How to prevent social media phishing

Corporate impersonation or brand abuse on social media encompasses a variety of tactics ranging from fake profiles impersonating the brand to the distribution of malicious content under the brand's name.

What is social media phishing?

In the digital age, social media has become an integral part of our lives and businesses, providing opportunities to connect, share content and interact with diverse communities, including customers. However, this growing dependence has also led to an increase in phishing, fraud and scam campaigns in these virtual environments. These criminal practices have evolved to include corporate impersonation to deceive users and customers in order to obtain confidential information or illicit enrichment. Social media phishing, also known as brand abuse, involves the creation of fake accounts posing as official profiles of well-known companies or relevant individuals. As far as organisations are concerned, impersonators often meticulously copy logos, images and communication style to appear authentic. They often take advantage of active brand communication or promotion campaigns, copying them in order to maliciously lure customers. Their main objective is to trick users into revealing personal or financial information or to damage the company's image. The consequences of corporate impersonation are often serious. Customers lose trust in the brand, leading to a decrease in sales and engagement. In addition, the organisation may face legal problems if customers suffer financial losses due to the impersonation or if the impersonation has been used to commit other illegal acts.

Threats of corporate identity theft on social networks

The impersonation of corporate identity on social media brings with it a number of threats to organisations:

Falsification of profiles

Profile spoofing is at the heart of corporate impersonation on social networks. Criminals create fake profiles that mimic legitimate companies to deceive users and obtain personal or financial information. These fake profiles can become very convincing and even indistinguishable without research, using logos, images and brand language similar to those of the real company to appear authentic. They often post relevant content to appear authentic and gain followers. Once they have gained the trust of users, these profiles are often used to run a variety of scams. This can include promoting fake offers, requesting payment details for non-existent products, or directing users to fraudulent websites where they are asked to provide personal information.

Phishing through social media

In the context of social media, fraudsters use sophisticated techniques to send direct messages or posts that appear to be from a recognised organisation or institution whose identity they have impersonated. Cybercriminals have adapted these tactics to the social media environment, taking advantage of the trust and familiarity that users have with these platforms. They use social engineering tactics to trick users and obtain the sensitive information they seek. In a typical phishing scenario, criminals create fake profiles or pages that look like those of a legitimate company. They then send enticing messages or posts that may include special offers, contests or fake security alerts to lure users into clicking on malicious links. Once the user clicks on the link, they may be directed to a fake website that looks like the company's official website. The user is then prompted to enter personal or financial information, which is then collected by the criminals.

Publication of malicious content

One of the most damaging threats of brand abuse on social media is the publication of malicious content.

Malicious content can take many forms, from false and misleading information to links to dangerous websites or malicious software. This content can be used to damage a company's reputation, sow discord and create conflict, mislead customers and steal valuable information.

Impersonation of services

Impersonation is another significant threat in the context of corporate identity theft on social media. Criminals create accounts that impersonate the brand's customer service, directing users to fake or dangerous sites or luring them into a scam. These fraudulent services can range from non-existent product offers to false promises of customer support. Users, believing they are interacting with the real company, provide personal or financial information, make payments or make decisions based on incorrect information. Spoofing significantly damages an organisation's reputation. Customers who have been misled often associate their negative experiences with the real company, even holding it responsible for lack of sufficient vigilance and protection, which can lead to loss of trust and loyalty. There can also be a direct financial impact. If customers are tricked into buying fraudulent products or services, sales decrease. In addition, the organisation may face significant costs to mitigate the damage, restore its reputation or legally prove its lack of responsibility for the crime.

Preventing phishing on social networks

Preventing social media phishing is critical to protecting your customers and your organisation. A good strategy on how to prevent social media phishing needs to include:

Monitoring social networks

By continuously monitoring social media, organisations can detect fraudulent use of their corporate identity on social media and prevent cybercriminals from using the brand with impunity to deceive customers. Continuous monitoring and analysis of the data it provides also helps to identify emerging patterns and trends of brand abuse and proactively respond to the threat.

Establish a proactive protection strategy

When an organisation has a proactive social media brand protection strategy in place, the likelihood of the threat of maliciously targeted brand abuse decreases.

The proactive strategy allows the organisation to stay ahead of brand abuse, detecting identity theft on social networks in real time so that the organisation can proceed with its cancellation before it causes significant damage. You may be interested in our publication→ Proactive security: what is it and why use it to prevent and detect threats and cyberattacks?

Being active in social networks

Although it may seem paradoxical, not opening corporate profiles on the different social networks or remaining inactive on them not only does not protect against identity theft, but also encourages it. Having very active profiles on social networks allows users to become familiar with the brand's own communication and to detect impersonators more easily. In addition, active profiles make it easier to check the veracity of a profile that arouses suspicion among users.

Protecting the brand with advanced technologies

The continued sophistication of cyber-attacks requires organisational protection that is up to the task and uses advanced strategies and technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation to provide the right responses at the right time. Solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning identify fake profiles and malicious activity more effectively and quickly than traditional methods. In addition, they are able to automatically track active or latent fraudulent campaigns on social media until they are completely eliminated.

Consequences of corporate identity theft on social networks

Brand abuse often has serious consequences for an organisation:

Financial losses

Social media impersonation leads to a decrease in brand value due to loss of trust, as well as a decrease in revenue due to lost sales to misled or defrauded customers. After a successful social media impersonation, the organisation is forced to invest in powerful communication campaigns to regain some of its customers' trust. In addition, when cybercriminals use the impersonated corporate identity to engage in illegal activities, fees are generated to cover legal action.

Reputational damage

The reputation of a brand has a direct impact on its value. Corporate impersonation on social media damages the reputation of an organisation and its brand. Fraudsters use a company's brand to spread false information or engage in unethical or even criminal behaviour that has negative effects on the organisation's image. When this happens, the corporate image is damaged.

Legal problems

Corporate impersonation raises legal issues when fraudsters use the brand to engage in illegal activities, as the organisation will initially be held liable until it proves the impersonation. In addition, defrauded customers may hold the organisation vicariously liable for the deception due to a lack of sufficient vigilance and protection, and claim restitution for their financial loss from the organisation, either legally or administratively. This also implies a legal or administrative defence.

Loss of customer confidence

After interacting with or hearing about fake accounts that have impersonated the corporate identity, customers perceive that the organisation is not taking adequate measures to protect its brand and, indirectly, them from scams.

They then become wary of interacting with the company on social media, proceed to avoid it and are less likely to remain loyal to it.

Protect yourself from social media phishing with Kartos by Enthec

Kartos, the Cyber Intelligence platform developed by Enthec continuously and automatically monitors the web and social networks to detect domains, subdomains, websites and social profiles identical or similar to those of your organisation. Thanks to its self-developed Artificial Intelligence, false positive findings are eliminated. In addition, Kartos tracks phishing, fraud and corporate identity fraud campaigns detected until they are deactivated, with identification of the countries in which they are active, data and alarms in real time. Since this year, the Kartos platform also offers a Takedown Service for social profiles, domains and fraudulent subdomains, as well as cloned websites detected by the platform. Contact us for more information on how Kartos can help you protect your brand from cloning and abuse on the internet and social networks.

Keys to preventing data leaks

A data breach is a security incident in which confidential information is accessed or extracted without permission, which may include personal data, credentials or any other sensitive information of individuals and organisations. Here, we explain in more detail what it means and the fundamental keys to preventing a data breach.

What is a data leak?

Data leakage is one of the most common and damaging incidents in the field of cybersecurity.

A data breach occurs when confidential information is accidentally or unlawfully exposed. This can happen inside or outside an organisation, and can be the result of a cyber-attack, human error or a failure in security systems. The information leaked in a data breach varies widely in content. It can be personal data, such as names, addresses and social security numbers; financial data, such as credit card numbers and bank account details; or corporate data, such as product details and business strategies. The consequences of a data breach are generally significant. For individuals, it can end up as identity theft or financial fraud. For businesses, it can result in legal fines, loss of reputation and damage to customer relationships. Data leakage can be a quick event, where data is exposed and used immediately, or it can be a slow process, where data is collected over a long period of time before it is used.

Main types of data leakage

Data leaks are differentiated into different types such as:

Interns

In internal data leaks, data is leaked or leaked from within the organisation. It happens when employees or persons with authorised access to confidential information disclose or extract it in an unauthorised way, intentionally or unintentionally. Also, when an unauthorised person outside the organisation gains access to the organisation and its data. Generally, the latter type usually corresponds to a cyber-attack. Some of the main causes of insider leaks include:

• Disgruntled employees or employees with malicious intent who steal data for personal purposes or to sell to third parties.
• Lack of adequate controls and monitoring of the activities of users with access to sensitive data.
• Lack of clear information security policies and insufficient staff training.
• Vulnerabilities in systems and applications that allow unauthorised access to information.
• Cyber-attacks executed to obtain the information.

External

External data leaks are incidents in which confidential information is leaked without authorisation, willingly or unwillingly, by persons or entities outside the organisation, from outside the organisation.

Within external corporate data leaks, those caused by third parties represent a significant threat to an organisation. These leaks occur when an external entity that has legitimate access to an organisation's data, such as a service provider or business partner, inadvertently or maliciously exposes that information. Third parties within an organisation have access to a wide range of corporate data, from personal information of employees and customers to trade secrets and intellectual property. If they do not follow appropriate security measures, they become a weak link in the information security chain. To mitigate this risk, organisations must ensure that all third parties they work with have robust information security policies and procedures in place. This involves conducting cybersecurity audits, including data security clauses in contracts and, most effectively, automated, continuous, real-time monitoring of third-party risk.

4 causes of data leakage

Data leakage can be caused by voluntary and malicious acts or involuntary acts.

The most common causes of unintentional corporate data leaks include:

Use of suspicious software

Suspicious programmes, often disguised as legitimate software, can infiltrate an organisation's systems and give illegitimate access to confidential information. They are introduced by employees unaware of the risks or by external attackers. Once inside, these programmes collect and transmit sensitive corporate data. Infiltration of malware into the corporate system can occur through unwitting installation of malicious software, use of unauthorised messaging or cloud storage applications, downloading infected files or connecting to insecure public networks. Constant supervision and monitoring of activities is essential to detect and prevent the use of malicious software that can lead to data leaks.

Vulnerabilities in the system

Failures in firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other security controls can leave data exposed to external attacks. In addition, inappropriate network configurations, such as the setting of access permissions, communication protocols, and other network settings, are likely to open unauthorised access to information. Also, lack of security patches and updates to applications and operating systems or lack of data encryption and protection make information more vulnerable to theft.

Social engineering

Social engineering is a major cause of corporate data breaches. Cybercriminals manipulate employees into revealing confidential information, often through phishing or phishing tactics. These attacks become very sophisticated, masquerading as legitimate communications from colleagues or superiors. Social engineering exploits the human tendency to trust and cooperate. To circumvent it, companies must implement cybersecurity training and awareness and appropriate security policies to mitigate this risk.

Improper design or implementation of security protocols

If security policies are not properly implemented and enforced, this creates vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit to gain access to sensitive organisational data. It is crucial that companies design robust security protocols and ensure that they are properly enforced. Ongoing training and security audits are essential to prevent data leaks, as well as monitoring user activities and reporting security incidents. Security protocols must also be regularly reviewed, tested and updated to ensure their effectiveness.

Tips to prevent data leakage

We recommend that you consider the following tips on how to prevent a data leakage:

Use two-factor authentication

Dual authentication is a security measure that requires users to provide two forms of identification before accessing systems. This can be something the user knows, such as a password; something they possess, such as a mobile phone to receive a verification code; or something inherent to the user, such as a fingerprint. This additional layer of security makes it difficult for cybercriminals to access data, even if they have obtained a password. Dual authentication is a valuable investment in protecting corporate data.

In addition, two-factor authentication can be complemented with other measures such as data encryption and activity monitoring to further strengthen corporate information security. You may be interested in our publication→ Good information security practices for your company.

Keeping equipment up to date

Outdated systems have security vulnerabilities that cybercriminals try to exploit to execute attacks. Updates include security patches that fix vulnerabilities as they are detected. In addition, newer versions of software and hardware often incorporate better security measures. It is therefore crucial that companies implement a policy of regular updates and ensure that all devices, tools, systems and applications are up to date. This requires investments in time and resources, but is an essential preventive measure to ensure the protection of corporate data.

Regulating access to confidential information

It involves implementing a system in the organisation that ensures that only authorised employees have access to sensitive data. Access control systems, such as role-based authentication, are an example of such a regulation. Limiting access not only reduces the possibility of data being compromised internally, but also reduces the risk of cyber criminals gaining access through compromised accounts.

Update data security policies

Given the continuous evolution of threats, data security policies easily become obsolete. It is therefore imperative that organisations establish a recurrent process of updating these policies to incorporate the latest technologies and procedures. In addition to adapting to changes in the technology environment, security policy updates also allow organisations to incorporate new regulatory requirements, organisational growth and change, and reviews following a security incident.

Cyber-intelligence for the prevention of data leaks

Cyber Intelligence is an essential tool for the prevention and localisation of corporate data breaches, providing the information needed to understand, mitigate and respond to threats. It enables organisations to identify and monitor suspicious activities, both internal and external, that may indicate potential or actual activity to access, extract or leak sensitive information. Cyber Intelligence is based on the collection and analysis of information about potential threats in cyberspace. It includes the identification of suspicious behaviour patterns, the detection of open security holes and exposed vulnerabilities and the prediction of future threats. This enables organisations to adopt a proactive, risk-based security approach to protect their sensitive data. One of the main advantages of Cyber Intelligence is its ability to provide a real-time view of security threats. In this way, it enables organisations to respond quickly to threats, thus minimising the impact of any data leakage. In addition, Cyber Intelligence helps organisations to better understand the threat landscape. This includes identifying threat actors, their tactics, techniques and procedures, and the types of data they are seeking. With this information, companies can develop more effective defence strategies. By incorporating Cyber Intelligence into their data cybersecurity strategy and combining advanced analytics, constant monitoring and security best practices, organisations significantly strengthen their defence posture against data breaches.

Protect your organisation's data with Kartos By Enthec

The Kartos By Enthec helps you protect your organization's data thanks to continuous, real-time automated monitoring of the external attack surface.
Using Artificial Intelligence developed in-house, the Kartos XTI Watchbots Cyber Intelligence platform can detect in real time any corporate data leak, both its own and that of your third parties, issue an alert, and locate the vulnerability that caused it.
Don't wait any longer to protect your data and negate the consequences of any leak. Contact us to learn about our solutions.