Glossary

What is an account takeover (ATO)?

Account takeover (ATO) has become a particularly perfidious scam used by attackers to gain access to company networks. What is the procedure for ATO?

An account takeover targets authentication workflows and often uses social engineering techniques: attackers use stolen authentication data to gain access to employees’ accounts, who are often not even aware of it. As many companies have implemented new work concepts during the pandemic, remote access is now often also possible to sensitive applications and data. However, IT security measures have not always kept pace with this opening. Criminals are taking advantage of this with ATO, stealing sensitive company data and even making unauthorized transfers to disguised accounts.