April 23, 2020
https://triblive.com/local/regional/social-media-games-can-open-the-door-to-cyber-crime/
I chose this article due to the increased amount of social media usage as a way to stay connected at home in the wake of the pandemic. I will say, as a said note, it has gotten increasingly difficult to find articles that do not reference the state of the world right now but, I digress. The FBI is warning that the social media games so people may be engaging in online could be benefiting identity thieves.
According to the article, there has been a trend on Facebook to post your high school graduation pictures as a gesture of support for the Class of 2020. Those who are sharing these images with their ‘friends’ may also, unknowingly, be sharing the name of their school, the year they graduated and their high school mascot; all of this can be gathers just from one high school graduation picture. Due to these all being common security retrieval questions for password-protected online accounts, hackers can use this newfound information to reset security questions and gain access to those accounts. They go to mention that while a lot of these trends are in good fun and a great way to stay connected with friends, you should watch out if it involves posting your first car, the name of your first pet, the street you grew up on or tagging your mother that could reveal her maiden name. This becomes a harboring ground for cybercriminals to possible hack your account, take the information, and sell it on the dark web.
What can be taken away from this is to be careful what you post while staying connected at home. It is a great time to share stories of high school along with your pictures to help reminisce, however do not post too much information. Maybe stray away from telling any details that you know align with any security codes. Though this is not the first thing to come to your mind, pay attention for right now.
Carri Writes 