In these modern days, we live in; social media has become a part of the general lifestyle. Many of us need a constant routine of using it, even when we do not realize it. What social media does is encourage people to socialize. It allows unlimited connection from one to another, and nothing could make them apart, even locations. Social media is also a place where we share everything from daily life to unknowingly financial details. This has become excellent bait hackers are looking for. Imagine it; they can get every piece of your information details with only one account.
Though we’ve heard about technological advancements a lot, ironically, most people still seem to be careless about managing and protecting their data. There are billions of cybersecurity professionals worldwide who are capable and entirely credible for their skills to take down hackers. But that number is still minimal compared to the actual social media users around the globe.
In this article, we want to give you a piece of brief information about how professional hackers can get your credentials, so you may gain knowledge about how they work to prey on the unfortunates.
Techniques Used to Access Social Media Account
Man in the Middle Attack
As the middle-man, a hacker will be in the act of a legitimate user. Most users would find it hard to distinguish between a genuine person and made-up bots. This is used as an opportunity to strike a particular user in a possible time when people basically talk to hackers without their acknowledgment. This altered communication may often result in the speaker pouring their private information.
Generally used tool for this is BurpSuite. Hackers use it to act as a middle man. The way it works is too complex to understand, but the easiest way to explain it is that a hacker will intercept and locate themselves between the machine and server. The generated request from the device is then captured and altered to be used for requesting another different thing.
Some antiviruses have been equipped with a firewall so that you can detect fake users. An additional layer of protection can be obtained by having VPN. You can also use windows VPN to prevent selective traffic.Â
Phishing Attack
It’s the simplest yet the most effective way to get someone’s information. It is the typical tactic every hacker used to trick people into their trap in the form of a legitimate website, though it’s entirely as façade. Fooled users will try to log in by inputting emails and passwords. Thus, the hackers have obtained all the info connected to that particular email.
Many users still can’t determine the genuineness of a website, and this is an excellent chance for hackers to come in. So, before actually entering or clicking anything, make sure to double-check any given URLs. Verify them by searching on Google.
DNS Spoofing
This technique is similar to Phishing but even harder to notice. This kind of attack affects the DNS cache, causing it to cache false information. The affected DNS resolver is then giving a particular IP address filled with the wrong place. These attacks may cause severe damages to security and could last for a more extended period. For prevention, make sure to acknowledge your DNS, plus have the firewall always on.
Keylogging
Hackers created a specialized tool called “Keylogger,” which functions to trace the key patterns typed by users. Shortly after a user typed in, a text file containing that information will be directly delivered to their pocket. Now, keylogging has been a serious issue faced by popular entities and individuals, including YouTubers. They often receive emails about collaboration, paid-promote, or so on.Â
Once they’ve clicked the link or opened the attached files, their data will be gone.
Cookie Hijacking
Saved cookies from your browser can also be hijacked. When users access their social media accounts, the server gives a session cookie, a small amount of data that tells the server to provide access to the user’s account. Since the user’s device signalizes that it holds the token, the server will automatically allow them to enter.
This is a piece of data that hackers steal to gain someone’s account by inflicting the device with malware that continuously steals data. Another thing they can do is to create a script to be imposed towards a website user frequently visits. The hand then forced the device to send cookie data to the server.
So, it’s essential to clean your cookie every day or once a week, especially if you’re frequently using public connections.
