syssec_red_book

5. Social Networks5.1 Who Is Going to Be Affected?As we bring our social interactions online, they can be tracked and recorded.Thus, it is not only the specific users of online social networks, such as Facebookor Google+, that will be affected, but anyone who participates in a societythat is dependent on information and communication technology. The generationgrowing up now is the first to have been exposed from birth. As suchtechnology is continuously being integrated into our lives, it is to be expectedthat more information will be gathered and more people will be affected inthe future.5.2 What Is Expected to Happen?We are already seeing attackers targeting the online social networks, such asFacebook, Google+ and Twitter. By befriending strangers, cyber criminals canharvest private user data and access their contact lists to perform identity theft,clone user profiles, lure them to malicious websites, and send targeted spamand phishing messages.5.2.1 PrivacyUsers of online social networks tend to share private information, such aseducation, occupation, relationship status, current location, and personal habits.In the wrong hands, this information can be used to launch sophisticated andtargeted attacks against people. Even for individuals who are not users ofonline social networks, information about their social interactions can still beinferred from public data, such as co-authorship information from DBLP [14].The problems caused by breaching privacy are described in more detail inChapter 3.5.2.2 SpamToday, email is not any more the only means forspreading spam, as spammers now use multiplecontent-sharing platforms, such as online socialnetworks, to increase their success rate. The informationprovided by users in their profiles, suchas education, profession, and relationship status,together with their real email address, providesspammers with a great opportunity to personalizetheir marketing activities and improve the efficiencyof the spam campaigns. Moreover, if a spam emailcontains personal information, such as the nameof the receiver, content-based spam detection toolsassign lower spam rates to it and it may therefore36