Social Network Phishing - The New Phenomenon
If you have been following the developments in the phishing world - or even if you have watched the news on TV recently - you will no doubt have seen that phishing in the social media realm is now one of the most prominent security problems of the modern day.
These days, people entrust social media sites like Facebook and Twitter with all sorts of personal details, right down to the raw and most important personal information such as credit card details and bank account information.
Hence - if you put yourself in the shoes of a spammer or phisher for a moment - getting your hands on data from the social media world is a whole lot easier than hacking in to an online bank account or ecommerce store backend.
Easier To Obtain Details
When it comes to social media sites, it is almost the case that people openly give away their details, without even thinking about the possible consequences of their actions. For example, how many of your friends do you know who have listed the following information on a social media site:
- Full names.
- Addresses and telephone numbers.
- Date of birth.
- Educational background and current workplace.
In almost all cases, it is possible to find out where your friends are currently working, and how you could get in contact with them if you wanted to.
Additionally, many of your friends will have bought things through these sites, and will therefore have had to input their credit card or bank account details to ensure that the payment goes through. Once again - all of this information is on file, and is accessible to a phisher in the future if they succeed in gaining access to the account.
How Access Is Gained?
There are a wide range of techniques used by phishers to access social media accounts - and unfortunately, in most cases, the victim's do not even know that they have fallen in to a trap until it is far too late.
Hence, preventative action is by far the best way to stop phishing from hampering your enjoyment of the social networking scene. If you think smart, and ensure that the proper safety measures are always in place - you ultimately shouldn't fall in to any potholes along the way.