What if your next cybersecurity breach happened during a conversation? Since the dawn of cybersecurity itself, companies have focused their efforts on fortifying and defending servers, workstations, and networks. However, with hyper-connectivity and the rise of AI, attacks are also entering everyday workplace exchanges: messaging, videoconferencing, calls, collaborative tools.
This means that, while traditional security measures are still crucial, they are no longer enough on their own. The new frontier sits across the spaces where sensitive information flows freely, often with little thought given to any potential risks.
Chief Technical Security Officer at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
Just earlier this year, the NCSC warned of Russian-based actors targeting messaging apps. Social engineering via these types of platforms is also on the rise, with the ‘Cyber security longitudinal survey - wave five’ report (published in February of this year) finding that CEO impersonation scams were not just limited to email, but also spanned to WhatsApp and other channels.
All this shows that the state of play has shifted, and companies need to take protecting their communication channels just as seriously as their networks and endpoints.
Communicate at your own risk
Communication channels now structure the daily operation of organizations, and to a far greater extent than IT tools alone. The fast-paced, always-on nature of modern workplace communications transforms what was once perceived merely as a simple productivity tool - such as Teams or Slack - into a critical infrastructure for the people and teams who power companies.
Importantly, hyper-connectivity is not just a question of volume. In hyper-connected organizations, flows are continuous, interconnected, and sometimes invisible even to security teams - think of the number of times a workplace conversation has made it off the designated productivity platform and onto WhatsApp. These new uses create unprecedented vulnerabilities that can no longer be contained by protecting systems alone.
Cyberattacks are shifting to human interactions
This transformation of usage has shifted cyber threats. Phishing, classic yet effective, is having a new lease of life in the era of always-on communications. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/6 found that 38% of UK businesses experienced phishing attacks in the previous 12 months alone.
The figure is even higher for large businesses, at 63%. Worryingly, the sophistication and speed of phishing is accelerating dramatically with the rise of AI. Attacks are automated, ultra-targeted, credible, and now use all channels: instant messaging, calls, and videoconferencing.
In January 2024, Hong Kong based company Arup fell victim to a deepfake video-conferencing fraud where the CFO was impersonated. It cost the company about £20 million. The risk cannot be ignored.
Financial consequences of attacks on communications
The cost of a successful cyberattack can be huge to companies of all sizes. While large businesses are often big enough to absorb the shock, a successful attack on a small company can be devastating, with some never recovering in the aftermath.
The rise of AI and hyper-connectivity amplifies these risks. The loss of control over information, dependency on external tools, and the exposure of sensitive data make companies vulnerable beyond the technical framework alone. These incidents do not just threaten operations, they directly put into question the strength of digital sovereignty and the ability of organizations to protect themselves.
Reimagining communications as the heart of sovereignty
Companies must rethink their communications. Messaging applications, videoconferencing platforms, and call systems must all be considered critical infrastructures - in equal parts to servers or databases - or risk leaving a major breach in their security and autonomy.
Securing communications is therefore a central issue that requires three concrete priorities. The first is to simplify and unify tools, thereby limiting entry points and reducing fragmentation where suspicious behavior may go undetected. Second, organizations should choose solutions with security already embedded, rather than layering it on after the fact. Finally, companies should establish master data flows and hosting to maintain control and guarantee governance.
This approach goes beyond simple technical protection. It requires treating communications as a strategic asset, on par with infrastructure or data. Business leaders must invest in this level of oversight and control to protect business continuity and preserve their autonomy.
In a world where everything goes through communication, a decisive part of business resilience and autonomy is played out in this very arena. Keeping exchanges protected, controlling data, and remaining independent of external tools is becoming as crucial as technical security itself.
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