How do malicious actors ("the other side") exploit social media for harmful purposes?

Malicious actors use social media for cybercrime, cyber grooming of minors, organized crime coordination, authoritarian regime propaganda, and extremist group recruitment.

* How malicious actors exploit the same open platforms. *

Threat categories:

• Cybercrime — Phishing campaigns, social engineering attacks, identity theft using harvested personal data
• Cyber grooming — Predators targeting minors through social platforms, building trust before exploitation
• Organized crime — Coordination of criminal activities, money laundering signals, recruitment
• Authoritarian regimes — State-sponsored propaganda, surveillance of dissidents, suppression of opposition voices
• Extremist groups — Radicalization, recruitment, propaganda distribution, operational planning

This is the dual-use dilemma of social media: the same openness that enables SOCMINT for legitimate purposes also enables exploitation by bad actors. Understanding how adversaries use social media is essential for defending against these threats.