Hacker Warns of Over Sharing on Social Media

Think you’re playing it safe online? You use secure passwords, have the latest security features and don’t click on red flag phishing emails. But according to one elite hacker, in spite of all the extra efforts you make, you could still be leaving yourself open to getting hacked if you overshare on social media.

Etay Maor, an executive security adviser at IBM Security (and ethical hacker) reveals hacking secrets and how “profiling” victims on social media pays out. “It’s not just sensitive personal data like phone numbers, credit card numbers, and addresses that you should avoid sharing online, Maor suggests, but also seemingly harmless information like mother’s maiden name or your pet’s name.”

These are the details a two-factor authentication will need when it asks secondary questions to verify identity. If a quick scan on your Facebook site reveals your mother’s maiden name and your dog’s name then the answers aren’t so tough to come by.

“Today, people are writing about everything,” said Maor, who studies cyber criminal tactics on the dark web to help clients better protect themselves by understanding how hackers work. “They’re putting everything online, and then they get mad at you if you don’t read it.”

Another area he recommends avoiding is when companies ask for more information then they need. Did you know a doctor will still treat you if you don’t hand over your social security number? Think twice before forking over unnecessary information. Health care companies are breached at a high rate.

In Texas alone, seven hospitals were hit recently on the same weekend and Capital One was hit earlier last week with a data breach that impacted 100 million customers in the US and Canada.  Information such as names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, the social security numbers of 140,000 customers, and the bank account numbers of 80,000 customers were stolen. Ouch!

Another area is App permissions. Don’t give out personal information to third party apps.

“We don’t look at it anymore, we just click next,” said Maor. “So we need to pay attention to these things.”

If you need assistance with cybersecurity contact DarkHound SecOps at [email protected].

Image Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-laptop-computer-with-both-hands-2036656/