The Blog To End All Blogs: FakeBook

I enjoyed our discussions about cloaked websites. I found it most interesting, because I believe I have been responsible to some degree in making a kind of cloaked website. While the agenda was fairly upfront, I created a Facebook account for a cartoon character representing a company I was used to work for. Of course the account was mostly a joke, but it did entail acting as someone I am not. The account was for a "Goldy McMinemine," a character who would bring a softer touch to the mineral resource development industry. I know of several instances of people creating false Facebook accounts in order to find out information or to harass fellow users.

"Cloaking" occurs more often than we may even realize. Consider the Spam which frequently fills up your mailbox. Many of the emails are harmless, but some have a more insidious objective. Hackers will send out seemingly legitimate emails to unsuspecting users. The emails may include the logo of the company, a believable URL, and other features that lend credence to the message's legitimacy. The email will ask for certain pieces of confidential information (Social Security #, Bank Account, etc). Successfully "cloaking" the email involves convincing the user that it is legitimate and that their response is secure. The email may include a sense of urgency in its wording and presentation in order to push the user to respond. Millions of people have their identities stolen online by many of these seemingly harmless inquiries. One recent example involved a fake email from the Canada Post regarding subscription information. The scam included official imagery and "urgent" language in order to effectively deceive unsuspecting readers. Once the recipient opened an attached PDF, a "Trojan" virus would quickly make its way through their computer. These scams are common and can only be combated with the skeptical and informed eye of the email user.

The technique is known as "phishing" where a hacker literally "fishes" the web for users who would be caught by such techniques. A recent scam in Virginia uses the logo of a bank to catch people's confidential information. The phishing scam actually involved text messaging and phone calls on top of the emails. The police involved made the point that if you are in doubt - do NOT provide any confidential sensitive information.