Internet Security 1

Internet Social Media

Student’s Name

University Name

Date
Internet Security 2

1) What is Ransomware?

Ransomware may be referred to a kind of malware that is supposed to encrypt the files of the
victim. This kind of malware restricts the users from accessing their system or their files and
hence asks for the ransom from the victim in order to regain the access to personal files and
information [ CITATION Jos18 \l 16393 ]. The victim is then shown the instruction to follow in
order to make the payment and get the description key from the attackers.

a) How is it happened to a victim’s device or database?

Ransomware generally spreads to victim’s device or their database through phishing emails
that have malicious attachments or through the drive-by downloading process. Drive-by
downloading refers to the process when the victim unknowingly visits a website that has been
infected and this leads to the download of the malware and its installation without the
victim’s knowledge [ CITATION Rod191 \l 16393 ]. Another ransomware i.e. crypto ransomware
is also spread in the similar manner and also spreads through social media instant messaging
applications. Social media proves to be powerful platform to convince the victim to open an
image or to click on a link or to take any other action. These sources i.e. either the image or
the audio or the link once clicked upon infects the system of the user and hence the users
becomes the victim of the malware.

b) What are possible solutions when a device or a system or a database gets locked by a
ransomware?

In the event of the system gets locked due to the ransomware attack, following are the
possible solutions to minimize the damage:

 Isolate the system: The user needs to disconnect the system from the other networks and
internet. This prevents the spread of the malware to other systems.
 Do not pay the ransom: The victim need not to pay any amount to the cybercriminals as
that does not guarantee the return of the information but encourage the attackers
[ CITATION Nor20 \l 16393 ].
 Start ransomware removal: This can be done by following the simple steps. The user
needs to run a security scan using the internet security software. This will help in
identifying the risks and removing them. Also, the user can make use of the ransomware
decryptor so as to decrypt the files and gain access to them.
Internet Security 3

 Restore the files from backup: It is best recommended to back up all the data on an
external device and then restore the clean backup of the data on the system. This allows
for the malware free version of the data available on the system.
 Wipe all system and its data completely: The most effective way to ensure that the system
is totally free from the malware is to do a complete format and remove all the files and
information from the system and reinstall everything right from the start [ CITATION
For20 \l 16393 ].
c) How to mitigate such threat for general users?

The threats of malware can be mitigated by the general users by taking some preventive and
defensive steps which are as follows:

 The users need not to download and run any executable file from the unknown links.
 The users need not to install any software without having sufficient information about it
and hence does not give any privilege to such software.
 Always install reliable antivirus software in order to detect the malicious programs and to
prevent the unauthorized applications from executing without prior knowledge.
 Always keep the browser as well as the operating system up-to-date and avoid
downloading from any suspected website or links.
 Take the daily back up of the important files and information and store them in an
external device or in a cloud storage solution.
 Finally, keep checking the security software on time and update them on the regular basis
[ CITATION Kas20 \l 16393 ].

2) As a security specialist in a company answer the following questions:

a) What are the potential business values by using social media for the company’s business?

For the businesses, a well-planned social media strategy can make the brand touch the heights
of success. Regardless of the size of the business, social media proves to be a great
opportunity for every business. Following are the potential benefits of using the social media
for the company’s business:

 Helps in gaining increased website traffic: The ads as well as social media posts are the
key ways through which social media drives traffic to the website of the company. By
sharing the content from the company’s website to the social media gains the attention of
the readers and hence drives traffic.
Internet Security 4

 More interaction with the customers: Social media enables the businesses to share photos
as well as videos through their platform in order to keep their customers updated of their
latest offerings as well as current business events. This helps in establishing bond and
connection between the business and the customers. An effective social media strategy
helps in improving the company’s sales as it exposes the offerings as well as products and
services of the company to the larger audience.
 Branding: Branding and image management is essential for the businesses in order to
remain competitive. Strong social media presence helps in boosting the image of the
business and creating brand awareness among the potential customers [ CITATION Ker191 \l
16393 ].
 Marketing research: Social media can be utilized by the businesses in order to conduct
market research. The company’s person can have the reviews of the customers about the
products and services by conducting surveys, polls etc. Other than this, the company can
have information of their competitors and their current doings in the market through
social media.
 Inexpensive: As compared to other means of advertising for businesses, social media
proves to be really inexpensive as they can be used for free by any business.
 Global reach: Social media tools provides an inexpensive means of reaching the global
audience in a more realistic and quicker time.[ CITATION Sam191 \l 16393 ]
b) What are the potential threats to the company secure network by opening social media
applications?

Social media undoubtedly has become a threat for the businesses and corporations. Following
are the potential threats that are posed by social media for the companies:

 Ransomware as well as virus attacks: In case the company’s social media accounts gets
hacked or compromised, the ransomware might get out to company’s followers and hence
can damage the reputation of the business or the brand.
 Phishing and Brand impersonation: Phishing implies developing a website that is similar
to company’s website in order to target the customers of the company through phishing
attack. This can land the customers of the business in serious trouble.
 Stolen Passwords: In case the company’s social media account password gets stolen, this
might create major hassles for the business by creating difficulties in managing PR issues
and regain the trust of the website [ CITATION Jan18 \l 16393 ].
Internet Security 5

c) If the company Z decides to use social media applications for its business, what are the
use policy and best practices?

Following are the best policies and practices to be used by the company Z in order to use
social media applications:

 Create a social media policy: The Company needs to create social media policy as well as
procedures in order to protect itself. The company should ensure that all the important
parties i.e. IT executives, PR, legal, security etc. are consulted before doing the same.
Clearly define the do’s and don’ts on the social channel of the company and include only
best practices, guidelines in order to train the employees about the same. The company
should focus on preparing guidelines for creating secured passwords, avoiding spam,
human errors and phishing attacks and providing training of the safe and secure use of the
social media platform and its privacy settings [ CITATION Nor20 \l 16393 ].
 Establish social media training: In order to enforce the social media policies effectively, it
is required that the company provides its employees with the proper training. This will
help in identifying the issues with the policies and the gaps in the process. In order to
avoid the human errors, it is better to educate the employees about the social media and
its usage. The company needs to educate employees on what and what not to share on the
social media in order to prevent the damage caused due to such errors.
 Limit social media access: The company can protect its reputation by giving only limited
access to social media to its employees. The company needs to set limitations and
permissions. Moreover, any communication must be approved by the team leader before
going public.
 Put someone in charge: Social media is a full time job in businesses. Therefore the
company needs to hire at least one person who is fully educated of the social media best
practices and policies and hence can look after the company’s social media posts, brand
image, social media presence etc.
 Get secure technology: Secure technology is the major prerequisite against potential
social media threats for the businesses. Therefore, the company needs to protect itself
from the malware attacks with the help of the safe and reliable security software
[ CITATION Nor20 \l 16393 ].
Internet Security 6

d) How do you know if a social media account in the company network might be
compromised or not?

For the businesses in order to know that whether or not its social media account has been
hacked, following are the signs:

 Change to company’s posts: The first and foremost sign of the compromised company’s
account is the change in the posts and the changes in the counts of the followers. The
appearance of the new posts as well as the disappearance of the older posts is a common
sign of the company’s account being hacked or compromised [ CITATION Kas20 \l 16393 ].
Therefore it is recommended that the company deletes any unexpected posts on social
media accounts as soon as they notice them and immediately change the password of the
company’s account.
 The account gets logged into from unusual location: In case the social media account of
the business gets logged into from any usual location or from the location that does not
belong to the company, chances are that the account is hacked. It is recommended that the
company immediately terminates any unexpected session and change the password
immediately.
 Unable to log into the company’s social media account: In case the user of the company is
unable to log into the company’s social media account, there are chances that the account
has been accessed by someone else and the password has been changed [ CITATION Jos18 \l
16393 ]. IN this case, it is recommended that the company connects with the owner of the
platform in order to claim back their account.
e) What interventions could you exploit?

In case the social media account of the business gets hacked, it can prove to be really
damaging for its reputation in public. Therefore the following are the interventions that can
be made by the company:

 Change passwords of all the accounts belonging to the company: If the user is still able to
log into the social media account of the company, the first thing the user needs to do is to
change all the passwords.
 Find what information got breached: The company needs to investigate how much of the
company’s information got breached in order to make a proper plan. This can be achieved
by taking the help of the professional person.
Internet Security 7

 Check for the malware: There might be chances of getting hacked due to the presence of
malware or one of the company’s devices being infected with malware. Therefore the
company needs to do a check on all the connected devices in order to get rid of the
suspected malware.
 Inform public in order to restore their trust: the company needs to inform the public of the
hack and to inform them immediately in case of the breach of the customer data. This will
prevent the customers from making any payment and remain alert with the company’s
posts.
 Ensure it would not happen again: The Company needs to adopt safety measures in order
to ensure that the same does not ever again future and the trust of the customers is not
broken in future. Therefore, the company needs to ensure that it follows all the best
security practices, have strong passwords for the employee accounts and have the top
security software installed (Hekkala, et.al, 2012).
Internet Security 8

References

Bauer, R., 2019. Ransomware: How to Prevent Being Attacked and Recover After an Attack.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.backblaze.com/blog/complete-guide-ransomware/
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Church, J., 2018. 7 Social Media Security Issues Your Business Faces. [Online]
Available at: https://www.business2community.com/cybersecurity/7-social-media-security-
issues-business-faces-02024378
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Forcepoint, 2020. What is Ransomware?. [Online]

Available at: https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/ransomware
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Fruhlinger, J., 2018. Ransomware explained: How it works and how to remove it. [Online]
Available at: https://www.csoonline.com/article/3236183/what-is-ransomware-how-it-works-
and-how-to-remove-it.html
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Hollingsworth, S., 2019. Top 9 Benefits of Social Media for Your Business. [Online]
Available at: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media-business-
benefits/286139/#close
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Kaspersky, 2020. Tips on how to prevent ransomware attacks. [Online]

Available at: https://www.kaspersky.co.in/resource-center/threats/how-to-prevent-
ransomware
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Nortron, 2020. Avoiding ransomware scams on social media. [Online]

Available at: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-online-scams-avoiding-ransomware-
scams-on-social-media.html
[Accessed 9 April 2020].
Internet Security 9

Smith, K., 2019. The Importance of Social Media in Business. [Online]

Available at: https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/importance-social-media-business/
[Accessed 9 April 2020].

Hekkala, R., Väyrynen, K. and Wiander, T., 2012, June. Information Security Challenges of
Social Media for Companies. In ECIS (p. 56).