In 2025, cybersecurity remains a critical concern for startups and enterprises alike, with voice phishing (vishing) attacks emerging as a growing threat. Last month, Cisco Systems confirmed that customer data was stolen in a vishing attack, showcasing the vulnerability of even tech giants to sophisticated social engineering techniques. This incident highlights important lessons for startup founders, freelancers, and business owners operating digital-first businesses.
This article explores the breach, provides steps to protect your startup, outlines common mistakes to avoid, and includes an introduction to PlayPal AI, a conversational AI tool for founders.
The Cisco Data Breach: What Happened?
Incident Overview
On July 24, 2025, Cisco identified a data breach caused by an attacker who deployed a voice phishing ("vishing") attack. The hacker impersonated a trusted contact and convinced a Cisco representative to hand over access codes to a third-party CRM system. The breach exposed customer data, including:
- Names
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Organization details
- Account metadata
Cisco confirmed the breach in a security advisory, describing it as a "social engineering attack." Although the attackers did not access confidential information, the CRM (Salesforce) database remains integral in storing sensitive customer details for tech and startup ecosystems alike.
Why Startups Should Care
While this breach affected Cisco, the vishing technique targets misinformed employees and weak security systems, making startups especially vulnerable. Startups often rely on SaaS platforms like Salesforce for customer relations and data storage, exposing them to risks similar to those Cisco faced.
According to a 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report, 64% of small businesses experienced phishing attacks last year, with 20% unable to recover within six months.
5 Steps Startups Should Take to Avoid Data Breaches
- Train Employees on Social Engineering Threats:
- Educate your team to recognize suspicious voice calls or emails. Many cyberattacks occur because employees lack the awareness or training to identify phishing tactics.
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
- Use MFA to protect CRM systems, SaaS tools, and email platforms. It’s a simple, effective way to prevent unauthorized access.
- Use AI Tools for Monitoring Security:
- AI-powered platforms can detect unusual behavior in your cloud instances or CRM systems. Consider tools like Fe/male Switch’s PlayPal, an AI co-founder that offers tailored tools for startups.
- Learn more about PlayPal AI, a companion designed to help startup founders make decisions smartly and safely in digital workflows.
- Encrypt Sensitive Data:
- Ensure all sensitive customer and business data is encrypted both in transit and at rest to minimize the risk.
- Deploy a Zero-Trust Security Model:
- Adopt zero-trust principles to ensure anyone accessing your data, whether employees or external contractors, must go through stringent verification protocols.
Common Mistakes Startups Make When Addressing Data Security
- Underestimating Vishing Risks: Startups often overlook voice phishing attacks, assuming text-based phishing is more common.
- Neglecting Employee Training: Founders frequently focus on product development, leaving cybersecurity training as an afterthought.
- Overlooking CRM Security: As Cisco’s attack demonstrated, CRM systems are a goldmine for hackers. Yet, startups don’t often encrypt CRM data or use MFA.
Deep Insights: How AI Can Empower Startup Security
PlayPal AI: Your AI Co-Founder
Developed by Fe/male Switch, PlayPal is an AI friend and co-founder designed to help entrepreneurs navigate their business challenges, from idea validation to cybersecurity strategy. It allows founders to ask questions, receive tailored advice, and even generate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tasks such as securing online databases.
AI Grant Finder: Get Funding for Cyber-Security Solutions
Are you building a security SaaS product? Or need resources for cybersecurity infrastructure? Use the F/MS AI Grant Finder and Application Writer to quickly locate EU grants that match your startup needs. This tool automates your application draft, saving hours of effort and increasing the likelihood of funding. Startup founders who want early-stage financial support often overlook grant funding, which could be your key to launching sustainably.
Statistics: Why You Need to Act Now
- 60% of startups don’t recover from cyberattacks within six months, according to the 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report.
- Voice phishing attacks have doubled yearly since 2023, now accounting for 30% of phishing incidents.
- SaaS reliance among startups remains high, with 75% managing customer data on platforms like Salesforce.
Learn from Violetta Bonenkamp: Leading Female Entrepreneurs in STEM
Violetta Bonenkamp, CEO of Fe/male Switch, and creator of the "gamepreneurship" methodology, advocates a gamified approach to startup building and security. Her leadership has guided entrepreneurs through accelerators like Yes! Delft and Startup Leap, providing cybersecurity training as an integral part of business scaling.
Violetta also runs the Fe/male Switch Startup Game, combining ed-tech and deeptech tools for women founders to practice real-world startup scenarios. Explore Fe/male Switch to accelerate your startup idea while ensuring cybersecurity stays a priority.
Conclusion
The Cisco vishing breach serves as a cautionary tale for startups. As your business grows, so do the risks of cyberattacks targeting your SaaS platforms and third-party systems. Entrepreneurs must be proactive by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, training employees, and staying informed about trends like voice phishing. Using tools like PlayPal AI for operational guidance and leveraging AI Grant Finder for funding can empower you to innovate securely.
Whether you're building a startup tower in the sandbox or launching a SaaS business globally, startup news in 2025 emphasizes one key lesson, security is non-negotiable.
FAQ
1. What is a vishing attack?
A vishing attack, or voice phishing, involves manipulating individuals through voice calls to extract sensitive information, such as login credentials, by impersonating trusted entities. Discover more about vishing attacks
2. What customer data was stolen in the Cisco breach?
The stolen data included names, organization details, addresses, email IDs, phone numbers, and account metadata accessed through a third-party CRM system like Salesforce. Learn more about the Cisco data breach
3. How did hackers execute the vishing attack on Cisco?
Hackers impersonated a trusted contact over a phone call, deceiving a Cisco employee into granting them access to CRM data. Check out Cisco's vishing advisory
4. Why should startups care about vishing attacks?
Startups are highly vulnerable due to reliance on SaaS systems like Salesforce and limited security budgets, making them prime targets for social engineering. Explore insights on startup vulnerability
5. What steps can startups take to prevent cyberattacks?
Startups should train employees on phishing threats, implement MFA, encrypt data, adopt zero-trust architecture, and use AI tools for monitoring security. Learn more about building cybersecurity measures
6. How does PlayPal AI help with cybersecurity?
PlayPal AI provides tailored advice for startup founders and includes tools for monitoring unusual systems behavior, creating SOPs, and strengthening data security strategies. Learn more about PlayPal AI
7. What are common mistakes startups make in cybersecurity?
Mistakes include neglecting employee training, underestimating social engineering threats, and failing to deploy MFA or encrypt CRM data. Check out startup cybersecurity best practices
8. What is a zero-trust security model?
A zero-trust security model ensures strict verification protocols for anyone accessing data systems, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access. Explore zero-trust concepts
9. Who is Violetta Bonenkamp, and what is Fe/male Switch?
Violetta Bonenkamp is a STEM entrepreneur and founder of Fe/male Switch, which creates gamified tools for women founders, including startup games and cybersecurity training resources. Check out Fe/male Switch Startup Game
10. How can startups find funding for cybersecurity solutions?
Startups can use tools like F/MS AI Grant Finder to locate relevant EU grants for building security infrastructure and apply for funding seamlessly. Explore AI Grant Finder
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch. The Fe/male Switch team is located in several countries, including the Netherlands and Malta.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
