Overview

BEC involves an attacker gaining access to a corporate email account and impersonating an executive or employee to trick others into making unauthorized payments or revealing sensitive data.

Common Scenarios

  • The Bogus Invoice Scheme: Impersonating a supplier to request payment to a new bank account.
  • CEO Fraud: Impersonating the CEO to request an urgent wire transfer.
  • Account Compromise: Using a hacked employee account to send fraudulent emails to colleagues or clients.

Prevention

  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all email accounts.
  • Secondary verification for all wire transfer requests (e.g., a phone call).
  • Employee training on recognizing BEC tactics.

Related Terms