Social engineering remains a social networking danger

Michael Cobb, a contributor to SearchSecurity.com, makes the point that the factors driving the success of social networking sites like Twitter are the same elements of human behaviour that drive social engineering attacks, namely "a natural desire and willingness to share and engage with those we trust." He further advices that a corporate Twitter policy could combat social network threats.

Social engineering is a well-known technique widely used in phishing attacks. One of the industry's most infamous hackers, Kevin Mitnick, wielded his first social engineering attack back in 1975. At the tender age of 12, he persuaded a local bus company employee in Los Angeles to tell him where he could buy a hole punch that was compatible with the punched card ticketing system used on the LA buses. It enabled him to ride the bus for free. Later on, he used his social engineering skills to extract information he wanted from employees of phone companies and other businesses and used it for his own benefit.

Apart from warning social network users about the dangers of social engineering, establishing a set of ground rules for consumer Internet usage as suggested by Cobb is a good idea. It can act as a highly effective means of raising the security of Web users generally. The web has become and integral part of our daily and business life, and policies to combat social network threats should be part of the ground rules of our society. Linked with fear of detection and penalties, such a policy could deter cybercriminals and better protect us Netizens.

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