Before, hackers installed a virus on your computer to destroy your files or make the device completely useless. With the boom in online shopping, this leitmotif has become much more helpful: getting money.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States, it is estimated that cyberattacks steal 20% of the money generated on the Internet, about $ 400 billion a year.
The figures, yes, are estimates since not everyone reports when there has been a theft on the Internet, and there are many countries that do not even save the data.
From malware to Phishing through ransomware to the drawings, the riddles, and fake lotteries. All have the objective of obtaining money fraudulently.
In the same way, social networks that serve to expand the reach of the news are also a valuable tool to spread viruses, cyberattacks, or obtain information.
Now, another type of phenomenon has been discovered through the ads placed on Facebook to promote a page, a business, or an event.
When the user pays to promote their company, for example, your card details are stored in the social network, or we permit them to access other payment accounts such as PayPal.
By accessing your accounts, hackers have access to that data.
This is how the internet security and privacy expert Graham Cluley explains to the BBC: “Hackers enter the Facebook account, not to steal large amounts of money but to pay for promoting gambling websites . Directing and increasing traffic to these pages receive money as a commission. “
Culey clarified that although the money comes out of the user’s pocket, it is not in large amounts (between US $ 2 and the US $ 6), making it more difficult to detect fraud.
In addition, as Facebook makes the charge through a service that the user once hired, the payment does not raise suspicions.
A BBC radio program received a call from a listener who had had around $ 16,000 stolen through this method.
Facebook acknowledged to the BBC that in this case, third parties gained access to the listener’s login information, and fraudulent charges were made.
Every day social networks are used by millions of users, offering us a wide range of possibilities, and we have them of very different types. Among them, Facebook stands out, which is one of the most popular and used networks at the moment. It is also a highly coveted item by hackers, and for this, they carry out various types of attacks to obtain your credentials.
In this article, we will show you the main tricks that cybercriminals use to prevent them from stealing your Facebook account.
Currently, cybercriminals can use various procedures to steal your Facebook accounts and compromise their security. In that sense, we need to know both the techniques they use and protect ourselves. Next, we will discuss both options to keep your Facebook account safe.
The password, a key element to protect Facebook
The first line of defense for your Facebook account is the password. Depending on how we will be giving more or fewer possibilities to cybercriminals to access our account. One of the procedures they could try would be a brute force attack, and if the password is weak, it could be successful.
If you don’t know, a strong password must be at least 12 characters long and contain uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special symbols such as @.
However, this is not enough; a series of additional measures must be taken. One fundamental is not to reuse the same key for different services. The reason is that password leaks and theft sometimes occur. Then, the domino effect occurs, and all those accounts with the same password could fall into the hands of the hacker. Also, another good idea may be to change the password for your Facebook account periodically.
Another thing that we should not do is have our passwords in a plain text file on the desktop. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could compromise our security. For this reason, it is best to use a password manager such as Passwarden or at least a file with a password.
Of course, it is highly recommended to use multi-factor authentication; that is, we have to enter an access password and a second authentication factor, such as a code randomly generated by an application on our smartphone.
Phishing attacks, another great danger to your account
The Phishing attack uses a set of techniques that seek to deceive a victim, posing as a well-known person, company, or service that they impersonate. One of its most common techniques is to click on a link, which takes you to an attacker’s website and is very similar to the original. Then we enter our username and password, and the cybercriminal already has our credentials.
They use Office Sway to send Phishing.
Their objectives are to steal information, install malware, sabotage computers, or steal money through fraud. One of the most used Phishing strategies that can be used to steal your Facebook account is social engineering, where targeted Phishing is critical. In this type of attack, cyber criminals put your private data, such as the name and surname or the place where we study or work, to make the message more credible.
These data that give the false message confidence can induce us to trust them, even though it has been obtained from Facebook itself. Some data that can alert us that something is wrong are when:
- They play with rush and urgency.
- Notes that are poorly written and contain spelling mistakes.
- The threat of bots, ads, and other forms of protection
- Another danger that can affect your Facebook account is the threat posed by bots. Thanks to its use, hackers could put comments in the profiles and groups. Later, they could use Phishing or other links, collect information or attack us in any way.
On the other hand, we also have to be alert about false advertisements.
Although Facebook has security measures in place, they sometimes fail. Thanks to these inaccurate advertisements, they could redirect us to sites controlled by hackers or allow malware to be downloaded onto your computers.
As for some measures that you could apply to protect your Facebook account, you would have:
- Enable two-step authentication.
- Control logins.
- Finally, here is how to protect your Facebook account and avoid attacks.
- Make sure that the information about your cards does not get recorded on your computer or your cell phone.
- Delete any account you have associated with your Facebook profile, for example, a PayPal or similar payment method.
- Check your bank movements frequently. Like many small cats, they can go unnoticed.
If you are suspicious, ask Facebook for information. They will provide you with details about the ads and pages that you promoted or are promoting and how much the charges have been.
If you have already finished your promotional campaign, you can notify your bank not to accept more charges that come from the social network.
