Online Reviews, Public Posts, and Oversharing: A Hacker’s Goldmine
Every public review, “About Us” page, or cheerful social post might feel like smart marketing—but it can also be a treasure map for anyone trying to socially engineer their way into your organization.
You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to be a target. Local governments, nonprofits, and small businesses overshare all the time. And attackers are watching.
How Oversharing Fuels Cyber Attacks
Attackers don’t need to “hack in” when you freely post:
- Staff names, titles, and email addresses
- Software tools and vendor names
- Org charts and who reports to who
- Building layout photos, equipment setups, or signage
- Password reset hints like pet names or favorite coffee spots
This info is used for:
- Phishing (“Hi Amy, this is Dan from your IT team…”)
- Spearphishing (targeted emails based on job role or vendors)
- Brute-force guessing of usernames, passwords, or MFA reset answers
- Credential stuffing using your known email formats
Real Examples of Overshare Risk
- A school district published full staff rosters with names and emails—used to launch a phishing campaign impersonating HR.
- A nonprofit’s blog post included a photo of a desktop with a Post-it note: password in plain view.
- A store’s “Behind the Scenes” Instagram story showed the register screen, revealing the POS system brand and software version.
6 Ways to Share Less Without Going Silent
- Scrub Staff Listings: Only list public-facing contacts. Use generic addresses when possible.
- Obfuscate Email Addresses: Format like “john [at] domain [dot] com” to dodge scraping bots.
- Limit Tech Talk: Don’t name your firewall or vendors in public-facing content.
- Sanitize Photos and Videos: Blur screens, Post-its, ID badges, and whiteboards.
- Avoid “Out of Office” Details: Don’t tell the internet you’re gone without a backup contact.
- Train Your Team to Think Before Posting: Everyone needs to understand the risks of oversharing.
Before You Hit Post…
Ask: “Does this help an attacker learn how we operate?” If yes, cut it or sanitize it.
Download: Before You Post: A Quick Security Check for Public Communications (Word)
Next up: Free Wi-Fi, Big Risk: Securing Customer & Employee Access
Because that open guest network could be your weakest link.