"Embracing 'Polyworking' could pave the way for impending cybersecurity disasters"
In the modern digital age, the 'polyworking' trend - where individuals juggle multiple jobs or side gigs simultaneously - is becoming increasingly prevalent. However, this trend among Gen Z workers, those born between 1997 and 2012, is creating significant cybersecurity risks.
Job platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, LinkedIn, and Behance are increasingly being used for phishing schemes disguised as legitimate job offers. These attacks often masquerade as updates, meeting invites, or messages on common platforms, such as Zoom, Microsoft Excel, and Outlook, to trick users into installing malware or exposing credentials.
According to Evgeny Kuskov, a security expert at Kaspersky, the increased number of tasks, apps notifications, and client chats in the 'polyworking' trend could lead to security vulnerabilities. Over six million attacks disguised as work tools were detected by Kaspersky between mid-2024 and mid-2025, with Zoom, Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams being prime targets.
The sheer volume of digital demands in the 'polyworking' trend can pull attention in all directions, potentially leading to cybersecurity lapses. Many polyworkers use the same personal laptop or smartphone for multiple gigs without segmenting work and personal environments. This mixing of personal and professional data on the same device makes it easier for threats to cross boundaries and harder to maintain secure environments.
To mitigate these risks, effective strategies include implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and passkeys, user education on phishing and social engineering, segmentation of work and personal devices/accounts, limiting the number of platforms and accounts, and regular security updates and use of endpoint protection.
However, the complexity of juggling many digital work tools and accounts also increases the risk of mistakes such as sending a wrong file to a wrong client, overlooking a phishing email, or misconfiguring access permissions. Sensitive client files or corporate credentials can be saved on unsecured devices or public cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox by polyworkers.
In summary, the polyworking trend among Gen Z increases cybersecurity risks by multiplying digital touchpoints that attackers can exploit, especially through phishing campaigns mimicking popular collaboration tools. Mitigation requires both technical controls and user vigilance tailored to the fragmented, multi-platform nature of polyworkers' digital lives.
- The trend of 'polyworking', especially among Gen Z, poses significant cybersecurity risks, as job platforms are increasingly used for phishing schemes masquerading as legitimate job offers.
- Effective strategies to mitigate these risks include user education on phishing, segmentation of work and personal devices/accounts, and implementing multi-factor authentication and passkeys.
- The increased use of common collaboration tools like Zoom, Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams in the 'polyworking' trend makes them prime targets for cyberattacks.
- The sheer volume of digital demands in the 'polyworking' trend can lead to cybersecurity lapses, with sensitive client files or corporate credentials often saved on unsecured devices or public cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox.
