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The length of your online reviews may help scammers map your friends and target them
United Kingdom🏛️ PoliticsCenter5 hr. ago

The length of your online reviews may help scammers map your friends and target them

A study conducted by researchers from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin reveals that the length of online reviews can inadvertently reveal personal connections, making individuals and their online friends more susceptible to cyberattacks. The research focuses on 'spear phishing,' where attackers impersonate trusted contacts to steal sensitive information. By analyzing data from Yelp, the team found that an attacker could accurately identify 49% of users' social relationships based solely on review patterns, with some scenarios showing up to 63% accuracy. The key factor was the length of reviews, as users tend to mirror the review styles of their connections, either by writing longer reviews or shorter ones to complement their friends' posts.

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Phys.org logoPhys.orgIndependentCenter5 hr. ago
The length of your online reviews may help scammers map your friends and target them

A study conducted by researchers from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin reveals that the length of online reviews can inadvertently reveal personal connections, making individuals and their online friends more susceptible to cyberattacks. The research focuses on 'spear phishing,' where attackers impersonate trusted contacts to steal sensitive information. By analyzing data from Yelp, the team found that an attacker could accurately identify 49% of users' social relationships based solely on review patterns, with some scenarios showing up to 63% accuracy. The key factor was the length of reviews, as users tend to mirror the review styles of their connections, either by writing longer reviews or shorter ones to complement their friends' posts.

Bias read (Center): The article presents a technical study on cybersecurity risks related to online behavior without overtly endorsing or criticizing specific political ideologies. While the issue of cybercrime is relevant to national security, the focus remains on academic research rather than partisan debate. The phr

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