Updated October 2026. Originally published April 2019.
Cybercriminals target employees because their jobs give them access to information, business systems and trusted relationships. A convincing message can turn a routine task, such as reviewing a document, approving an invoice or helping a colleague, into an opportunity for fraud or unauthorized access.
Protecting your business means giving employees clear guidance, safer processes and security tools that support their work. Your team should have a straightforward way to verify an unusual request and get help when something feels wrong.
Why Are Employees Valuable Targets?
Employees connect the systems and decisions that keep a business running. Finance manages payments. HR handles sensitive records. Operations coordinates vendors and projects. IT manages access. An attacker can build a request around any of those responsibilities.
Consider an illustrative example: an accounting employee receives a message about a supplier’s new bank account just before a payment deadline. The request fits the employee’s job, and the timing discourages questions. A documented verification process gives that employee a clear reason to pause and check.
The business question is broader than whether someone can spot a suspicious email: what happens when a request looks routine, and what safeguards apply before money, information or access changes hands?
How Do Cybercriminals Target Employees?
Phishing and Unexpected Sign-In Requests:
A message may direct someone to a fake sign-in page or an unexpected attachment. Before acting on an unfamiliar sharing notification, open the service through your usual trusted route or ask IT for help. Recognizing common phishing warning signs can help your team identify suspicious messages before taking action.
Impersonation and Payment Fraud:
Business email compromise (BEC) uses requests that appear to come from a trusted source to obtain money or sensitive information. The FBI’s BEC guidance describes scams involving supplier invoices and executive requests, and recommends independently verifying payment and account changes. Understanding the warning signs of business email compromise can help your team recognize when a familiar-looking request deserves closer attention.
Requests Through Other Channels:
Verification rules should also cover calls, texts and workplace messages. For example, a person claiming to be from IT may ask an employee to approve an unexpected sign-in. Teach employees to contact support through the established help channel rather than following instructions from an unverified caller.
Gaps in Access and Device Practices:
Review what happens when a device is lost, a contractor’s project ends or someone changes roles. Clear ownership of these situations helps the business act consistently, rather than leaving individuals to decide what access should remain available.
How Can Businesses Protect Employees and Reduce Risk?
Make Training Relevant to Everyday Work:
Use short scenarios tied to the decisions each team makes. An accounts-payable exercise could ask how to handle changed banking instructions. An HR example could address an unexpected request for payroll records. Explain who can help and what employees should do next.
Treat practice exercises as opportunities to improve instructions and workflows. Ask what made a request convincing and whether the approved process was easy to follow.
Set Clear Rules for Sensitive Requests:
Document how payment changes, sensitive-data requests and account recovery are verified. For financial changes, call a known contact using a number already on file or obtained independently. Do not use a number supplied in the request. Define who can approve exceptions and when a second approver is required.
Strengthen Account Protection:
Use multifactor authentication (MFA) and prioritize phishing-resistant methods where supported. CISA explains that phishing-resistant MFA, such as FIDO security keys, is designed to resist attacks that bypass some other MFA methods. Discuss suitable options and rollout requirements with IT.
Give Employees Appropriate Access and Maintain Devices:
Limit access to what each role needs, review it when responsibilities change, and remove it when it is no longer required. Provide approved password-management tools, keep software updated, and protect laptops with encryption.
Make Reporting and Response Easy to Follow:
Tell employees exactly how to report a suspicious message or possible mistake. Provide a backup contact method if email is unavailable. Encourage prompt reporting even if someone already clicked, shared information or approved a request.
Have IT or your security partner define the response steps employees should follow. For leaders, the next step is to plan for a cybersecurity incident before a real event creates pressure.
Questions to Discuss with Your IT Provider:
- Who verifies and approves changes to vendor banking information?
- Does every employee know how to contact IT or the security team when something seems suspicious?
- Which accounts need stronger authentication or an access review?
- Who owns the response if an employee reports a possible compromise?
- What did our last exercise reveal about unclear instructions or approval gaps?
For a company with limited internal IT capacity, assign an owner for each action with your provider. If you have an internal team, clarify where it needs additional support and who makes decisions during an incident.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does targeting employees mean they are the weakest link?
That framing puts too much responsibility on individuals. A better question is whether the business gives people usable safeguards, clear verification rules and an accessible way to report concerns.
Is Security Awareness Training Enough?
Training is one part of the program. Leaders should also examine approvals, account protection, access permissions, security monitoring and response responsibilities. The goal is to support good decisions and prepare for situations in which a suspicious request gets through.
What Should an Employee do after Clicking a Suspicious Link?
Stop interacting with the message or page and contact IT or the security team immediately through an established channel. Explain what happened, including whether any credentials were entered, information was shared or a file was opened. Follow the organization’s incident-response instructions.
Strengthen Your Team’s Defenses Against Cyber Threats
Give your team the guidance and protection they need to work securely. IronEdge helps businesses strengthen employee awareness, secure business accounts and prepare for potential threats through cybersecurity services tailored to their needs.
Connect with an IronEdge cybersecurity expert to identify opportunities to strengthen your defenses and prioritize your next steps.
