Social networks and spam

Like e-mail inboxes, social networks have recently become a favorite target for spammers. Attacks against these community networks take many forms: hacking into user accounts to send out mass spam, sending infected attachments via e-mail, publishing warning messages, and so on.

Attacks on social networks

Mass spamming is currently the main attack on social networks. Recipients are invited to read the file attached to the unwanted message. The wording of the spam encourages users to change their password or update their account. By acceding to spammers’ requests, users open the door to malware such as Trojans. Hackers will then have free access to your computer whenever they want.

Other forms of attack can also appear on social networks. The user could receive a spam message alerting him to a possible virus on his computer, and providing a link to procedures for cleaning his work tool. According to estimates by IT security specialists, almost 500 spam messages land on social networks every 10 minutes.

Social network spam considered illegal

Sending spam is considered an illegal activity in several countries. He is liable to imprisonment and damages. A few years ago, a social network succeeded in bringing down two internationally renowned spammers and obtained legal redress. The amount of damages awarded was exemplary, with the aim of discouraging this practice in the future. These malicious individuals have been accused of hacking into the accounts of numerous users and spamming other members of the social network, encouraging them to visit certain illegal sites.

Setting up filters on social networks

Faced with the invasion of links, videos and images showing acts of violence or pornography on their users’ accounts, social networks have taken the necessary precautions. For example, they have strengthened their system to better defend against attacks from spammers. Some users, aware of the existence of spam sent via their accounts, have preferred to deactivate them so as not to cause inconvenience to friends, family and work colleagues on their social networking contact list.

A few precautions can help prevent this type of attack. For example, users will have to remain vigilant when faced with an invitation to click on a link leading to a video, be careful not to send messages to fictitious addresses or to send messages en masse so as not to be considered a spammer, and so on. Social network administrators risk closing users’ accounts without warning and without delay. Today, hundreds of millions of people use social networks to keep in touch with friends and relatives far away.