Category Archives: Blog

the Power of Word of Mouth
Posted by October 8, 2019 Blog No Comments

The Power of Word of Mouth and Social Risk

Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth online!

  • 50% of Americans would pick word of mouth if they had to rely on only one source of information [Chatter Matters Report]
  • 72% of people get news from friends and family, making word-of-mouth the most popular channel for sharing [Pew Research]
  • Building an online community is most important to brand awareness and word of mouth referrals, with average rankings of 8.87 and 8.52 on a 10 point scale, according to marketers.[Referral Rock]
  • 72% of people say that they most trust content that they get from family or friends.[Statistia]

I could go on, but you get a general idea. Online Word Of Mouth (eWOM) is huge and very important to any business.

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Social Media Could Ruin Reputation and Business
Posted by October 3, 2019 Blog No Comments

How Social Media Can Ruin Your Reputation

How Social Media Can Ruin Your Reputation

Whether it comes from hackers, disgruntled customers, or is simply a backlash against something you post, negative social media content can destroy trust in your brand in a matter of minutes.

“Social media is the most immediate threat to your company’s reputation,” says Pete Knott, digital consultant at reputation management consultancy Lansons.

“If not taken seriously it can and will directly impact your company financially and culturally.”

Fake news remains one of the biggest challenges – despite machine learning crackdowns by networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

In May, for example, shares in the UK’s Metro Bank plunged 11% before it could shake off inaccurate social media rumors that it was facing financial difficulties.

And according to Ilia Kolochenko of Geneva-based internet security company Immuniweb, the consequences could potentially be much worse. Here are some ways how social media can ruin your reputation

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Posted by September 23, 2019 Blog No Comments

Using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) to show how IAF’s Abhinandan shot down a Pakistani F-16

for  The Print

New Delhi: After the Indian Air Force strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan on 26 February, followed by the high voltage aerial skirmish the next day between the rival air forces, the widespread din — created from manufactured lies, deceit and a misinformation campaign by the Pakistan Army’s infamous Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — to deny and cover-up tactical shortcomings of the Pakistan Air Force and the shooting down of the PAF aircraft — has pro-actively blurred the truth.

The first casualty of war is always the truth! Somewhere in between this subterfuge is a PAF pilot and an aircraft tail number — shot down in heady combat by an IAF MiG-21, before the MiG itself fell victim to an air-to-air missile fired by the PAF.

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3 Ways Criminals Can Get Your Data social engineering
Posted by September 18, 2019 Blog No Comments

Social Engineering: 3 Ways Criminals Can Get Your Data

Social Engineering: 3 Ways Criminals Can Get Your Data

When we hear social engineering, we immediately think phishing. Those of us in the industry may also think about vishing, dumpster diving, or the SECTF held at DEFCON and DerbyCon. Whether you are technically inclined or not, you are probably familiar with the “Nigerian Prince” or “419” schemes. You have probably received a convincing or near-convincing phishing email claiming to be “Delta” or “Apple” or “Amazon.” This article aims to educate you about other social engineering attack vectors.

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Posted by September 9, 2019 Blog No Comments

Influencer Accounts Being Stolen

Hackers are Stealing Top Instagram Accounts

By: Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic

In early October, a publicist received an irresistible message via email. The publicist’s client is a top “influencer”—someone who leverages a social-media following to exert influence and, usually, make money, often by selling sponsored posts. “We would be extremely interested in a business partnership,” a man calling himself “Joshua Brooks,” wrote. His pitch was eye-popping: He was offering “80 Thousand US Dollars” for a single picture. Yes, Influencer Accounts Being Stolen by Hackers.

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Posted by September 9, 2019 Blog No Comments

Stealing Social Media

A look at how it can happen.

Some employees have direct access to the corporate social media platforms, giving them the power to rename social media channels or post whatever they like. Say a former employee moves to competitive business, changes the name of the original social media channel, and immediately starts contacting the fans and followers on behalf of the new company. This happens all the time. It’s called Stealing Social Media.

The need for good contracts and agreements between employers and employees when it comes to social media is paramount. In addition, systems need to be in place to prevent this from happening.

This includes securing all passwords and changing them immediately prior to terminating an employee with passwords, as well as a strict copyright and ownership clause in the contract.

How to remove digital footprint from internet - digital footprint
Posted by August 14, 2019 Blog No Comments

How to Remove Your Digital Footprint

Digital Footprints and OSINT

When we talk about the work of gathering intelligence and erasing digital footprints, most people conjure the image of a James Bond-esque spy, infiltrating an enemy organization under an assumed identity. But there’s another kind of intelligence gathering, just as important to commercial, military, diplomatic and political operations: open-source intelligence, or OSINT for short. OSINT is gathered from publicly available information sources like the news, government documents, and social media reports, among others. But in order to be effective, OSINT analysts have to be just as careful about concealing their online identities as clandestine operatives.

Online surveillance is just as prevalent and often more subtle than real-world surveillance. If the OSINT analyst doesn’t cover their tracks, it’s fairly easy for someone with the resources of a nation’s intelligence agency, or even a large corporation, to track down the identity of that analyst as they dig for information. The analyst must wipe away their digital footprints, so to speak.

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social media after a catastrophe
Posted by August 12, 2019 Blog No Comments

Navigating Social Media After a Catastrophe

After the attacks on London bridge, Londoners rallied on Twitter using the hashtag #SofaForLondon, offering their sofas, and spare rooms to residents without homes.

During Hurricane Harvey, hashtags like #sosHarvey were used to call for civilian helpers when phone lines were down.

The world turned to social media to grieve, lend a hand and show support.

As a business owner, how should you post following a calamity? A genuine express for sympathy for those affected by the tragedy is one thing, but you do not want to be viewed as yet another company joining in just to improve one’s corporate image. Through recent historical events, we explore navigating social media after a catastrophe.

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Posted by August 12, 2019 Blog No Comments

Even the royals need social media intelligence

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has been taking heat through social media since her relationship with Prince Harry went public in 2016. Things were so bad that the prince ended up issuing an official statement condemning the “wave of abuse and harassment” she experienced.

Markle apparently isn’t the only member of the Royal Family who gets hounded by trolls online, either. Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is also a target for trolls.

The strange thing is neither of them even use a personal social media account. Instead, they share updates through official royal platforms that have millions of followers.

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