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8.3.4 Spread of rumours

            As mentioned earlier, social media enables online communication and content sharing. A mischievous person may
            inject a rumour into a social network. Often, a rumour might have inflammatory content that  innocent users quickly
            believe. For example, a mischief monger might make a video of a small part of the  speech (by removing the context
            of the speech) of a political leader and share it on social media with the intent of maligning the leader. So, before
            forwarding a message, you should check to see if it's true. This will stop rumours from spreading. Reputable news
            sources like newspapers, radio, and TV news channels may be used to verify a message's veracity.

            8.3.5 Eavesdropping

            Attacks that steal data being transmitted over a communication channel are known as eavesdropping, sniffing, or
            snooping. Your passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive data may be stolen via eavesdropping.



















                                                      Fig 13.6: Eavesdropping

            An eavesdropping attack may involve listening directly to digital or analog voice transmissions, or intercepting text,
            images, or videos over a communication channel.  An example of eavesdropping includes a tool installed on a phone
            that sends details of all calls to an intruder. Furthermore, a hacker might use specialised tools to intercept and record
            data packets from a network.  Then, these packets may be analysed and possibly decrypted using cryptographic tools.

            8.3.6 Cyber Trolls

            Trolls are comments or posts that insult or defame other users or their content. Most of the time, these are done to
            show disapproval of a specific person or their posts. However, people online may use rude language, inappropriate
            words, or inappropriate media. Trolls can be found on social media sites, including X, Facebook, and YouTube . They
            usually target influencers and celebrities who have big followings.
            8.3.7 Cyber Bullying

            When a victim is bullied online, on social media, or in gaming communities, that is known as cyberbullying. Cyberbullies
            try to make their victims feel bad about themselves and hurt their minds by taking advantage of their weaknesses and
            insecurities. It is a repeated action that is meant to scare, anger, or shame people. Some examples of cyber bullying are:
            •  spreading false information about someone or publishing embarrassing pictures or videos of them on social media,
            •  sending hurtful, threatening, or abusive messages, images, or videos through messaging services, or
            •  pretending to be someone else and sending hurtful messages to others on their behalf or through fictitious accounts.

            8.3.8 Spam

            Spam is  unsolicited junk mail  that is typically sent in bulk for advertising purposes. Since spam is almost free, businesses
            send out a lot of it to advertise their products and services. Spam is very annoying as it fills the inbox with junk mail.
            At the same time, they are also a threat to one's security, as some of them may trick users.

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