Workday is a big company that helps businesses manage their employees’ information, like pay and schedules. But something scary happened recently: hackers broke into one of Workday’s systems that stores contact details. Stolen information includes names, email addresses, and phone numbers.

In this blog, we’ll explain:

  • What Workday does and what happened
  • Why the hack matters
  • How could this affect people?
  • What you can do to stay safer

Who Is Workday—and What Happened?

Workday provides important software used by over 11,000 companies—including over 60% of the Fortune 500—and serves 70 million users globally

On August 6, Workday’s team discovered that hackers had accessed a third-party customer database—not their main systems. The stolen data was contact info: names, emails, and phone numbers 

Workday said there’s no evidence that their main systems—where deeper employee or HR data is stored—were accessed 

How Did Hackers Get In?

It wasn’t a high-tech break-in—it happened through social engineering. That means hackers tricked employees into giving them access, often by pretending to be someone from HR or IT via phone or email 

This method is common in other recent attacks, too. Companies like Google, Cisco, Qantas, Pandora, and Allianz Life have also been targeted through similar tricks, especially when using Salesforce-based systems 

Why This Breach Still Matters

Even though the stolen info wasn’t sensitive HR files, it still matters. Hackers could use contact details for:

  • Social engineering scams, where they trick you into revealing more private information
  • Phishing emails or text messages that pretend to be from someone you trust
  • Phone scams, because they have your phone number

Workday warned that this stolen data could fuel these attacks 

What You Should Do Next

If you got a message that seems odd—even if it seems to come from someone you know—pause and think:

  1. Don’t click suspicious links.
  2. Always verify requests: Reach out to the person or business through a known phone number or email.
  3. Avoid giving personal or password info.
  4. Enable extra protections where possible, like two-factor authentication (2FA).

If you work at a company or HR team, raise awareness about social engineering and insist on strong verification policies.

Conclusion

The Workday breach is another loud reminder that even contact information like names and emails can be dangerous in the wrong hands. While the hackers didn’t touch the deepest secrets, their actions could be the first step in bigger scams.

Every one of us—employees, individuals, and companies—needs to stay alert, question unexpected requests, and protect our information. Scammers may start small, but their damage can grow fast.