Preventing Security Incidents on Social Networks: An Analysis of Harmful Content Dissemination Through Applications

This study describes the dissemination of harmful content through malware applications deployed on the Facebook social network. A description of the cybersecurity incident is given, with a focus on the motive and purpose of the cyberattacks, as well as the description of the attacker and the victims. The attacker's tools are described in detail, as well as the techniques used by the attacker to reach many potential victims, infect them with malware, monetise the victims and hide the traces of the attack. Data analysis on the dataset containing information on more than two million victims is performed. The focus of the analysis is to model the dissemination of the malware and to determine the ratio of victims based on gender and country of origin. The study shows a significant statistical difference in the victims of the attacks based on their gender.