Outsmarting Hackers: How One Company Turned the Clorox Breach into a Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call

In today’s digital world, even the most advanced security systems can fall apart due to one simple factor: human error. That’s exactly what happened to Clorox, the well-known consumer goods company, in 2023. A social engineering attack—a type of cyberattack that manipulates people rather than technology—managed to bypass their defenses and cause widespread damage. But while the Clorox breach was a disaster, it also served as a powerful lesson.

This is the story of how one global company, alarmed by the Clorox incident, decided to act before it was too late. With the help of cybersecurity experts at Tiraza, they transformed their vulnerability into resilience. In doing so, they proved that preventing cyberattacks isn’t just about software—it’s about people.

What Exactly Happened to Clorox?

Let’s start with a quick recap of the Clorox breach. It wasn’t a traditional “hack” in the way most people imagine. No one broke through firewalls or cracked encrypted passwords. Instead, attackers used psychological tricks—likely through emails or phone calls—to fool employees into giving away access. This technique, known as social engineering, targets human behavior, not computer systems.

Once inside, the attackers caused major disruptions:

• Production lines were halted.
• Orders couldn’t be processed.
• Customers were left frustrated.
• Financial forecasts had to be withdrawn due to uncertainty.
• Worst of all, public trust in the brand suffered.

It was a clear message: even large corporations with strong IT systems are not safe if their people aren’t trained to recognize manipulation.

One Company’s Response to a Growing Threat

Shortly after the Clorox incident, another multinational company—operating in a similarly complex and global supply chain—decided to take preventive action. They realized that their biggest risk wasn’t just cybercriminals—it was the potential for their own employees to fall for similar tricks.

They partnered with Tiraza, a cybersecurity firm specializing in defending against human-targeted attacks. What followed was a proactive, layered approach that didn’t just install new tools—it reshaped how the company thought about security.

Phase 1: Understanding the Human Risk

Tiraza started with a simple but powerful question: how prepared are your people?

They launched a full Social Engineering Risk Assessment that included:

• Fake phishing emails to test who would click on suspicious links.
• Vishing (voice phishing) calls to test phone-based deception.
• Tailgating tests, where someone tries to physically enter a secure area by following an employee.
• Employee surveys to gauge awareness about security threats.

The results were startling. Nearly half of the employees in key departments like Sales, Procurement, and Customer Support failed the tests. In other words, if this had been a real attack, the company would have been wide open.

Phase 2: Building Smarter, More Aware Employees

Rather than placing blame, Tiraza focused on education. Using their Learning Management System (LMS), they rolled out:

• Role-specific training based on real-world scenarios like the Clorox breach.
• Adaptive modules tailored to each employee’s risk level.
• Ongoing phishing simulations with instant feedback.

In just three months, the percentage of employees clicking on phishing links dropped from 46% to only 8%. That’s a massive improvement—not through tech alone, but by creating a smarter, more alert workforce.

Phase 3: Strengthening the Digital Gates

While education was the foundation, Tiraza also helped the company implement stronger digital defenses:

• Advanced email filtering that scans links and attachments in real time.
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced across all high-risk accounts.
• Zero-trust policies, meaning no user or device is automatically trusted.

These controls ensured that even if someone made a mistake, the damage could be contained quickly.

Phase 4: Practicing for the Worst

To truly test readiness, Tiraza simulated a Clorox-style breach. The company’s incident response (IR) team was tasked with detecting the attack, containing it, and communicating effectively.

Through the exercise, the company:

• Developed IR playbooks for social engineering attacks.
• Measured how quickly they could detect and respond to threats.
• Cut down their incident response time from 12 hours to less than one hour.

Just two weeks later, they successfully blocked a real vishing attack, proving the training worked.

The Results Speak for Themselves

Metric	Before Tiraza	After Tiraza
Phishing Click Rate	46%	8%
MFA Adoption	63%	100%
Incident Response Time	~12 hours	<1 hour
Security Awareness Score	2.1 / 5	4.6 / 5

Beyond the metrics, the company gained confidence, resilience, and a much stronger security culture. They even stopped a simulated attacker during a red-team drill.

What Can We Learn?

The Clorox breach was a turning point. Tiraza’s case shows that protecting a business isn’t just about firewalls or antivirus software. It’s about empowering people to make better decisions in the face of trickery.

Key takeaways for any organization:

• Employees can be the biggest risk or your strongest defense.
• Training needs to be practical and ongoing.
• Preparation is everything.
• Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility not just the IT team’s.