Why is the executive home office a prime target for cybercriminals in 2025?

Remember when working from home meant checking email in your pajamas? Those days are long gone. Today's senior executives are running billion-dollar operations from kitchen tables and converted spare bedrooms. And cybercriminals? They're absolutely thrilled about it. 

Here's the uncomfortable truth: while your corporate headquarters has more security layers than a bank vault, your home office is protected by... well, probably the same router that came in the box from your internet provider five years ago. For hackers targeting the C-suite, it's like you've moved the crown jewels from a fortress into a suburban garage.  

While many employees have returned to corporate offices, senior executives increasingly split their time between headquarters and home offices or work remotely full-time. This shift has created an unsettling reality: the C-suite, with access to the most sensitive corporate data and decision-making authority, now operates from environments far less secure than the fortified corporate networks they left behind. 

For cybercriminals, this represents an irresistible opportunity. Senior executives are high-value targets, and their home networks have become the soft underbelly of enterprise security. 

Why Is There a Cyber Target on Executives’ Backs? 

Let's be blunt—if you're a senior executive, you're walking around with the digital equivalent of a "rob me" sign. You can approve wire transfers with a single email. You've got next quarter's earnings before anyone else. You know about the merger before the press release. You have the CEO's cell phone on speed dial. 

Beyond access, executives carry influence. An email from a CEO carries weight that no other employee can match. Cybercriminals exploit this through business email compromise attacks, impersonating executives to trick employees into transferring funds or sharing sensitive information. When an executive's actual account is compromised rather than merely spoofed, the deception becomes nearly impossible to detect. 

The financial stakes are staggering. According to the FBI, business email compromise schemes have cost organizations over $50 billion globally in recent years. Many of these attacks begin by targeting senior leaders working from inadequately secured home environments.

Are Home Networks More Vulnerable Than Office Ones?  

Put simply, yes. Almost always. And cyber criminals know that. They are also studying you: scrolling through your LinkedIn, checking out your vacation photos on Instagram, noting when you post about being at your kid's soccer tournament. All of that becomes ammunition for sophisticated social engineering attacks. That phishing email referencing your recent vacation or your daughter's college graduation? That's not a coincidence—it's research. It also might mean they have an idea of when you’re working outside of the carefully planned defenses of your office.  

Corporate networks feature multiple layers of protection: enterprise firewalls, intrusion detection systems, network segmentation, and dedicated security teams monitoring traffic around the clock. Home networks typically have none of this. Most executives work from home networks protected by nothing more than a consumer-grade router with default settings and perhaps a basic firewall. 

Also, home networks typically support numerous devices and users beyond work laptops: smart TVs, home automation systems, personal tablets, children's gaming consoles, and IoT devices like security cameras and voice assistants. Each represents a potential entry point. A vulnerability in a smart doorbell might seem inconsequential until hackers use it as a stepping stone to access the same network where an executive reviews confidential acquisition plans. 

The problem extends to the physical environment. Corporate offices control who enters the building and what devices connect to the network. At home, family members, houseguests, and service providers may share the same network. A contractor updating the home security system or a teenager downloading games could inadvertently introduce malware that eventually reaches executive devices. 

What Makes a Hack More Likely at Home?  

Cybersecurity often fails due to human factors, and working from home amplifies these vulnerabilities. Since, according to a survey by GetApp, 72% of US senior executives have been targeted at least once by a cyberattack in the 18 months prior to the survey, chances are at least some of those attacks will arrive when those executives are working at home.

That’s a problem because our home networks aren’t as layered in proactive defenses, but also because we have different mind frames at home. Executives are, as always, juggling video calls, emails, and strategic decisions, but in a home environment, they also face constant distractions. That sophisticated phishing email might receive less scrutiny when it arrives between a delivery person knocking on the door and a barking dog. 

Home settings also blur professional boundaries in ways that increase risk. Executives might use personal devices for quick work tasks or conduct sensitive calls within earshot of family members. The discipline and security awareness maintained in corporate settings can erode at home, where the environment feels inherently safer. 

Social engineering attacks exploit these relaxed boundaries. Attackers research executives through social media, learning about their families, hobbies, and routines. This intelligence fuels convincing pretexts for phishing attacks or phone-based scams. An executive posting vacation photos provides criminals with knowledge that they're away from home and perhaps more distracted—an ideal time to strike. 

What Is the Shadow IT Problem When It’s at Home?  

When executives work from home, they often circumvent IT policies out of convenience. They might use personal email for work correspondence to avoid VPN delays, store files on unauthorized cloud services for easier access, or use unsanctioned collaboration tools that integrate poorly with corporate security infrastructure. 

This shadow IT creates blind spots. Security teams cannot protect assets they don't know exist. Meanwhile, executives working outside approved systems may lack backup protection, encryption, or monitoring that would flag suspicious activity on corporate platforms. 

What Are the Specific Attacks Being Used Against Executives Working Remotely? 

Several attack methods are used against remote executives. Man-in-the-middle attacks can intercept communications on unsecured home networks, capturing credentials or sensitive data in transit. Credential stuffing attacks exploit password reuse across personal and professional accounts—if an executive's credentials leak from a breached retail website, attackers will try those same credentials against corporate systems. 

Ransomware poses another acute threat. When an executive's device becomes infected, attackers gain leverage not just over the individual but over the entire organization. The prospect of exposing confidential executive communications or strategic documents can pressure companies into paying ransoms even when backups exist. 

Video conferencing, now central to executive work, introduces its own risks. Unsecured meetings can be infiltrated by attackers, and the popular practice of recording sensitive discussions creates files that must be properly secured. Conference call backgrounds can inadvertently reveal confidential information visible on whiteboards or documents. 

What Are the Best Ways to Build a Strong Defense for Executive Home Offices? 

Just as in an office setting, protecting remote executives requires a multi-layered approach. Organizations should provide executives with enterprise-grade networking equipment for home use, including commercial firewalls and secure WiFi configurations with network segmentation that isolates work devices from personal IoT gadgets. 

VPN usage must be mandatory and seamless, or SASE can be implemented to provide always-on protection. All work traffic should be routed through corporate networks where security teams can monitor for threats. Multifactor authentication (MFA) should protect every system executive's access, with biometric or hardware token options for the strongest protection. 

Executives’ security training needs to be amped up and tailed to their specific threats and conditions, as well. According to the companies surveyed in the GetApp study, 37% globally say their companies have no extra cybersecurity training for senior executives even though 87% of IT and cybersecurity professionals agree that senior executives should receive more cybersecurity training than other employees.  

Technical safeguards should include endpoint detection and response software on all devices, encrypted communications for sensitive discussions, and mobile device management for phones and tablets. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments of executive home networks and provide rapid response capabilities when executives suspect compromise. 

Can Executives Continue to Work Remotely? 

Absolutely. Not only is the flexibility of remote work crucial for employees who put in extended and unusual hours, but also travel is a critical piece of the executive role. As such, being able to construct a safe digital environment from which they can work is essential. By recognizing that executives working from home face unique and elevated cybersecurity risks, organizations can implement protections that match these threats. The cost of securing executive home environments pales in comparison to the potential losses from a successful attack on senior leadership. 

It all goes back to the theme we keep repeating in our blog posts: cybersecurity is no longer just an IT concern—it's a business continuity imperative that begins at the top. Protecting executives where they work, whether in corner offices or home studies, protects the entire organization. Our team would love to talk to you about your executive remote work setup. Reach out if you’re ready to start!