UK Industry Guide
Cyber security for UK recruitment agencies
Recruiters hold rich personal data — CVs, right-to-work documents, bank details for placed candidates — and process huge volumes of email attachments. That makes them a top target for invoice fraud and data theft.
Avg loss per incident
£58,000
Top regulations
UK energy cyber tools
Top threats
Invoice fraud
Attackers impersonate placed contractors or umbrella companies and redirect weekly invoice payments.
CV-themed malware
Macro-laden Word documents and password-protected ZIPs disguised as candidate CVs.
Candidate data exfiltration
Bulk theft of CVs and right-to-work scans for resale or follow-on identity fraud.
Quick wins
- 01Open all CV attachments in a sandbox or browser preview — never on the desktop
- 02Verify any bank detail changes for contractors by phone, using a number on file
- 03Encrypt right-to-work scans at rest and apply 12-month retention
- 04Apply DMARC p=reject to stop spoofing your domain to clients and candidates
Frequently asked questions
What's the most common attack on UK recruiters?▶
Invoice and payroll redirection fraud — attackers compromise an email account or spoof a contractor and substitute their bank details on the next weekly run.
Do umbrella companies need extra controls?▶
Yes — they hold both employer and worker financial data, and a single compromise can cascade into hundreds of fraudulent salary diversions.
Get your sector-specific risk score
A 5-minute AI assessment with a downloadable PDF tailored to recruitment.