Hacking: The Next Generation

Summary

In this chapter, we looked at how the information that millions of users voluntarily expose on social networking applications can be used against them, how profiles on social applications can be abused for social engineering, and even how to break authentication on applications that have been designed to rely on the secrecy of information that has traditionally not been exposed publicly. We looked at examples of how attackers can simply look at a person’s calendar to assess the victim’s personality to launch social engineering attacks. We also looked at how microblogging channels such as Twitter open up new avenues for terrorists, whose goals include the disruption of aid and further spread of panic. Finally, we discussed the emerging science of sentiment analysis of social spaces and how attackers are likely to leverage this technology in the future so that they can reveal the psyche of their victims and manipulate them with greater accuracy.

The crafty techniques attackers employ today are not limited to mere technical targets. The easier target is you, the human. You are the weakest link.