Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
Recent cases in which organisations unknowingly hired fake remote workers – individuals using stolen or AI-generated identities to pass video interviews – have put security teams worldwide on alert. What was once seen as a purely HR-related risk has become a potential intrusion vector: legitimate access to internal systems can be granted, unknowingly, to a false identity.
For Validato, this development means identity verification should be considered as part of an organisation’s attack surface. “Cybersecurity has traditionally focused on preventing unauthorised access to systems assigned to real people. The emerging risk is different: a fabricated identity that legitimately obtains credentials. Robustly verifying who is actually behind an interview or application is no longer just an HR formality; it can be a security measure,” says André Naef, CEO of Validato.
Validato recommends that CISO and CHRO functions strengthen identity verification for remote or international hiring, particularly for roles with access to source code, infrastructure or sensitive data. Document checks and other anti-fraud measures can be combined according to risk. If biometric processing is considered, a specific legal assessment is required: the Spanish Data Protection Agency, AEPD, treats biometric identification or authentication as high-risk processing and requires particular attention to legal basis, necessity, proportionality and, where applicable, a data-protection impact assessment. Biometrics should not be presented as a standard component of every recruitment process.
About Validato: Validato is an international provider of background checks and Human Risk Management, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and operating internationally. Its modular, ISO 27001-certified platform enables companies to configure candidate and employee checks according to the role and within the applicable legal framework. Core data is processed and stored in Switzerland and the EU and, under Validato policy, deleted within a maximum of 120 days. No minimum volumes and no setup fees.
Media contact: André Naef, CEO Validato S.A. · Claridenstrasse 34, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland · +41 44 515 77 78 · www.validato.com