This page adapts the reflexes from our pillar page Digital Hygiene to a work context. Every technical claim is sourced; the complete list is on the Sources page.
Check the "linked devices" on the messaging app you use for work
WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal all let you connect a computer to an account with a QR code — convenient for a team, but a device linked without the account holder's knowledge reads work messages continuously. On WhatsApp: Settings → Linked Devices. On Telegram: Settings → Devices. On Signal: Settings → Linked Devices. A monthly check is enough for an active work line.
FBI (IC3) & CISA, Alert Number I-032026-PSA, March 20, 2026 · WhatsApp Help Center, Telegram FAQ, Signal Support.A messaging QR code scanned "to join a group" can hijack the account
The FBI and CISA documented in a joint alert dated March 20, 2026 a campaign targeting current and former government officials, military personnel, and journalists: a message impersonating a known contact invites you to scan a QR code or follow a link, which secretly links the account to a device controlled by the attacker, with no visible warning. The FBI and CISA attribute the campaign to Russian Intelligence Services (RIS), and note that thousands of accounts have been compromised worldwide. The documented target is government and military — but the technical mechanism doesn't distinguish a private-sector executive from a public official: it targets the account, not the employer.
FBI (IC3) & CISA, joint alert "Russian Intelligence Services Target Commercial Messaging Application Accounts," Alert Number I-032026-PSA, March 20, 2026; follow-up update PSA260626, June 26, 2026.No messaging "support" account ever asks for a code by message
A code sent "to verify your identity" or "reactivate an account" is actually meant to authorize a new device. The FBI and CISA describe this second mechanism clearly: a fake, automated support account contacts the target directly and asks for a PIN or a two-factor code. A colleague who receives this kind of request — even one signed with an executive's name — should verify through a separate channel before responding.
FBI (IC3) & CISA, Alert Number I-032026-PSA, March 20, 2026.Keep the work line separate from the personal line, on the same phone
A work line that's widely published (a website, B2B platforms, hiring forms) is mechanically more exposed to cold calls and to fraud attempts targeting businesses than a personal line kept for family and friends. A dual SIM phone (two cards, or a card plus an eSIM) keeps the two separate without carrying two devices.
Turn on an extra lock, and multi-factor authentication on sensitive accounts
On messaging apps, a PIN lock for the app is one of the basic digital-hygiene steps behind the FBI/CISA alert's general guidance — Signal offers this as Registration Lock, and WhatsApp as two-step verification. On sensitive work accounts (company email, cloud tools, banking), multi-factor authentication remains the strongest first line of defense against a stolen or reused password.
FBI (IC3) & CISA, Alert Number I-032026-PSA, March 20, 2026 (general guidance on strengthening account authentication).A telemarketing number is never a real client calling back urgently
In countries where the regulator has created dedicated ranges for large-scale commercial calling (France, Spain, and India to date), a call from that range cannot, by construction, be a client or partner calling back. A legitimate business call should never be blocked as unlawful telemarketing — B2B cold calling remains lawful in most markets, including under France's 11 August 2026 law, which only protects private individuals.
What Egidio already does for your team, continuously
The reflexes above take human action. Two features exist for the rest — the messages that arrive without warning, or the ones a colleague is unsure about.
Upfront scanning of the work messaging app Premium
WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, and more than 183 messaging apps are scanned automatically, with nothing to configure — on the work line as on the personal line, with Dual SIM.
A second opinion on a specific message Premium
A message that makes a colleague uneasy, received on a channel Egidio doesn't natively monitor? Share it to Egidio (the phone's Share menu) for a second opinion, with the explanation.
An executive doesn't need to be a high-value target to be exposed: using WhatsApp or Signal for work is enough. The same reflexes that apply to any personal account apply here — with one more work line to protect.
Frequently asked questions
Is a small business really affected by this kind of targeting?
The campaign documented by the FBI and CISA targeted current and former government officials, military personnel, and journalists — high-value targets. But the technical mechanism (a hijacked messaging QR code, a fake support account) makes no distinction by company size: it works against any WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram account used for work, including a freelancer's or a small business's.
Do I need a dedicated security tool for a work line?
The reflexes on this page (linked devices, QR codes, verification codes) cost nothing and cover the essentials. A tool like Egidio adds an automatic layer — messaging analysis and fraud call blocking — for the cases where vigilance alone isn't enough, on both lines of the same phone if you use Dual SIM.