Social Media Security Flashcards

What is social media account hijacking?

Answer: Unauthorized access and takeover of someone's social media account, typically through stolen credentials or session tokens

Account hijacking occurs when an attacker gains unauthorized access to a social media account through phishing, credential stuffing, session theft, or exploiting security vulnerabilities.

Why is oversharing personal information on social media a security risk?

Answer: Attackers can use shared personal details for social engineering, identity theft, and to answer security questions

Personal information shared on social media—birthdays, pet names, schools, vacation plans—can be harvested by attackers for identity theft, social engineering attacks, and to answer account security questions.

What is a social media phishing attack?

Answer: Using fake messages, posts, or pages on social media platforms to trick users into revealing credentials or clicking malicious links

Social media phishing uses deceptive messages, fake login pages, fraudulent posts, or impersonated profiles on social platforms to trick users into revealing personal information or clicking malicious links.

Why should you regularly review the third-party applications connected to your social media accounts?

Answer: Connected apps may retain access permissions and can access your data, post on your behalf, or be compromised themselves

Third-party apps connected to social media retain their granted permissions until revoked, potentially accessing personal data, posting content, or becoming a security risk if the third-party app is compromised.

What is the security risk of using public social media profiles for professional networking?

Answer: Attackers can harvest professional details to craft targeted spear-phishing and social engineering attacks against you or your organization

Public professional profiles provide attackers with organizational structure, job roles, projects, and business relationships that enable highly targeted spear-phishing and social engineering attacks.

What is catfishing in the context of social media security?

Answer: Creating a fake online identity to deceive and manipulate other users for personal, financial, or malicious purposes

Catfishing involves creating a fake social media persona using stolen or fabricated photos and information to build trust with victims for deception, emotional manipulation, or financial fraud.