6 Cybersecurity Threats Targeting Recruiters

IT departments in all industries are concerned about hackers dialing into company records and targeting employees, driving new pushes to secure data. Recruiters may be particularly vulnerable. It makes sense for cybercriminals to target businesses that rely on their cloud-based systems, which means protecting recruiters is more important than ever.

Who Is Most Targeted by Cyberattacks? 

A recent Cisco study found that 86% of companies had at least one user attempt to connect to a phishing site and 48% found information-stealing malware on their systems. It makes sense that industries that store a lot of sensitive information for their users are highly coveted by cybercriminals. 

If you want people to entrust you with their personal details, they must believe you’ll protect their sensitive data. Knowing what the common threats are can help you avoid an incident and subsequent crisis control measures.

1. Phishing

Phishing is one of the most common ways companies get hacked — an employee clicks on a link and is sent to a site with keystroke tracking or downloads malware. Train your workers to never click on links in emails, even if the message looks official. They should always go directly to the website address. 

If an employee is uncertain, they should contact the person who supposedly sent the email via another form of communication, such as a phone call or text message. While some links are okay and sent by legitimate contacts, many are unsafe — especially those sent to recruiters, who often work with new or unfamiliar people. 

2. Connected Devices

The world is more connected than ever before, with billions of devices tapping into the Internet of Things (IoT). Every device connected to a network via IoT creates another potential vulnerability. 

Ask workers to download the latest virus protection and put security policies in place to avoid opening your data up to hackers. Even simple apps that workers may have downloaded on work devices can create havoc. One example is WhatsApp, which compromised the information of 1.5 billion users when hackers installed software and accessed personal data. 

Be aware of how your staff taps into the IoT and how it might impact your network if they access your databases on the same device. 

3. Surroundings

A lack of awareness can create a situation where passwords and other sensitive data fall into the wrong hands. For example, imagine a remote employee goes to a nearby coffee shop and logs into the system. If they aren’t careful to protect their login credentials, someone could learn how to easily hack into the system. 

By the same token, users should only access the system on secure networks. Accessing sensitive information on a public network at a hotel or public library Wi-Fi will require more safeguards than the average person utilizes.  

4. Camera Hacking

With more people working from home, virtual meetings have become more commonplace. Unfortunately, a new threat to security is camera hacking. 

The hacker gets access to the computer’s camera when the user downloads a virus via phishing or unsecured networks. The cybercriminal now can listen in on video conferencing, learn insider secrets and gain valuable data. Users may not even realize they’re being spied on.

The best way to protect yourself from this threat is to ensure antivirus software is kept updated and run regular scans on the system. 

5. Ransomware

You’ve likely heard of ransomware and big corporations paying millions of dollars to stop the attack and get back to business. The issue with paying cyberterrorists a ransom is that it breeds more of them and encourages criminals to attack other brands — big and small. 

The number of cyberattacks has increased since the pandemic. It’s tempting to just pay the ransom to regain access to your network, but there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get your data back. Hackers can also keep customers’ private data or dox them. 

Before you face a situation where hackers demand payment, establish a policy for how you’ll handle ransomware. If you’re regularly backing up your site, you might choose to shut things down and restore it back to normal. The best policy is to prevent the attack in the first place, so spend time shoring up your firewalls and security policies. 

6. Disgruntled Employees

Unfortunately, you might run into a situation where a former employee put in backdoor access to your system or still has login credentials. If they were fired or left on bad terms, they might want to do maximum damage to your company’s reputation.

They might sell the login information to hackers or steal information and form their own recruiting agency. Make it a policy to shut down access before letting an employee go. If they give notice, immediately turn off their access to databases and other sensitive details. Regularly change passwords for systems. Review who accesses your systems each day. 

Create a Cybersecurity Policy

The threat of hackers grows every year as more people work remotely and companies do business increasingly online. Your first step to ensuring you keep user data safe is to create a cybersecurity policy.

When your employees understand the best way to protect sensitive information, it’s much less likely data will fall into the wrong hands. Protect your customers and employees from cybercriminals by shoring up your policies before cyberthieves slip through any holes in your security.