Online Social Networks Security: Principles, Algorithm, Applications, and Perspectives

Online Social Networks Security: A Research-Focused Guide

Online social networks have become part of daily communication, business, and public debate — and that centrality brings security problems that are difficult to untangle. This CRC Press first edition by Brij B. Gupta and Somya Ranjan Sahoo examines those problems from several angles: how OSNs work, how attackers exploit them, and how machine learning and other tools can be used to detect and reduce threats.

Inside the Book

The chapters begin with OSN fundamentals and user impact before moving into a taxonomy of security challenges. Advanced persistent threats, classical attacks, and social threats are discussed alongside the opportunities and risks that come with social media participation. Later sections turn to machine-learning and deep-learning methods for detecting fake accounts, threat-handling tools, and preventive measures for protecting accounts and information.

• OSN vulnerabilities, functional parameters, and user interaction models
• Security taxonomies covering advanced persistent threats, classical threats, and social threats
• Machine-learning and deep-learning approaches for fake-account detection
• Threat-handling tools and practical account-protection guidance
• A case study on Facebook data theft in Indonesia, with privacy-law and rights discussion

Machine Learning Meets Social Network Security

One of the book’s more technical threads looks at how fake accounts can be identified through feature selection, dataset construction, and analytical models. The discussion includes Petri net-based analysis and SPIN model checking, giving readers a view of how formal and data-driven methods can be combined when studying OSN attacks. This makes the material particularly relevant to readers who want to understand detection techniques beyond general security advice.

Real-World Privacy and Data Protection

The later chapters connect technical issues to policy and practice. A case study on Facebook data theft in Indonesia examines expert opinion, NGO responses, government measures, and privacy-rights concerns. It also considers international and national legal instruments for data protection, helping to frame OSN security as both a technical and a regulatory challenge.

Who May Find This Valuable

The book is written with an academic and professional audience in mind. It can serve advanced students, researchers, and cybersecurity practitioners who need a structured overview of online social network security. Readers with a background in computer science, networking, or information security will likely get the most from the technical chapters, while the case study and preventive guidance broaden its relevance to privacy and policy discussions.

Why This Subject Matters

Social platforms shape how people connect, share, and organize, but they also create persistent risks around identity, data, and trust. By bringing together principles, detection methods, applications, and perspectives, this title offers a focused entry point into the security questions that surround online social networks. It is a useful addition to a professional or academic digital library on cybersecurity and social media.