Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1511664
PalletCentral • November-December 2023 35 deception, and their entire goal is to exploit innocent people without them ever noticing. But in the face of these unforeseen threats and the ever-evolving landscape of cyberattacks, how can we eff ectively help people recognize and avoid potential danger before they become another victim? e answer really is quite simple, and that's by increasing our awareness of these threats and how they work. As stated above, there is no single convenient solution to completely negate the risk we come across online, and for that reason it's worth understanding what you're up against. Many organizations have tried to accomplish this by mandating their employees take annual awareness training programs; however, these programs often fall fl at due to their limitations: such as their inability to address a wide variety of threats. A signifi cant factor contributing to an individuals' vulnerability to scams is their limited awareness of what cybercriminals are capable of and the diversity of threats online. is lack of understanding leaves them exposed to the devious tactics employed by malicious actors, who exploit these knowledge gaps. To give you an example of how complex scams have become and to demonstrate the importance of awareness, here's one attack that's been taking advantage of Facebook users in 2023. Facebook Login Attack What Is It? is attack is comprised of two distinct tactics that work together to confuse and cause panic in victims. e initial assault is a straightforward attempt to "hack into" and take control of an individual's Facebook account. In this phase, cybercriminals use previously leaked email addresses to initiate a password reset. By initiating this password reset, this will send a legitimate email to the Facebook user's inbox. e second part of this attack occurs strictly over email and revolves around a phishing email created by criminals that looks identical to the one sent out during the password reset mentioned above. is email will contain a malicious link stating "Click here to secure your account" that will redirect users to a realistic looking Facebook login screen. However, attempting to log in will only send criminals your log-in credentials. So, on one side, you have an email informing you that hackers are trying to break into your account. On the other side, these same cybercriminals are sending you a deceptive email with a malicious link. In the eyes of the average person, both types of emails are practically indistinguishable from one another. How Does It Happen? Facebook users are already a popular target for cybercriminals because of the numerous data breaches and privacy leaks the social media platform has had over the years. Criminals are merely using the information they've stolen in previous breaches (emails, usernames, phone numbers) and attempting to trick users into giving out sensitive credentials. How Can It Impact You? It's not only important to be aware of the attacks and how they work, but also the impact they can have on you. You may be wondering, "What do criminals have to gain by taking over my social media account?" Having a general idea of why criminals do what they do is integral to avoiding their scams and knowing how to react to suspicious emails. One thing to note, how much is at risk diff ers between individuals based on how much information they have connected to their account. ere is a lot more value in a Facebook profi le linked to a business page than just an individual profi le. For instance, some social media accounts are iStock/Urupong