Protecting C-Suite Executives from Targeted Spear Phishing & Whaling
Hardening executive communication channels, executive assistant delegations, and personal account exposure against elite threat actors.
Why Executives Remain High-Value Targets
CEOs, CFOs, and board members possess high-level authorization privileges, access to confidential commercial intelligence, and frequent public schedules that provide threat actors with rich pretexting context.
Securing Executive Assistant Delegations
Executive assistants frequently possess delegate access to executive inboxes and calendars. If an assistant's credentials are compromised, attackers gain immediate access to read and draft emails on behalf of the CEO. Mandate strict MFA and dedicated training for executive support personnel.
Deploying VIP-Specific Mailbox Policies
Configure stricter impersonation detection rules in Microsoft 365 for executive display names and personal email variations. Enforce hardware FIDO2 authentication keys and restrict external file sharing privileges on VIP mailboxes.
Related Articles & Advisories
SPF, DKIM & DMARC: Stopping Domain Spoofing and Executive Impersonation
Why traditional spam filters fail against spoofed domains, and how enforcing DMARC p=reject stops attackers from impersonating your executive team and company brand.
The Road to DMARC Enforcement: Migrating from p=none to p=reject Safely
A phased methodology for cataloging third-party senders, aligning cryptographic keys, and enforcing zero-tolerance rejection without dropping legitimate mail.
Business Email Compromise (BEC): Anatomy of Invoice Redirection Wire Fraud
How cybercriminals intercept supplier email threads, manipulate banking details, and siphon millions through synthetic invoice redirection.