While the primary goal of gig economy platforms is to facilitate connections between users and service providers, threat actors can exploit the platform’s messaging features to conduct SMS toll fraud and plenty of other attacks.
The emergence of the gig economy, a model where individuals exchange assets and services, has profoundly disrupted conventional business and trade norms. This innovative commerce design, also known as the sharing economy, has empowered individuals to lease accommodations, hire transportation vehicles, extend loans, and engage in an array of services directly with their peers.
However, as the prominence of sharing and gig economy platforms has surged, so too has the incidence of cyberattacks. Threat actors assume false consumer identities, breach legitimate accounts, and establish bogus provider profiles, all aimed at defrauding authentic users. In this world, the bedrock of trust stands as a key factor in sustaining the gig economy’s momentum. As such, protecting these platforms against attackers has become an imperative of the highest order.