What You Share on Social Media Can (and Probably Will) be Used Against You
What You Share on Social Media Can (and Probably Will) be Used Against You
Be careful what you post.
Sharing your life with your friends, loved ones, and even stranger on social media is something that most of us do. It has become normal. However, sharing even the most mundane details of your life could have serious repercussions.
As I was scrolling through Twitter this morning, I came across a video shared by Rachel Tobac, an ethical hacker and CEO of SocialProof Security, in which she hacks a reporter to show how easily the information you post online can be used against you.
If you have five minutes, you should watch it as it’s eye-opening for anyone who doesn’t concern themselves with privacy and cybersecurity.
I sent this clip to a handful of friends - mostly non-techies - and the responses were, primarily, shock and surprise about how easy the things they post on social media can be used against them.
Now before you go and delete your Instagram account and stop posting on Facebook (like I did), here are some best practices you can follow to reduce the chance of getting hacked using the information you post online.
Disable geotagging on your social media posts
Stop posting your birthday online
Avoid mentioning who you bank with and what services you use
Post as little personal information as possible
Delete old posts that contain potentially valuable information
Enable additional phone authentication levels with service providers you use (where it’s being provided)
Just following a few of these tips reduce the chance of a successful social engineering attack from ruining your day.
Talk to you soon!
Peace, Love & Anarchy,
Alex Lielacher