Social Networking and E-Mail Playbook

Social Networking and E-Mail Playbook

Darin L. Tate

CYB-110

Instructor: Mark Steward

Social Networking and E-Mail Playbook

Social Networking

What is Social Networking?

Social Networking is the use of online websites and applications to stay in contact with friends,

family, coworkers, and customers. It can have either a social or business purpose or even both. In

the last few years, it has become a vast base for people to use to find customers for their

businesses.

How can Social Networking be used against you?

 Social Engineering – A tactic used by hackers and cybercriminals, where they take

information from individuals to make believable fake accounts that they can use to gain

information to gain access to servers or even get someone to create a backdoor into

system unknowingly.

 Targeted Phishing attacks – Attacks that use fear and anxiety to get people to part with

their money

 Fake accounts – When people make fake accounts and then sends out friend requests to

various people, hoping that someone will accept them. After getting a person to accept

their invite, they can find out different information that could be used to either gain the

trust of that person or information to get access to personal accounts.

 Celebrity name misuse – Using the name of a famous person to spread misinformation

and gossip to attract followers who can then be targeted later.

Social Networking and E-Mail Playbook

Best way to combat attacks over social media:

 Avoid short links – Cybercriminals likes to hide suspicious links behind short links

because it is hard to determine whether or not the site behind them are legitimate or one

that contains harmful stuff on them.

 Verify – Before you give out any information, verify the person is who you are supposed

to talk to.

 Training – Educate your employees to avoid common mistakes that could be made and to

warn them of potential ways confidential information could be leaked.

E-Mails

Threats that E-mail can bring:

 Links – Links that can lead to malicious sites can be hidden in the body of e-mails or as

part of an attachment.

 Attachments – Hackers love to hide things like ransomware, keyloggers and other forms

of malware as attachments to E-Mails

 Social Engineering – Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to get their victims to

send them money or to get them to transmit confidential information.

Ways to combat e-mail threats:

 Have antivirus software scan any attachments before you open them.

 Do not click on any short links. Type out links to make sure that you are going to a

legitimate website.

 Be careful of any information that you give out.

 Training on how possible social engineering attempt strategies.

Social Networking and E-Mail Playbook

References:
Qing, L. Y. (2020). Top 5 social networking business threats. Retrieved from

https://www.zdnet.com/article/top-5-social-networking-business-threats/

10 E-mail Security Risks in 2020(2020). Retrieved from https://www.keepnetlabs.com/anti-phishing-

solution-threat-simulation-2/