Social media sites are becoming increasingly targeted by cybercriminals. These sites offer one-stop shopping for attackers who can gather recon, tailor a campaign, and launch it through the same channel. This creates an ideal environment for spear phishing, a targeted attack. Social networks are becoming more popular targets for cybercriminals, and the risks of cybercrime are increasing.
Cyberbullying
The Internet offers a variety of tools to stop cyberbullying. These tools can be used to block comments, report hurtful content, and remove posts. These tools can also help to protect your privacy. Many social networks allow you to decide who can view your profile and send you direct messages. You can also choose to make comments appear only to you, or you can choose to mute or block certain people. By blocking someone, they will not be able to see your profile, send you messages, or see your posts. The companies that operate social networks also offer guidance and educational tools to help students protect themselves.
Although many social networks are public spaces, they can also be used to intimidate, humiliate, and isolate victims. This is especially dangerous for children who are still growing up. Moreover, bullying that takes place online can be done covertly, so the perpetrator does not have to worry about being seen by the public.
Explicit videos with NSFW labels
When searching for videos on social networks, you may encounter NSFW content. This Trova Prezzi designation is used to mark videos as inappropriate for children or adults. It can also be used for legal or professional reasons. Public service announcements often contain NSFW content. For example, the social media page of a local traffic police department will display videos of accidents caused by careless driving. Similarly, anti-smoking drives may feature NSFW content due to depictions of people smoking.
When sharing NSFW content on social networks, make sure to follow the rules of the platform. Twitter, for instance, requires that users mark their content as “sensitive media”. This can help to limit its popularity.
Phishing attacks
Phishing attacks on social networks are a growing problem. Researchers found that the number of such attacks doubled between the first quarter of 2014 and the fourth quarter of 2015. During the first quarter, most of the attacks targeted the financial and telecommunications sectors. Moreover, phishing emails containing voice content doubled. A study by Indiana University revealed that phishing attacks on social networks had a 70% success rate. These attacks use fake social network URLs to trick users into revealing personal information.
One of the biggest recent attacks was on the banking company JPMorgan Chase & Co. The attackers used phishing to get access to 76 million customer accounts and seven million small businesses. While this might seem like an extreme case, it is important to note that phishing attacks on social networks can happen in a variety of situations. It is therefore important to double check URLs before providing personal information online.
Facebook applications
Facebook users must be on the lookout for applications that pose threats on their social networks. These applications may appear as ads or messages posted by friends. The attackers may trick users into clicking a link that takes them to a malicious site. This gives them access to a person’s account, friends list, and network.
The massive amount of data uploaded on Facebook makes it possible for anyone to post malware. These malicious pieces of content are usually hidden within shortened URLs and multimedia data. Regular updates about where you are can also be an invitation to robbers and stalkers. In fact, according to Heimdal Security, around 6 lakh Facebook accounts are hacked each day.
Data mining
Data mining is a process of analyzing large amounts of data to find patterns and trends. It requires a thorough understanding of the business problem and the result the organization wants to achieve. Moreover, it helps in improving existing business processes. It can also identify profitable trends and patterns. It is a cost-effective way to analyze large volumes of data.
It can help identify trends on social networks. This way, companies can develop products or services based on emerging topics. Data mining can also be used to detect potential events or threats. This information is especially helpful for law enforcement and security agencies. For example, by identifying recent events that are correlated with a certain threat level, governments can track those trends before they become widespread.