Cybercrime is a broad term describing any kind of criminal activity involving a computer and the internet. Social media users risk exposing themselves to specific types of cybercrimes that include phishing, scamming, and cloning. The methods behind these attacks may differ, but their perpetrators' primary goal is the same: accessing money or acquiring personal data that might lead to money. In other cases, cyberattacks aim to spread false or offensive content about a victim, or they may attempt to delete files or data. Spotting some cyberattacks can be easy: an email arrives from a suspicious company demanding money for a massive purchase that was never made, or social media posts appear that the profile owner did not create. But a cybercrime that comes via a social media friend is harder to spy. Safe and smart social-media use prevents cybercrimes and protects users—and their online friends.To use social media in a way that’s both smart and safe, it is important to first understand the common forms of cyberattack that use social media as their means for profiting. Phishing is one of the earliest of cyberthreats, appearing as emails from legitimate-looking sources luring users into divulging bank or credit card account information, such as passwords. Once hooked, victims stand to lose everything. Scams work in a similar manner. A recent email scam claims to have full control of a user’s computer or electronic device and refuses to release control until the email recipient pays a fee in the form of cybercurrency. A cloner can take public information from a victim’s social media site—photos, “About” information, recent public posts—and use it to create a duplicate, or cloned, profile. When unsuspecting users respond to the cloned profile, the cloner begins to harvest data that might lead to credit card information or bank routing numbers. So, how do these cybercriminals get an email address or phone number in the first place? The answer is social media friends.
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The digital world moves at an extraordinarily fast pace: clicking on links takes the blink of an eye; downloads happen in seconds, and texts appear and disappear in a flash. When a trusted friend sends a link with little or no explanation, clicking on it is a matter of habit—done without a moment’s thought and without question. Such a lack of thought is exactly what cybercriminals bank on. They want mass numbers of users to click on links designed to harvest a victim’s contact information. Cloners of profiles hope no one notices that an original profile of their victim still exists, that friends will connect to the fake profile as a matter of habit. But there are ways to recognize when a friend’s contact list has been hacked or their social media account cloned.
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Links without explanation sent from friends through a social media app should always raise concern. Contacting the friend through another means to ask, “Did you send this?” is all it takes to confirm that the link was, in fact, a safe and deliberate message. A phishing email may look like it comes from a friend’s email address but contain only an unusual link and a single sentence. Texts and emails from a friend containing unusual content or language can signal a hacked account. A cloned profile may appear as a new connection request from someone already connected within an app, but it is likely to have few or no other connections, no recent posts, and only one profile image.
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Applying multiple safety measures can protect social media accounts and, by extension, bank accounts. Alert friends when suspicious texts, emails, or connection requests arrive. Within a social media app, report cloned profiles to the app’s security helpdesk. Use strong passwords that contain multiple letters and symbols, and change passwords often—never duplicate them across social media apps or bank accounts. Consider using multi-factor authentication or security codes to access social media accounts. And never share private information, such as phone numbers and addresses, in social media posts that have the potential to be shared publicly. Be safe and smart while using all forms of social media.
In paragraph 3, what point of view does the author take on social media use?
a
The digital world moves too quickly for the average user.
b
Social media friends are always victims of cloning.
c
When social media users click too quickly and pay little attention, they become victims of cybercrime and sometimes worsen it.
d
To find one victim, cybercriminals sometimes need to collect thousands of email addresses.
c
When social media users click too quickly and pay little attention, they become victims of cybercrime and sometimes worsen it.