Among your decisions for the new year should be a more technologically secure 2020!
One of the things I've noticed recently is that a lot of people are participating in games and quizzes on social media, especially on Facebook. It may come as a surprise to you that many of the people you know who seem to be most active in these quizzes and promoting them to others are also the people who seem to be putting out somewhat regular notifications that their social media has been hacked. Does this sound familiar? It should.
Experts have been warning for years that participation in these social media games could expose your identity to hackers. Although they often appear harmless and many probably are, quite a few of them are not.
Hackers have become very good at creating quizzes that trick you into giving away personal information that can be used to steal your identity. Over time, if you participate in enough of these quizzes and games, it's very likely that you'll reveal many, if not all, of the answers to your account security questions. Hackers are experts at compiling this data from multiple entries, even from multiple platforms, in order to piece together enough information to become you and gain access to your online accounts.
Most people don’t have their accounts hacked as a result of a single incident, although it can happen. Many times, people use the same username and password on multiple websites. One of those websites gets hacked and the hacker has access to your password. They then enter it into multiple popular websites, such as Facebook, Instagram , and others, and then find out if they have access to your login details or if they need answers to your security questions. If you do and you’ve participated in online games and quizzes, they have your frequently asked questions and can hack your account.
The simplest way to protect yourself is to simply not play these games or take these quizzes. You should also never authorize other websites to access your social media profile. You should use a unique and strong password on every service. You should also use two-factor authentication on every service that supports it.
Many experts also recommend using fake answers to security questions. If your first child’s name is Panagiotis, answer George to the security question. If your mother’s name is Aspasia, use Maria. Yes, it’s more information to remember, but it’s very important to avoid being scammed by hackers.
Make the decision of the year, to browse the internet with greater security. Happy New Year!
