Common social media attacks and how to avoid them

There is no doubt that social networks are very important platforms in our day today. It is a means of communication widely used by both private users and companies. They are very varied since we can find options to share content and opinions, upload images or videos, send messages ... But they all have a common link: interact with other users. Now, the fact that something is widely used also invites hackers to carry out different methods to damage security and privacy. 

Main attacks on social networks

As we say, social networks are widely used platforms on the Internet. There are many options that we have available. Cybercriminals often set their sights on what has the most users—a way to find a way to achieve your goals and have a greater chance of success.

There are many attacks that we will acquire we hook up with the Internet when the use of offerings and structures. However, in this newsletter, we are going to consciousness on the primary attacks which can seem on social networks. We confer with strategies and techniques that hackers can use to put our safety and privacy at threat.



Phishing by social networks

One of the most frequent attacks on the Internet and which of course also affects social networks is Phishing. As we know, these are messages sent by cybercriminals with the aim of impersonating a legitimate organization.

They usually throw a hook where they encourage us to log in, click on a link or download a file. They may even tell us that there is a problem with our account and that it needs to be fixed.

Fake profiles or bots

Of course, one of the most common problems is fake profiles or bots. They basically pose as real people to gain the trust of the victim. They may simply be looking to add contacts to collect personal data, send event invitations, and more.

That is why we must always make sure which profile we are adding to our account. It may not really be a legitimate user or a real company; you may simply seek to collect data, know our tastes, see what contacts we have added ...

Fake offers or prizes

A classic. Surely on occasion, we have seen a message on social networks where they tell us that we have won a prize for something and that we have a specific product at our disposal.

It can also happen that this bait is an unrepeatable offer, some very cheap item with a great discount. Generally, all they want is to get our attention so that we click on a link and enter a malicious page controlled by the attackers.

Fake news

This is another of the current problems of the Internet. The Fake News or false news is not just that, items showing incorrect and unrealistic information. This type of news can also be used as a hook for the victim to reach a malicious site where they can download malware or compromise their privacy in some way.

We leave you an article where we explain how to recognize fake news.

Brute force attacks

Passwords are the main barrier to protection when we create accounts on the Internet. This means that they will also be targeted by cybercriminals, and social media is no exception.

Many hackers can use a classic technique such as brute force attacks. Basically, it consists of trying one after another combination of keys to access an account.

Identity fraud

This attack puts our privacy at risk. They can impersonate our real name and create a profile as if it were us. It is an important problem and one that is very present in the network. Through these accounts that they create as if we were us, they could attack our contacts. After all, if a person receives a message with a link from a friend or family member, they are more likely to open it.

Therefore, identity theft through services such as Facebook or Twitter is very dangerous, and we must avoid it at all costs. It is essential not only to maintain privacy but also to avoid problems such as what we mentioned that they could send malware on our behalf or carry out an attack.

How to avoid these attacks

Luckily we can make use of different tools, as well as take into account some recommendations to avoid being victims of these attacks. The goal is to be able to network in complete safety. We are going to give some essential tips to avoid attacks through social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, to name some of the most popular.

Keep equipment up-to-date

Of course, something fundamental is also the fact of having the systems updated. We must apply all kinds of patches that we have at our disposal to correct problems.

Sometimes vulnerabilities get up, which might be exploited with the aid of hackers and allow access to our accounts, such as social networks. By installing the corresponding updates, we can avoid it. You always have to have all the devices with the news that is available. It does not matter what operating system we use or what program we have installed.

Encrypt our accounts correctly

Using reliable passwords is a very important barrier to protect our social networks. A good password should have letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and other special symbols. All this must be random, and the key must be unique.

As an additional option, we have to add two-step authentication. In this way, if they find out our password, they will not be able to enter the account because they would need that second step, which can be, for example, a code that we receive by SMS.

Common sense

Last but perhaps most importantly, common sense is essential to protect our social networks. We have seen that cybercriminals take advantage of mistakes we make on many occasions. For example, we are opening a malicious link or accessing our account through a third-party link.

Many types of attacks will require the interaction of the victim. Not only open a link or download a file but also that, for example, we write our e-mail or account of a social network in an open forum, and it can be collected by an attacker. These errors are what we must avoid and thus improve our security on the Internet.

Therefore, by following these steps that we have mentioned, we can keep our social networks protected and avoid something as serious as identity theft. We protect ourselves, but also third parties who may be harmed because they have created a profile as if it were us. It is something that we must take care of at all times.

 

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