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Protect your organization by verifying high-impact requests through a separate, trusted channel—not by trusting the name, voice, video, or message that delivered them. Set clear approval and reporting procedures, train staff to use them, and strengthen account security with phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) where supported.
How expert impersonation can lead to a breach
Social engineering uses trust and context to persuade someone to take an unsafe action. An attacker may pose as an executive, colleague, vendor, specialist, professional contact, or another known person. The request may arrive by email or text, or through a phone or video call. It may ask an employee to disclose credentials, sign in to a fake page, transfer money, change payment details, share sensitive files, or grant access.
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CISA describes phishing as social engineering that impersonates a trustworthy entity. Its guidance includes targeted forms such as spearphishing and whaling, as well as voice phishing (vishing) and text-message phishing (smishing): CISA’s phishing guidance. A familiar name, polished message, credible professional invitation, or recognizable voice does not verify who is making the request.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA CISA and FBI fact sheet marked August 2024 describes a particular account-targeting campaign that used fake login pages and lures such as interview or speaking invitations. Those examples show how a plausible professional context can be exploited; they are not a measure of how common such attacks are. See the CISA and FBI fact sheet.
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Use independent verification for consequential requests
Write a procedure for requests that could cause financial loss, expose sensitive information, or change who can access an account or system. The procedure should apply regardless of whether the request comes from an apparent executive, expert, vendor, colleague, or known contact.
- Pause the action. Treat urgency, secrecy, authority, and a sudden switch to a new communication channel as reasons to slow down—not as reasons to bypass approval.
- Verify through a separate, established route. Contact the requester using a number or address already in your directory or records, or use an approved internal workflow. Do not use contact details, links, or callback numbers supplied in the suspicious request.
- Confirm the exact action. For a payment or bank-detail change, verify the recipient, amount, and destination. For an access grant, confirm the person, system, and scope. For sensitive data, confirm what may be shared and with whom.
- Follow normal approval controls. Keep required approvals in place even if the requester appears senior or the matter is described as an exception. Record the verification and decision according to your organization’s procedure.
- Report anything that does not check out. Use the designated channel for suspicious emails, texts, calls, and video requests; do not continue negotiating with the suspected impersonator.
This procedure makes identity and authority independently checkable instead of treating the incoming channel as proof. It applies to voice and video as well as written messages.
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Train employees to recognize and report realistic lures
Training should use examples that fit the organization’s work: unusual requests for credentials, unexpected attachments or links, altered payment instructions, sudden changes in communication behavior, and requests to share files or grant access. A convincing message may be grammatically polished, so spelling mistakes alone are not a dependable test.
Tell employees exactly where to report a suspicious email, text, call, or video request, and what to do if they already clicked a link, entered a password, shared information, or approved an action. CISA’s August 29, 2025 guidance for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments recommends threat-literacy training, simulations that resemble real threats, and policies that explain reporting and official communication channels. Those training principles can inform other organizations, though the guidance is specifically aimed at SLTT governments: CISA’s Four Cybersecurity Essentials for SLTTs.
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Use realistic exercises to find gaps in awareness, reporting routes, and approval procedures—not to declare employees or the organization immune. CISA’s phishing guidance also recommends protecting high-value accounts with strong passwords and MFA, securing email systems, separating email from critical assets where appropriate, and assessing susceptibility through phishing campaigns.
Strengthen account security with MFA
Require MFA for email, file storage, remote access, and privileged or administrative accounts. Prioritize accounts that can reach sensitive data or approve consequential actions. MFA can reduce the risk that a stolen password alone will give an attacker access, but methods differ in how well they resist phishing.
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CISA recommends aiming for phishing-resistant MFA and identifies FIDO as a way to block sign-in attempts to fake websites. A compatible FIDO security key is one physical option; confirm that it works with your identity provider, device fleet, enrollment process, and account-recovery policy before deployment. CISA’s statement that SMS- or email-based authenticators are insufficient is specific to the Iranian targeting activity described in its August 2024 fact sheet; it should not be read as a claim that every other MFA method provides no protection. See CISA’s MFA guidance and More Than a Password.
As CISA puts it in its MFA guidance: “Implementing MFA into your policy is a simple, effective step that can block many common cyberattacks and significantly reduce the risk of account compromise.” MFA complements independent verification; it does not confirm whether a payment, access request, or disclosure is legitimate.
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Include voice and synthetic-media impersonation in your plan
A familiar voice or convincing face on a video call should not be the sole authorization for a high-impact action. Apply the same separate-channel verification rule used for email: contact the person through a known route or require the approved workflow before acting. Make sure employees can escalate suspected impersonation and preserve relevant messages, caller information, or other evidence under your incident procedures.
In a September 12, 2023 announcement marked archived, CISA described an NSA, FBI, and CISA information sheet on synthetic-media threats and organizational preparation, identification, defense, and response. The announcement establishes that the agencies addressed these risks, but it is not confirmation that the archived publication is their latest guidance: CISA’s deepfake announcement.
Layer controls instead of relying on one defense
Each control covers a different part of the problem. Independent verification governs whether a request is legitimate, regardless of how it arrived. Training helps staff recognize and report attempts. Email protections reduce exposure to some lures. Phishing-resistant MFA helps protect supported sign-ins if credentials are targeted. Consider coverage across channels, prevention of unsafe actions, account-takeover risk, employee judgment, recovery burden, and compatibility with existing workflows when choosing controls.
Quick Recap
| Control | What it addresses | What to account for |
|---|---|---|
| Independent verification and approval procedures | Requests for payments, access, credentials, or sensitive information, regardless of channel | Maintain known contact records and workflows; do not accept details supplied in the request as verification |
| Training and realistic exercises | Recognition, reporting, and response to plausible lures | Exercises should improve procedures and readiness, not be treated as proof of immunity |
| Email security and separation of critical assets | Some phishing exposure and the reach of an email compromise | Configure protections for the organization’s systems and business needs |
| MFA, prioritizing phishing-resistant options | Account sign-ins, especially where passwords may be compromised | Check identity-provider support, enrollment, recovery, and device compatibility |
What to do when someone may have acted on an impersonation
- Stop the pending action. Pause a transfer, access change, file share, or other request if it has not been completed.
- Report it through the established internal channel. Include the original message or relevant details, such as the sender, caller information, link, requested action, and what the employee did.
- Contact the real person independently. Use a known number, directory entry, or approved workflow to confirm whether they made the request.
- Follow the organization’s incident process. If credentials were entered or disclosed, alert the team responsible for accounts promptly so it can take the appropriate containment steps. If money or sensitive information was sent, escalate through the relevant internal response process.
- Preserve evidence and review the control gap. Keep relevant communications and determine whether the verification, approval, reporting, or account-protection procedure needs attention.
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