactively secure accounts, can ensure one is well positioned to safeguard their digital life from cyber risk. 

Proactive security and education can bolster digital executive protection

With people’s lives increasingly online, it’s imperative that CISO’s and other security leaders incorporate education around hardening accounts and securing social media in their DEP plan, particularly. This practice aids in preventing security threats such as fake social media profiles, social media account hijacking, and other malicious activity on social channels. 

Simple steps like implementing two-factor authentication and using password managers can go a long way to fortifying these accounts. 

It’s important to remember that securing social media is just one small piece of the digital executive protection puzzle. Protecting executives beyond the corporate perimeter, and by extension the company, requires a robust strategy designed to protect one’s digital privacy, personal devices, and home networks.

The BlackCloak Solution

BlackCloak secures the personal digital lives of corporate executives, high-net-worth individuals, and their families. We tailor our specialist technology, expertise and support to deliver bespoke solutions that protect the privacy, devices and homes of our clients from cyber threats in an increasingly connected world. 

Used by Fortune 500 companies, recommended by wealth management firms, and trusted by private family offices, the BlackCloak Platform is an award-winning cybersecurity solution enhanced by personalized expertise for holistic support 24/7. Our Concierge Team also provides tailored, actionable best practices to harden client accounts, secure their social media, and more. 

With BlackCloak’s Digital Executive Protection, executives and board members get peace of mind knowing their family, privacy, reputation, and finances are secured, while CISOs and CSOs can be confident that their people and organization remain protected without invading personal lives.

For more information, visit www.blackcloak.io or contact us to request a demo.