Don’t Feed the Wolves: Why Your Public Posts are Social Engineering Goldmines
In our increasingly connected world, sharing snippets of our lives online feels natural. From “Throwback Thursday” photos to quirky quizzes, social media is where we connect, share, and sometimes, inadvertently, over-share. But what might seem like innocent fun is actually gold for cybercriminals engaged in a highly lucrative “big business” called social engineering.
What is Social Engineering?
At its core, social engineering is about manipulation. It’s the art of figuring out who you are – your habits, your relationships, your personal details – and then using that information to trick you into giving up valuable data or access. Unlike hacking technical systems, social engineering targets the human element, exploiting trust, curiosity, or a sense of urgency.
Your Public Profile: An Open Book for Attackers
We often list sensitive information publicly on our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages without a second thought. Think about those seemingly harmless “getting to know me” posts, quizzes, or even just casual conversations:
- “What was your mother’s maiden name?” Check.
- “What was the name of your first pet?” Check.
- “Which high school did you attend?” Check.
- “What town did you grow up in?” Check.
- “What was your favorite or first car?” Check.
These aren’t just fun facts; they are often the exact questions used for password challenges and identity verification on countless websites and services. When you publicly answer these, you’re essentially handing cybercriminals the keys to your digital kingdom. Throwback Thursday is a social engineer’s dream! They absolutely love this stuff, methodically collecting these data points to build a comprehensive profile of you.
How to Combat This (and Protect Your Business)
The good news is, you can fight back against this insidious form of attack.
- Don’t Post That Information Online Anywhere: The simplest and most effective defense. Be mindful of anything you share publicly that could be used as an answer to a security question. This includes personal trivia, family history, and details about your past.
- Give False (But Memorable) Answers: When a website asks for security challenge questions, consider providing false, but consistent and memorable, answers. For example, your “mother’s maiden name” could always be “Pineapple,” and your “first pet’s name” could always be “Rocket.”
- Crucial: Keep a secure, offline record of these fabricated answers. A physical, handwritten list tucked away safely is often better than a digital one that could be photographed or breached.
- Super Tip: Update Your Facebook Birthday (and other social media): This might sound odd, but it’s brilliant. Consider setting a fake birthday on your social media profiles. Not only will this help you identify who is genuinely thinking of you on your real birthday versus who is just getting a Facebook reminder, but it also ensures that if someone scrapes your public social media profile for data, they don’t have accurate, up-to-date information to use in identity verification attempts.
The Bottom Line for Businesses (and Individuals)
Social engineering attacks are successful because they exploit human nature. Your personal habits online can directly impact your professional security, especially if you reuse passwords or if your personal data can unlock business accounts.
By being mindful of what you share, especially on public platforms, and by adopting smart habits for security questions, you create a much harder target for social engineers. Don’t let your digital past become their profitable future.
Concerned about your business’s vulnerability to social engineering? Ergon Consulting Group helps organizations in Richardson, Texas, and beyond implement robust security awareness training and strategies to protect against human-centric cyberattacks.
