A fake suicide drama staged by a hacker - using someone else's Facebook account last week - illustrates again that some criminal elements abuse social networks for their own political or criminal activities.
In the Facebook incident of last week, the account of Debbie Lee was hacked while she was on a camping trip 100 miles from home. The hacker abused her account by posting a range of suicide messages. They included “I don't want a funeral or memorial, I want it to be like I never existed. The way I wish it was” and “My only friend is the handgun in the back of my closet.”
Needless to say, it resulted in her friends and relatives being severely upset. They even contacted the police to prevent the fake `suicide.'
According to US newswire reports, it is thought that the hack was politically motivated, aimed at discrediting this mother of a Navy Seal who killed in Iraq. She is also the founder of a non-profit organization, which remembers those killed in action and offers support to their families.
The Arizona police have apparently closed the file on the Facebook account hack, stating that no crime has been committed.
Let's consider for a moment a different scenario. Suppose that the hacker abused Ms Lee's Facebook account to post an application or to insert a URL routing users to a rogue webpage with a malware infection. This could be possible, given the nature of previous social networking account hacks. Ms. Lee's friends and relatives would have been duped to click on such a link.
In the case of Ms. Lee, emotional if not financial damage was caused by the hacker. It will not be the first or the last time that social networks are abused. Facebook was recently faced with another incident that rocked cyberspace, when a poll, set up by a Facebook member, asked if president Obama should be assassinated.
Facebook removed the poll and the Secret Service is investigating. The poll is an application developed by a third party, and Facebook stated that they don’t pre-approve postings. This leaves the field for cybercriminals wide open.
Both incidents should serve as a warning to any Internet user. If you see something shocking or intriguing on your social network, think carefully before reacting and clicking of a link or application. You could easily be victimized by hackers, whether they are politically or financially motivated.
To keep abreast of the latest developments in cybercrime, we invite you to read our MCRC blog.
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