Cybersecurity Threats Are Increasingly Aimed at Successful Families: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Family

It can seem like a never-ending cat-and-mouse game between cybercriminals and the technology professionals and systems that exist to stop them. And it can often feel like the cybercriminals are winning. Consider this: Collectively, Americans lost more than $12.5 billion to internet-enabled crimes in 2023. Unfortunately, the more successful a family is, the bigger the target on their back. A recent study found that 77% of high-net-worth individuals are more worried about being hacked than they are about their investments declining in value.

Thankfully, for families who are diligent and proactive, there are many ways to mitigate the threat.

We recently connected with Sarah Rosen, Managing Director of Private Client Services at BlackCloak, to delve further into the cyber threats facing successful families and, more importantly, what they can do about it.

Cybersecurity threats are continually evolving, with hackers and other bad actors employing ever-more sophisticated tactics. What are the biggest threats to successful families right now?

The sheer volume of personal and financial information available on the internet makes successful families particularly vulnerable. This includes a digital footprint that can encompass multiple residences, personal staff, diverse investments, and luxury assets. This data, often scattered across various online platforms, including social media and publicly accessible databases, can be pieced together by bad actors to craft highly targeted and convincing attacks.

These attacks can include everything from personal details that aid in deceiving people into sharing information that they shouldn’t share or installing software that they shouldn’t to financial information that can be exploited. Unlike businesses that often invest heavily in sophisticated cybersecurity infrastructure, individual families typically lack access to such advanced protective measures. This leaves them reliant on consumer-grade antivirus software and basic network security, which are often insufficient against determined and well-resourced attackers. Simply put, successful families need more sophisticated solutions, which exist through providers like BlackCloak.

What are some of the most important things families can do to protect themselves from cybercriminals?

There are many proactive steps individuals and families can take to protect themselves. Some key best practices include:

• Avoid posting personal details such as home addresses, travel plans, or financial information on social media.
• Review and tighten privacy settings on all social media accounts, mobile applications, and devices.
• Regularly review your accounts and delete old accounts that can be a source of data breaches.
• Explore options like BlackCloak’s Private Client Services to remove personally identifiable information from data broker sites and people search engines. Visit this page to begin the process of removing personal information from Google.
• Learn how to recognize phishing attempts, whether by email, text, or phone calls.
• Keep all operating systems, applications, and web browsers updated, as updates often include critical security patches. Enable automatic updates where possible.

What are the most common missteps you see among wealthy families that leave them exposed to malicious actors online?

One of the most significant and pervasive missteps wealthy families make is operating under the belief that they are immune to cyber threats, encapsulated by the dangerous mindset of “it won’t happen to me.” This leads to a reactive “hope-as-a-strategy” approach rather than a proactive one.

Underestimating the true risk leads to many neglecting basic, but crucial, cybersecurity measures to protect their unique digital footprints. Relying on outdated security practices, such as having just one password for all accounts or using an unsecured public Wi-Fi connection, combined with a lack of preparedness when a cyber threat is received, creates vulnerable targets for cybercriminals.

For multi-generational families of wealth, how important is open communication and establishing a process for ongoing education among family members regarding the threats?

It is extremely important to ensure proper cybersecurity measures are in place at all times, particularly as aging generations with less technological education are accessing digital financial accounts that contain highly sensitive information. Alternatively, younger generations can be too trusting and too transparent in their use of technology, particularly social media. Taking steps to educate all generations of a family about cybersecurity threats and how they can protect themselves is critical.

How is artificial intelligence changing the landscape of cybersecurity, both in terms of the threats and also in how families can protect themselves?

Bad actors are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence to execute deepfake attacks against vulnerable targets. A 2025 report by BlackCloak and Ponemon Institute reveals that deepfake attacks against executives rose from 34% to 41% in just the past two years. But it’s not just executives who are key targets—no one is immune to these threats. Deepfakes are growing in sophistication and are effective at impersonating trusted individuals in one’s life via fake audio or video content, tricking them into providing sensitive information.

On the other hand, AI can be used to proactively protect oneself from cyberattacks. Some examples include the use of vulnerability management tools, facial recognition technology, or enhancements to home security systems.

As the beginning of this article states, it can feel like a never-ending cat-and-mouse game, but with the right systems and teams of professionals, there is much that successful families can do to remain safe from cyber threats.