Executives Under Siege: New Report Reveals Surge in Deepfakes, Home Network Hacks, and Physical Threats

The digital divide between boardroom and bedroom is vanishing — and cybercriminals are paying attention. A newly released study by the Ponemon Institute, sponsored by Digital Executive Protection pioneer BlackCloak, paints a chilling picture of how personal attacks on corporate leaders have become the next frontier in cybersecurity warfare.

According to the 2025 Digital Executive Protection Report, cyberattacks targeting executives and their families are not only rising in frequency, but also evolving in sophistication and intent. From deepfake impersonations to breaches of home Wi-Fi networks, executives are now squarely in the crosshairs of threat actors looking for high-value entry points into organizations.

“The Ponemon report confirms what we see on the front lines every day — the threat landscape is shifting rapidly, and executives are now the bullseye for both cyber and physical attacks,” said Dr. Chris Pierson, Founder and CEO of BlackCloak. “As deepfakes, impersonation scams, and personal digital intrusions become more common, securing the company network is no longer enough.”

From the Cloud to the Couch: Personal Attacks on the Rise

The survey, which captured insights from 586 U.S.-based security professionals, shows a marked escalation in attacks over the last two years. In 2023, 43% of organizations reported that their executives had been targeted; in 2025, that number rose to 51%. Even more concerning, a growing share of these attacks (22%) involved seven to ten separate incidents per organization — suggesting not just opportunism, but persistence.

Perhaps the most eye-catching statistic is the rise in deepfake-enabled attacks, which jumped from 34% in 2023 to 41% in 2025. These AI-generated manipulations are used to impersonate trusted colleagues, often combined with urgent payment requests or claims of a security breach to pressure executives into making snap decisions.

Despite the growing threat, only half of the surveyed organizations have plans to train executives on how to recognize deepfakes.

Cyber Threats Are Getting Physical

The blending of digital and physical threats is now a tangible concern. In 2025, half of security professionals said they believe their executives could be targeted for a physical attack as a result of online exposure. The concern is so real that 63% of companies now offer self-defense training to executives — a sharp 15-point increase since 2023.

Yet, paradoxically, only 43% of companies offer training to secure personal digital assets — and most of those did so only after an incident occurred.

Home Networks: The New Corporate Backdoor

As work-from-home becomes a permanent fixture of executive life, threat actors are finding that smart thermostats, unsecured routers, and even family tablets can be convenient access points. The report notes that breaches of home networks and theft of intellectual property are now the second and third most common consequences of executive-targeted attacks — upending the previous concerns around regulatory non-compliance or damaged business relationships.

Despite the stakes, just 48% of organizations include Digital Executive Protection (DEP) in their cybersecurity strategies — only a marginal increase from two years prior.

Digital Executive Protection: Not Just for CEOs

DEP is a growing discipline that combines privacy services, threat monitoring, digital hygiene, and emergency response to safeguard not just executives, but their families. BlackCloak’s own platform offers features like smart device monitoring, personal device threat detection, and data broker information removal — aimed at protecting the entire digital ecosystem around a high-profile individual.

“Organizations must protect the humans behind the business — their leaders and their families — or risk devastating consequences,” said Pierson. “Digital Executive Protection is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a core component of enterprise risk management.”

The Executive Attack Surface

The report underscores a critical insight: the modern executive’s attack surface is no longer just their inbox or VPN — it’s also their smart fridge, their child’s gaming console, and their spouse’s social media account. And with threat actors exploiting every weak link, the urgency to move beyond firewalls and into holistic protection has never been more pronounced.

BlackCloak’s Digital Executive Protection Report 2025 is a wake-up call — not just for CISOs, but for the entire C-suite.