Abstract:
Online social networks are web-based applications that allow user to communicate and share
knowledge and information. The number of users who make use of these platforms are
experiencing rapid growth both in profile creation and social interaction. However, intruders and
malicious attackers have found their way into the networks, using fake profiles, thus exposing
user to serious security and privacy problem. Every user in the online social network should
verify and authenticate their identities, with the other users as they interact. However, currently
verification of user’s profiles and identities is faced with challenges, to the extent that a user may
represent their identity with many profiles without any effective method of identity verification.
As a result of this vulnerability, attackers create fake profiles which they use in attacking the
online social system. In addition, online social networks use a logically centered architecture,
where their control and management are under a service; provider, who must be entrusted with
the security of data and communication traces; this further increases the vulnerability to attacks
and online threats. In this paper, we demonstrate the causes and effects of fake profiles on online
social networks, and then provide a review of the state-of-the-art mechanism for identifying and
mitigating fake profiles on online social networks.
