Table of Contents
Introduction
Trending in the latest AI news is Trustwave’s latest intelligence tool called the Social Mapper. This tool developed by researchers at the company uses facial recognition to track audience across social media. Keep reading to know how this tools works, is it going to be available or public and other such details.
The advent of Social Mapper
It often takes time to find a person’s presence online presence across different types of social media sites. Not only is this process tedious, but also it takes a lot of time. This is when the researchers at Trustwave decided to develop an automated tool aka Social Mapper. This tool was built with a goal of tracking thousands of individuals on social media sites.
How does Social Mapper work
This tool takes an automated approach to search popular social media sites for names and pictures of individuals to accurately detect and group a person’s presence. Once it has the necessary details, it creates a report that a human operator can quickly review.
It has three main stages. In the first stage, it will create a list of targets based on the input given to it. This target consists of the name and picture of that person. The second stage consists of Social Mapper searching the targets online. It pulls down 10 to 20 search results with the target name and profile pictures and starts performing facial recognition to find a match. Once all the social media sites have been checked, the tool starts generating reports.
Which social media platforms does Social Mapper support?
Social Mapper can be used to extract individuals’ details from various social media websites. The following are a few of such websites supported by this AI tool:
- Google+
- VKontakte
- Douban
Who will use Social Mapper?
At its initial stages, this tool will be used by penetration testers and red teamers. These are the ones who will use this tool to expand their target lists, aiding them in social media phishing scenarios. This will ensure that the testers are able to make efficient use of their time.
What can Social Mapper be used for?
Trustwave mentioned in their blog post that the uses of this tool are only limited up to your imagination. Some of the common uses of this tool are mentioned below:
- To create fake social media profiles. These profiles will be used to ‘friend’ the targets. After that, send them links to credential capturing landing pages or downloadable malware.
- To trick users into disclosing their emails and phone numbers. This can be done with vouchers and offers to make the pivot into phishing, vishing or smishing.
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About Trustwave
Trustwave is known to develop solutions that can help businesses with cybercrime, protect data and reduce security risk. And its latest tool, Social Mapper, is one such way that can help transform businesses. This software is licensed as free software and is available at Github.
Keep reading iTMunch for more such news of AI, tech, HR and much more.
Conclusion
Social Mapper is a cutting-edge tool developed by Trustwave that automates the process of identifying and tracking individuals across various social media platforms using facial recognition. Its primary goal is to streamline the time-consuming task of searching and gathering information about individuals on social media, especially for penetration testers and red teamers. While the tool has the potential for legitimate cybersecurity uses, such as enhancing social media phishing tests, it also raises concerns about privacy and misuse. As this tool becomes more widely known, it is crucial to consider the ethical implications and ensure it is used responsibly.
FAQs
1. What is Social Mapper?
Social Mapper is an AI-based tool developed by Trustwave that uses facial recognition technology to track individuals across various social media platforms and create detailed reports for cybersecurity professionals.
2. How does Social Mapper work?
Social Mapper works by automating the search for an individual’s profile across different social media platforms. It starts with a name and picture of the target, uses facial recognition to match the person across social media, and generates a report for the user.
3. Which social media platforms does Social Mapper support?
Social Mapper supports several popular social media platforms, including:
- Google+
- VKontakte
- Douban
4. Who will use Social Mapper?
Initially, Social Mapper is designed for penetration testers and red teamers. These cybersecurity professionals use the tool to enhance their social media phishing scenarios and gather detailed information on targets.
5. What can Social Mapper be used for?
Some uses of Social Mapper include:
- Creating fake social media profiles to trick targets into providing personal information.
- Conducting phishing, vishing, and smishing attacks.
- Gathering social media data to aid in security testing and penetration exercises.
6. Is Social Mapper available to the public?
Yes, Social Mapper is available as free software and can be downloaded from GitHub. However, it should be used responsibly, keeping ethical considerations in mind.
7. What is Trustwave?
Trustwave is a cybersecurity company that helps businesses protect against cybercrime, manage data security, and reduce security risks. Social Mapper is one of their tools aimed at improving cybersecurity operations.
