Employee Cybersecurity Guide: 10 Threats to Know

This guide explains the attacks you're most likely to encounter at work and what you can do to protect yourself and your organization.

1. Phishing

What it is
Fake emails, texts or messages designed to steal your login credentials, personal information or money by pretending to be from someone you trust.

What it looks like
An email appears to be from Microsoft 365, your bank or a colleague, claiming your account will be locked or a payment is overdue. It includes a link to a fake login page or a malicious attachment.

How to protect yourself

• Check the sender's actual email address, not just the display name

• Hover over links before clicking to see the real destination

• Type website addresses directly into your browser instead of clicking email links

• Verify unexpected requests by contacting the sender through a different method (phone, in person)

• Report suspicious messages to IT immediately using your organization's reporting tool

2. Business Email Compromise

What it is
Targeted fraud where criminals impersonate executives, vendors or business partners to trick you into transferring money or sharing sensitive data.

What it looks like
Your CEO emails asking you to urgently wire €50,000 to a "new vendor account" for a confidential deal. The email address is slightly different from the real one: ceo@company-secure.com instead of ceo@company.com.

How to protect yourself

• Always verify payment changes or unusual financial requests through a phone call to a known number

• Follow your organization's approval process for payments, even when someone claims it's urgent

• Question requests that bypass normal procedures or demand secrecy

• Look carefully at email addresses for small changes (extra letters, different domains)

• Never send gift cards, wire transfers or change bank details based solely on an email

3. Social Engineering (Phone, Chat, In-Person)

What it is
Manipulation tactics where attackers impersonate IT staff, delivery personnel, vendors or colleagues to get information, access or bypass security controls.

What it looks like
Someone calls claiming to be from IT support, saying there's a security problem with your account. They ask you to read them the verification code that just appeared on your phone "so they can fix it."

How to protect yourself

• Verify any unexpected caller's identity by calling back through official company numbers

• Never share passwords, MFA codes or verification links with anyone, including IT

• Don't let strangers into secure areas, even if they seem official or in a hurry

• Refuse to install software or visit websites because someone on the phone instructs you

• Report suspicious calls or visitors to your security team

4. Password Attacks

What it is
Attempts to steal or guess your passwords through leaked data from other breaches, automated guessing or tricking you into revealing them.

What it looks like
After a data breach at a shopping website, attackers try your leaked email and password combination on your work VPN. If you reused the same password, they get in.

How to protect yourself

• Use a different password for every account

• Create long passwords with multiple words rather than short complex ones

• Use your organization's password manager to generate and store passwords

• Turn on multi-factor authentication for all work accounts

• Change your password immediately if you suspect it's been compromised

5. Malware (Viruses, Trojans, Spyware)

What it is
Malicious software that installs on your device to steal data, monitor your activity or create backdoors for attackers.

What it looks like
You search for free software, download it from an unfamiliar website and install it. The program secretly records everything you type, including passwords and credit card numbers.

How to protect yourself

• Download software only from official vendor websites or approved app stores

• Install security updates when prompted; don't postpone them

• Keep antivirus and security software running; never disable it

• Scan email attachments with antivirus before opening them

• Avoid clicking on pop-up ads offering free tools or system cleaners

6. Ransomware

What it is
Malware that locks your files and demands payment to unlock them. Attackers often threaten to publish stolen data if you don't pay.

What it looks like
You open what appears to be an invoice attachment. Hours later, all shared drives are locked, files show strange extensions and a message demands cryptocurrency payment for the decryption key.

How to protect yourself

• Treat unexpected invoices, scanned documents and compressed files as suspicious

• Never enable macros in documents unless you're certain they're legitimate

• Save your work to network drives or approved cloud storage that gets backed up

• Disconnect your device from the network immediately if files suddenly become unreadable

• Use VPN when working remotely and keep all software updated

7. Data Breaches

What it is
Unauthorized access to company data through weak security settings, exposed databases or stolen employee credentials.

What it looks like
A cloud storage folder containing customer records is accidentally set to "public." Attackers find it through automated scanning and download thousands of records.

How to protect yourself

• Store work data only in approved company systems, never personal cloud accounts

• Follow data classification rules: treat confidential data differently from public information

• Check sharing permissions before sending files externally; remove access when it's no longer needed

• Report accidentally shared or misrouted data immediately

• Use multi-factor authentication to make account takeovers harder

8. Insider Threats

What it is
Security risks from current or former employees, contractors or partners who misuse their access, either accidentally or deliberately.

What it looks like
An employee frustrated about not getting a promotion downloads customer lists and pricing data to a USB drive before resigning to join a competitor.

How to protect yourself

• Access only the data and systems you need for your job

• Never copy company data to personal devices, USB drives or personal email

• Report suspicious behavior or unusual data access to your manager or security team

• Tell IT immediately if you accidentally share sensitive information

• Log out of systems and lock your computer when stepping away

9. USB and Removable Media

What it is
USB drives and other removable devices used to spread malware or steal data, often left deliberately for employees to find.

What it looks like
You find a USB drive in the parking lot labeled "Executive Salaries 2026." Curious, you plug it into your work laptop. It automatically installs malware that connects to an attacker's server.

How to protect yourself

• Never plug unknown USB drives into work computers

• Use only company-issued USB devices when necessary

• Scan approved USB drives with antivirus before opening files

• Report found USB drives to IT instead of testing them yourself

• Use secure file-sharing platforms instead of physical media when possible

10. Malicious Websites

What it is
Compromised or fake websites that automatically try to exploit your browser or trick you into downloading malware.

What it looks like
You click a search result for your company's expense portal. The website looks identical but the URL is slightly wrong. Visiting it runs hidden code that tries to install spyware.

How to protect yourself

• Type important website addresses directly or use bookmarks instead of search results

• Keep your browser updated and remove extensions you don't use

• Look for HTTPS and verify the domain name matches what you expect

• Don't download "required" software or plugins that websites claim you need

• Avoid visiting risky websites on work devices

General Protection Principles

For all situations

• When something feels wrong or urgent, slow down and verify

• Use multi-factor authentication on every account that supports it

• Keep all software and devices updated

• Report security concerns without fear; honest mistakes help the organization improve

• Ask IT if you're unsure whether something is legitimate

Remember: Attackers rely on you acting quickly without thinking. Taking a moment to verify can prevent serious damage.