Beyond Email: How We Caught a Social Media Cyber Threat in Real-Time

Enabling web and desktop-based social platforms often introduces unexpected variables into your network environment. While necessary for modern communication, these channels can create blind spots. However, unexpected variables don’t have to turn into security incidents—provided you have the right visibility.
A Small Download… A Big Story
Last week, our SOC team identified a seemingly minor event within CrowdStrike Next-Gen SIEM that told a much larger story.
The trigger? A simple Excel file downloaded via web.whatsapp.com. To the casual observer (and legacy security tools), this appears to be harmless business activity.

The Shift in Tactics

The reality is that threat actors are evolving. They no longer rely exclusively on email phishing. Instead, they are increasingly hiding malicious Office files inside social platforms like WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Telegram to slip past traditional perimeter controls.

How CrowdStrike NG-SIEM Responded

In this instance, CrowdStrike didn’t miss a beat. The system instantly connected the dots, turning a standard download into a high-fidelity alert by:
•⁠ ⁠Tracking the file creation directly on the endpoint.
•⁠ ⁠Identifying the source specifically as a social network traffic stream.
•⁠ ⁠Mapping the behavior automatically to the MITRE ATT&CK framework (Initial Access: Spearphishing via Service).
•⁠ ⁠Contextualizing the data by bringing user, host, timestamps, and metadata into a single triage view.

The Takeaway

This is where Next-Gen SIEM technology shines: it can turn “normal” user behavior into early warning signals long before an attacker can pivot.
Hackers are getting smarter, utilizing the apps we trust the most. Our detections must stay one step ahead.

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