Stopping Scattered Spider: 5 steps to secure your front line
Imagine this: the phone rings at a corporate help desk. On the line is someone claiming to be a high-level director—urgent, impatient, and clearly annoyed. "I don’t have time for this. Who am I even speaking to? You’re costing us business."
The help desk agent, caught off guard, scrambles to verify the caller’s identity. They ask for an employee ID or suggest calling back on a known internal number. But the voice on the other end snaps back, brushing off every attempt with mounting pressure and authority.
In a company with thousands of employees, it's entirely possible the help desk worker doesn't personally know every director. And under that kind of heat—confronted with status, urgency, and the fear of slowing down a so-called executive—many employees cave. They reset the password. They make the requested changes. They fall for the scam.
This tactic, a classic example of social engineering, works not because the impersonator is especially clever, but because they know how to manipulate people under pressure. It’s a powerful reminder: without firm protocols and thorough training, even the best employees can be tricked. And in cybersecurity, that single slip can open the door to serious damage.
