The Hidden Risk of Remote Hiring—and How Organizations Can Stay Ahead
Remote work has expanded access to talent and accelerated digital transformation across government and industry. But it has also introduced a quieter, fast-evolving risk: fraudulent workers exploiting virtual hiring processes to gain access to sensitive systems, data, and missions.
Organizations are seeing a wide range of tactics. Some applicants attempt to hold multiple full-time jobs at once. Others seek to outsource work without disclosure. More sophisticated actors go further—faking credentials or using artificial intelligence to pass virtual interviews. Federal advisories – including recent warnings tied to fraudulent remote IT worker campaigns – show that this activity is no longer isolated or theoretical.
The challenge isn’t remote work itself. It’s that trust, identity, and access are now established digitally—and often too early in the process. When physical presence disappears, traditional safeguards weaken unless they are intentionally redesigned.
Why this risk matters now
Under its Northstar 2030 growth strategy, Leidos focuses on helping customers operate with greater speed, resilience, and confidence in an increasingly contested digital environment. That same environment is reshaping how organizations hire, onboard, and manage talent.
Fraudulent remote hiring is not just a workforce issue. It is a cybersecurity, digital modernization, and mission assurance challenge. A single compromised hire can introduce persistent access into networks, expose sensitive data, or disrupt critical operations—especially in roles tied to IT, software, or mission systems.
What makes this risk difficult—and increasingly relevant—is that it sits at the intersection of people, technology, and process. Addressing it effectively requires the same discipline used in securing mission-critical systems: layered controls, continuous verification, and close coordination across teams.
Guidance for suppliers
To combat fraudulent remote hiring, below are layered, integrated safeguards that organizations can implement to reduce risk while still moving at the speed the market requires. Effective mitigation depends on multiple, reinforcing actions that span hiring, security, and IT – reflecting the same integrated approach used to protect mission systems.
Strengthen identity confidence during virtual interviews
- Set clear expectations that interviews will be conducted with cameras on.
- Validate that the person on screen matches professional profiles and submitted credentials.
- Watch for anomalies such as distorted video, inconsistent audio, or visual artifacts that may indicate AI manipulation.
- When appropriate and compliant with privacy policies, record interviews to support later verification.
Verify identity early and consistently
- Consider verifying government-issued identification at the start of the interview process, with proper approvals.
- Reconfirm identity at onboarding—virtually or in person—and again during early employment.
- Validate employment and education history through trusted verification channels before access is granted.
Monitor for indicators after hiring
- Work with IT and security teams to identify unauthorized remote access tools or non-approved collaboration platforms.
- Look for usage patterns that may suggest credential sharing or outsourced work.
- Treat anomalies as signals for review, not assumptions of intent.
Moving forward with confidence
Remote hiring is here to stay. The goal is not to reverse progress, but to modernize trust alongside it.
Organizations that succeed will be those that treat hiring as part of their broader security and digital strategy—not a standalone HR function. By integrating identity verification, cyber monitoring, and operational oversight, leaders can reduce risk without slowing momentum. That balance—moving fast while staying secure—is at the heart of Leidos’ Northstar 2030 strategy. And it’s how organizations protect not just their networks, but the missions that depend on them.
Call to action
Now is the time to assess whether your remote hiring practices provide the same level of trust and assurance as your mission systems. Leaders should bring HR, IT, security, and operations together to embed identity verification and continuous monitoring into the hiring lifecycle. By acting now, organizations can stay ahead of emerging threats—protecting sensitive access, sustaining mission confidence, and enabling remote work to remain a strategic advantage rather than a liability.
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