"Hackers Depend on Trust. Don't Give It to Them: U of G Cybersecurity Researcher"

As more social media users claim that their accounts have been hacked and transformed into scam accounts, a University of Guelph cybersecurity expert believes that many hackers are employing sophisticated tactics to exploit trust and carry out these schemes. Dr. Ali Dehghantanha, the director of both the Cyber Science Lab and the master of cybersecurity and threat intelligence program at the University of Guelph pointed out several ways in which hackers exploit a user's trust. One involves hijacking an organization's business website to lure in victims. If an organization has not implemented proper security, hackers can take over their website, use deepfake technology to display fake images, and more. As long as the deepfakes remain on the website, they can change the users' perception of whatever they are presenting, allowing the hackers to gain the trust of the users. When a user clicks on a link to a service, such as a dog grooming service, the hacker can access the user's bitcoin, NFTs, or other digital assets or take over their account completely. Through the information contained in screenshots, hackers can also gain access to a user's digital assets or account. When a user sends a screenshot to a hacker, the malicious actor now has personalized information about that user and can then exploit it. This article continues to discuss key points made by Dehghantanha on how hackers gain the trust of users. 

UG reports "Hackers Depend on Trust. Don't Give It to Them: U of G Cybersecurity Researcher"