Check Point said if one gets an email asking one to change their password, even if they have not requested it, the first impulse is to click on the link and reset.
“This is dangerous, as it can give the cybercriminal access to your entire account. To avoid this, you should go directly to the social media platform’s page (don’t click on the link in the email) and renew your password from the same page (and then do the same for other accounts where you have the same password).”
Check Point said cyber criminals often use links to redirect users to malicious sites.
“These links can come in the form of an innocent looking email or SMS. If you receive such a link, the best way to protect yourself is to go to the site in question, via your usual browser, and check for any messages there, rather than clicking on a link in an unsolicited email or text message.”
Check Point said another trick that attackers use to steal one’s data is to change a URL to make it look like the genuine article.
“Using this technique, hackers can get a user to visit a website they believe to be trustworthy, such as their Facebook page where they are then asked to change their password, to redirect them to a cloned website so that they can steal as much information as they like.”
To avoid falling for these scams, Check Point advises that one cheques the URLs that one is accessing, making sure that the website has an SSL security certificate.
“If it does have a security certificate you will see the letter “s” in the address bar. So, it should read: https://.
“Thanks to this technology, any confidential information sent between two systems is protected and this prevents cybercriminals from being able to access the data being transferred, including information that could be considered personal.”
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Ways to protect your personal information on social media
Image: 123RF
Sharing personal information, responding to unsolicited password reset emails, indiscriminately clicking any link and not checking URLs are all mistakes that can lead to one’s social media accounts being hacked.
Check Point Software Technologies, a software company, warned about these common mistakes on Wednesday ahead of the World Social Media Day on Thursday.
Check Point said sharing personal information is a common and dangerous mistake that happens every day on social networks.
“Cyber criminals are, first and foremost, looking to steal your personal information. Armed with this data they can then launch multiple phishing campaigns or even steal your cash.
“If we add to this, the fact that most people will use the same login details for different social media platforms, stealing credentials from one, gives hackers potential access to all of your social media accounts.”
Check Point said one must not share personal data and that one uses different passwords to minimise the damage if one were to become the victim of an attack.
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Check Point said if one gets an email asking one to change their password, even if they have not requested it, the first impulse is to click on the link and reset.
“This is dangerous, as it can give the cybercriminal access to your entire account. To avoid this, you should go directly to the social media platform’s page (don’t click on the link in the email) and renew your password from the same page (and then do the same for other accounts where you have the same password).”
Check Point said cyber criminals often use links to redirect users to malicious sites.
“These links can come in the form of an innocent looking email or SMS. If you receive such a link, the best way to protect yourself is to go to the site in question, via your usual browser, and check for any messages there, rather than clicking on a link in an unsolicited email or text message.”
Check Point said another trick that attackers use to steal one’s data is to change a URL to make it look like the genuine article.
“Using this technique, hackers can get a user to visit a website they believe to be trustworthy, such as their Facebook page where they are then asked to change their password, to redirect them to a cloned website so that they can steal as much information as they like.”
To avoid falling for these scams, Check Point advises that one cheques the URLs that one is accessing, making sure that the website has an SSL security certificate.
“If it does have a security certificate you will see the letter “s” in the address bar. So, it should read: https://.
“Thanks to this technology, any confidential information sent between two systems is protected and this prevents cybercriminals from being able to access the data being transferred, including information that could be considered personal.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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