Introduction to Cyber-Warfare - Proiect SEMPER FIDELIS

174 9. LOSING TRUST IN YOUR FRIENDS: SOCIAL NETWORK EXPLOITATIONATrustsATrustsBNew trustRelationshipBCTrustsTrustsC1 2FIGURE 9.1 The trust relationships between A and B as well as the link between B and C can give rise to a transitivetrust relationship between A and C.based directly on personal relationships, as shown above. In the study, Ryan quoted one usermessaging “Robin Sage” stating “I’ve never met you, but I saw you had Marty on yourFacebook list, so that is good enough for me.” 8 A second type of transitivity is based on ahighly respected person befriending Sage. Other users see this occurring, and even thoughthey do not have a direct relationship with the highly respected individual, they still viewhim as a trusted source—resulting in a new relationship directly with Sage. Ryan pointedout that once Sage established connections with some more respected individuals in thesecurity community, the rate at which she gained friendship links increased. The third typeof transitivity would simply be based on a similar tie to an institution. Clearly, this is evenweaker than the previously mentioned types of transitivity as information about attendingcertain institutions can be faked easily. Ryan remarked that alumni of St. Paul’s Schooland MIT (which was listed as her educational background) likely befriended her based oneducational ties alone. 9We note that the Robin Sage “experiment” was not conducted under the highest academicstandards. In many ways, it was more of a stunt than an experiment. However, it is notablethat such an effort—even under very tight controls—would be difficult if not impossible to