Are You Having A Technology Emergency?

Datalyst Blog

Datalyst has been serving the Massachusetts area since 2010, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Facebook Phishing Is a Real Problem

Facebook Phishing Is a Real Problem

Hackers have often used email to trick users into clicking on fraudulent links or to hand over important credentials through phishing scams, but these are usually blocked by an enterprise-level spam blocker. However, hackers have learned that there is indeed a way around these spam blockers, and it’s through popular social media websites.

One of the big reasons why spam blockers are so successful is because it examines the content of the messages you receive and makes a determination about its authenticity. One way that it does so is by looking at links within the email body itself. If the link is legitimate and seems to go to a normal, recognized source, then the message can be considered “legitimate,” even if it is not necessarily safe.

Hackers are now attempting to use social media websites to subvert this weakness in spam blockers; they use the sites as a middle-man of sorts, using the social media website to write a post which includes a suspicious link, then using the social media platform’s sharing capabilities to effectively mask the suspicious link behind that of the social media platform.

This is a particularly crafty approach that should not be taken lightly, and it’s already in use at this present moment. Take, for example, a recent campaign using Facebook as the delivery mechanism for phishing threats. In this scenario, hackers send victims an email message suggesting that they have violated Facebook’s terms of service on their page. When the victim clicks on the link in the email, they are brought to a legitimate Facebook post further detailing the issues that must be addressed. The post prompts the user to click on a phishing link, and the rest is history.

The moral of the story is that you can never trust links in your email inbox from unknown users, even if they appear to be legitimate. Phishing can happen anywhere, especially where you least expect it, like on social media websites and even support forums. If the links look a little too suspicious, then you should wait to take action until you have consulted a security professional like those at Datalyst. Our technicians are happy to review the contents of messages and make determinations on their authenticity, particularly for situations like the above one where it’s not clear if the link is legitimate or not.

Now, if you don’t have a spam blocking solution in place, we can help you out with that, too. With a unified threat management tool, you can take full advantage of great security solutions designed to keep you protected from the majority of threats. To learn more, reach out to us at (774) 213-9701.

Are You Doing Everything You Can to Make the Cloud...
The 2022 Cybersecurity Plan for Massachusetts Smal...
 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Guest
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Friday, March 29 2024

Captcha Image

Contact Us

Learn more about what Datalyst can do for your business.

Call Us Today
Call us today
(774) 213-9701

10 Riverside Drive
Suite 106

Lakeville, Massachusetts 02347

The United States Patent and Trademark Office reference number: 5,341,888

Latest Blog

You might have noticed that some of your younger workers are leaving your business much earlier than you might expect them to. This could be because of a phenomenon called “shift shock,” which examines employee engagement and satisfaction. ...
 

Best IT Managed Service Providers in Providence

TOP