Spear Phishing: Phishing is not a new method of attack. We encounter it through our email. Most phishing attempts are fairly easy to detectbecause the malicious messages are often sent by strangers.
But there is a “new breed” of social media-connected scammers who use a variation of phishing. “Spear Phishing” or targeted phishing does exactly what its name suggests. Instead of sending thousands of messages and targeting anyone who falls into their trap, scammers focus their efforts on a single individual.
Below we describe some tactics (Spear Phishing) used by Social Media Phishers:
Phishers use fake profiles to gain entry into the victim's social circle.
The main tool a phisher uses on social media is a fake profile. Phishers create fake profiles using photos stolen from other online profiles. They typically select photos of attractive people and customize them for their profile, using fake demographic information based on who they imagine their victim will like.
So for example, if their victim is in their 30s, the age they will choose will be close to 30. They may even use the same city as the victim, regardless of whether they live on a different continent, or they may write that they went to the same high school as the victim.
Phishers Exploit the Victim's Friends to Gain Credibility
A sign that reveals Spear Phishing scammers, in addition to the fake profile, is that they don't have many friends, because their profile usually has an expiration date and doesn't last long.
However, to gain the victim's favor, before actually sending them a friend request, they will look at their friends list.
Immediately afterwards they will try to make as many friends as they can.
Experienced phishers will pay attention to this step, as they will more easily gain the victim's trust if they notice mutual friends.
Phishers Use the Victim's Likes and Interests
Phishers will try to "read" through the victim's profile what they like and don't like. The scammers will start posting comments that they imagine the victim will like, and they will like their posts, building a new relationship.
Once the victim's interest is piqued, the attacker can strike. Usually, they don't do it publicly, by posting a malicious link, but rather discreetly send it in a private message. The link in the message appears to be something the victim is interested in. In reality , it is the bait to lead the victim to a phishing website where they can collect their personal information.
What can you do about Spear Phishing?
Try to hide as much information as you can
The less information phishers see, the better. Make your information visible only to your friends. Avoid creating a public profile that the entire internet can see. Spear Phishing scammers are looking for any information that will help their phishing efforts.
- Hide your friends list
- Change your settings so that not everyone can see your friends list.
- Don't be too gullible with strangers who come to you out of nowhere
- Unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold. Be careful of this, especially on the Internet.
Source: iguru
