Ethical Hacking News
Human resources firm Workday has disclosed a data breach that exposed sensitive information to attackers who exploited a third-party CRM platform via social engineering tactics. The breach, which occurred in August 2025, saw threat actors gain unauthorized access to commonly available business contact information belonging to Workday customers. This incident highlights the growing threat of social engineering attacks on cloud-based software companies and underscores the need for robust security measures and awareness training among employees.
The human resources firm Workday experienced a data breach due to social engineering tactics, exposing sensitive information to attackers. The attackers exploited a third-party CRM platform via social engineering tactics and posed as HR or IT personnel to trick employees into revealing account credentials. The breach was attributed to a ShinyHunters campaign targeting Salesforce CRM via social engineering and voice phishing, with several prominent organizations targeted earlier in 2025. The compromised data primarily consisted of commonly available business contact information. Workday has taken swift action to contain the incident and implement additional safeguards to protect against similar incidents in the future.
Human resources firm Workday has recently disclosed a data breach that exposed sensitive information to attackers who exploited a third-party CRM platform via social engineering tactics. This incident highlights the growing threat of social engineering attacks on cloud-based software companies, which are increasingly targeted by sophisticated adversaries.
The breach, which occurred in August 2025, saw threat actors compromise a third-party customer relationship management (CRM) platform, thereby gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information belonging to Workday customers. According to the company's statement, there is no indication that the attackers accessed customer tenant data or any other confidential information within their systems.
The attackers' method of exploitation involved posing as HR or IT personnel via text or phone, tricking employees into revealing account credentials or personal data. This tactic is commonly used by threat actors to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Workday has attributed the breach to a ShinyHunters campaign targeting Salesforce CRM via social engineering and voice phishing. The group, linked to major past breaches, began this campaign earlier in 2025 and has already targeted several prominent organizations, including Adidas, Qantas, Allianz, and Google.
The compromised data primarily consisted of commonly available business contact information, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers. However, the company warned that exposed data may potentially be used by attackers to further their social engineering scams.
In response to the breach, Workday has taken swift action to contain the incident and implement additional safeguards to protect against similar incidents in the future. The company has assured customers that there is no indication of access to customer tenant data or any other confidential information within their systems.
The rise of social engineering attacks on cloud-based software companies underscores the need for robust security measures and awareness training among employees. As more organizations move to the cloud, they are increasingly becoming targets for sophisticated adversaries who exploit human vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of staying vigilant and implementing effective security protocols to protect against such threats. Cloud-based software companies must prioritize employee education and training to prevent social engineering attacks, while also investing in robust security measures to detect and respond to such incidents quickly and effectively.
The breach highlights the need for organizations to be proactive in protecting their sensitive information from social engineering attacks. By implementing robust security protocols, staying informed about emerging threats, and providing employees with effective awareness training, organizations can reduce the risk of data breaches like this one.
In conclusion, the Workday data breach underscores the growing threat of social engineering attacks on cloud-based software companies. As more organizations move to the cloud, they must prioritize employee education and training, as well as robust security measures to detect and respond to such incidents quickly and effectively. Only by taking proactive steps can organizations protect their sensitive information from falling prey to sophisticated adversaries.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/A-Critical-Data-Breach-Exposed-The-Rise-of-Social-Engineering-Attacks-on-Cloud-Based-Software-Companies-ehn.shtml
https://securityaffairs.com/181271/data-breach/human-resources-firm-workday-disclosed-a-data-breach.html
Published: Mon Aug 18 07:09:41 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
