Today’s bad actors are scam personal brand opportunists, and the players are like streams of water pouring over outdated or weak defenses.
At its most basic level, cybersecurity is a data protection scams discipline in which we aim to preserve the “soft, chewy middle” of our organizations and our personal lives. It was a barrier around which we barricaded ourselves for years, only trying to safeguard what was within our networks.
That is no longer the case, and we must broaden our horizons if we want to remain safe. They are constantly seeking the route of least resistance, which is often beyond our control.
Social media is one of the most important methods for entertainment, money, relationships, marketing, and advertising. It is extensively in use to the point that practically everyone and every corporation uses it in some fashion, and it is often in use as a form of self-promotion. Our online reputations are often reliant on it.
It has the potential to be a great instrument, but what happens when it is used against us as a weapon to harm our reputation?
Within the security world, social media is a double-edged sword. Many of us have used it to gather threat information or assess new hires. Many people have worried about data loss and unmonitored conversations resulting from it.
Scams Aplenty
It has recently evolved into a fertile environment for impersonation and impostor schemes. Imposter schemes were the most common kind of fraud in 2020. The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network reports these schemes to account for almost 500,000 instances and about 10.6% of all fraud cases.
Depending on the provider’s account confirmation procedures, creating a social media account may automatically be done in minutes. These accounts may be established using email addresses with seconds-long lifespans. They can be titled or include practically anything without scrutiny or confirmation.
Some experts report that impostor social media accounts build profiles using company names with minor spelling variations. Then publishing the same material as the firms but with a harmful link or false contact information.
These counterfeit sites flourish by leveraging a company’s or individual’s existing reputation to get thousands of followers in a matter of days. Clients, workers, and organizations’ reputations are all harmed, and they lack confidence due to these assaults. They may use impostor media as portals for social engineering by directly defrauding persons with whom firms have developed confidence, bypassing firewalls and threat detection capabilities.
What’s Next?
Knowing that these types of attacks are common does little deter impostors on social media.
Social media businesses aren’t supposed to make it difficult for people to create accounts or make relationships. Delays or restrictions are detrimental to these organizations’ business models since they demand data from people that you may utilize for advertisements and analytics. As a result of these factors, the tools we have to tackle these social media impostors are finite.
Most social networking networks don’t make it easy for consumers or businesses to spot impostor accounts. They provide limited tools for big accounts that may be impersonator profiles spreading misinformation or harmful material.
While you may report a website as harmful or impersonating, you may not get a response for days or even weeks. They might deny your request due to a lack of proof of impersonation or copyright ownership.
Social Media
While we may hope that social media corporations would feel more obligated to prohibit impostor accounts, this is unlikely to happen without new legislation or restrictions.
With powerful data analytics and profiling approaches, these corporations can identify suspected fraudsters and shut down an account in seconds. The real danger of shutting down an influential account and, as a result, it ruins their image would, however, be beyond the benefit.
The extent of cybersecurity experts’ responsibilities is sure growing. They must begin to concentrate on risks as they emerge, including reputational risk. It’s been difficult to tackle imposters as successfully as other dangers, but it’s not impossible…just more difficult.
Brand Scams
They exist everywhere. Therefore, they are real…and getting worse.
Therefore, they can harm your brand in ways uncountable. So be proactive. Take responsible measures. Be vigilant.
