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<p>Most people are aware of the many
scams that exist on the internet now. It’s tough to simply look at your emails
without noticing several phishing emails sitting in your inbox, and those are
just the obvious ones! Then, there’s, “We need you to update your account info,
just click the link below,” emails. It can even go deeper with hackers
physically talking with you or conning you into giving them information you
shouldn’t. Lately, the largest influx of scams has come from social media.&nbsp; As of right now, worldwide social media users
total 2.34 billion according to <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/">Statista</a>. That is a lot of people to target.</p>
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<p>Facebook has seen a lot of
scrutiny lately revolving around Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Not
only did they find literally millions of fake Facebook accounts, but they also
found that there were FB ads created to sway American voters. This is a perfect
example of the new age of social engineering. All of this comes from profiles
that look legitimate on the outside but once you do a little digging you can
quickly tell the difference. Same goes for the advertisements, they look as
though they are from a real company or person, the ad does say sponsored like
regular FB ad content. But when you click on it, you can either infect your
computer with malware or unknowingly give away your login info. </p>
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<p>Another example of social
engineering via Facebook ads was back in 2011 after Steve Jobs passed away. A
fake FB ad claimed that Apple was giving away iPads in honor of his passing.
Well, that ad went viral and thousands of people clicked on the link, which in
turn infected their computers and devices. </p>
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<p>Social engineering has
gotten more complicated with (MIP) minimally invested profiles and (FIP) fully
invested profiles, found mostly on Facebook and LinkedIn. MIPs are created in
bulk, &nbsp;and they usually have very little
original content on them, and usually a sexy or provocative photo as the main
profile picture. Then they usually go around making friend requests in hopes
that certain users won’t look into the profile and simply add them. The reason
for this is to be able to eventually send you malware via FB messenger as well
as post on someone’s FB “wall”.</p>
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<p>The FIPs that get created
take a little more time and effort, however, they are more efficient because
they really look the part. To an untrained eye, a profile like this could pass
as an acquaintance. The best way to crack this mystery profile is by looking at
their friends and content on their wall. If both of these raise even one red
flag, it's likely it’s a fake FIP profile. These are intended to target a
specific person or vertical in an industry. This can usually be seen once you
look into mutual friends or even do a reverse image search. </p>
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<p>These are just a few of the
main ways that social engineers are using social media to target people. While
snooping on your co-workers, checking to see what crazy Uncle Larry just
posted, or simply browsing through memes, always be diligent and aware of your
internet surroundings. If that’s tough, make sure your firewall and antivirus
are up to par! Don’t let a social engineer manipulate you into surrendering
your information. </p>
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