Page 31 - Cyber Warnings

gather contacts.

3. As the cyber criminals gain connections to legitimate profiles, they gain access to a
wealth of social engineering information, including workgroup information, names and
nicknames of colleagues and peers.

4. With this info, the bad guys deduce reporting structures, learn about projects that are in
process, and sometimes even gain visibility to "inside information" such as work and
vacation schedules.

5. After a long reconnaissance, the criminals will spring their trap by constructing a
completely believable email they can use in a spear phishing/BEC attack, ransomware,
or whaling scheme.

6. The email will be sent to a logical target and it will “come from” a trusted or
organizationally powerful source. The email will talk knowledgeably and casually about
company issues.

Only then it will ask or demand an action of the reader – money or information transfer,
network access, or opening a malware or ransomware-laden file – and it will seem to be
backed by the necessary authority to request that action.

Enterprise security teams should take action. By following these simple steps, they will minimize
the operational, financial and reputational risks caused by masquerading accounts and
impersonation accounts:

 Identify duplicate domains that represent real company employees. If it appears that an
employee has multiple accounts, make sure you understand what is going on.

 Look for, review, and validate other LinkedIn profiles that claim an association you’re
your company. When a rogue account of any kind is discovered, it should be reported.

 Audit and evaluate LinkedIn groups, including alumni groups and affinity groups that are
connected to the company. When an unauthorized social domain is identified, it should
be shut down.

As an individuals, you have a responsibility, too. You are often the best “first responder”. Here
are three simple ways to help protect yourself on professional or social media network sites:

1. When a stranger asks you to connect online, be careful. Ask yourself, how do I know
them? Do we have any common connections? Do we have many common

31 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – July 2016 Edition
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