How Social Media Can Put You at Risk

Social media has become increasingly popular over the years. It is estimated that over 4 billion people have their own social media profiles. However, that number is sure to have increased as more users sign up to social media websites every single day.

The world is moving further into the digital age, and this means that many people are new to social media and only just getting to grips with it. Don’t be fooled though, there are some extreme risks that you could face on your social media profiles if you’re not careful.

Cybercrime is a prominent element of social media, and many hackers use social media to get the upper hand on their victims. If you want to stay safe on social media, keep reading to find out more about the dangers you can expect to find, but you should always keep your social media profiles private, and you’ll see exactly why further below.

Why Social Media is Dangerous to Your Security

Social media platforms have a lot of our personal information. From our phone numbers to locations and photos of us. Any of these elements could put you at risk of being targeted by cybercriminals.

Most social media platforms allow us to make our profiles private. This is a great feature as it hides our information and activity from potential criminals. If your profile is not set to private, you could be at risk. However, hackers are always able to find ways into social media profiles, even if they are set to private. This can either be done through someone who knows you personally, or one of your friends that has been hacked.

Your friends and family might not be taking the same precautions that you are. This means that even if your profile is secure, it could still be at risk of being hacked. It is important to stay vigilant at all times and keep your social media accounts as secure as possible.

If your social media profile has been compromised, your information could be at risk of being stolen by hackers. They go after very specific private information. They will look for phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and other information you might not expect. Below we will be exploring some other ways that cybercriminals can use information from social media to their advantage.

What Can Cybercriminals do With Information From Social Media?

Your social media profiles contain a lot of valuable information that cybercriminals can use against you. If you’re not careful you could become the victim of a cybercrime simply by not taking proper care of where your information goes.

Some social media users put all of their personal information on their social media profiles which is extremely dangerous. This basic information can give a cybercriminal the opportunity to commit crimes such as identity theft and fraud. Some cybercriminals will even sell your information to companies or on the dark web for a high price.

Many people have their date of birth displayed on their social media profiles. However, this can be a mistake for some people who tend to use their date of birth in their passwords. A cybercriminal would be able to hack into your account if they can figure out your password. For many, the date of birth passwords work because it’s easier to remember, and cybercriminals know this.

Even posting innocent images or messages on your profile can be dangerous. For example, you might post a picture of your pet and include its name. One of the most common security questions to reset a password is the name of a pet. You would essentially be giving a cybercriminal free access to your account and allowing them to change your password which would lock you out of your account.

Cybercriminals can also use social media websites to gauge where your interests lie. This would allow them to send you targeted phishing emails based on things that you are interested in. Phishing scams are one of the most common forms of cybercrime. For example, if you are a big football fan, a hacker could send you an email promoting a new football fantasy sports platform, urging you to click on a link to sign up.

However, the link in the email will take you to a fake website that is rigged with a keylogger. Any information you type into the website will be copied and given to the hacker. The link could also prompt malicious software to be downloaded on your device. Malicious software, also known as malware, is extremely dangerous and can range from viruses to spyware and even ransomware.

How to Keep Your Social Media Profiles Secure

Keeping your social media accounts secure is one of the most important steps you need to take in order to prevent becoming the victim of a cyberattack. However, many people overlook this aspect of social media, and they pay the price for it.

The first thing you can do to protect your social media accounts is to set them private. Having a private account will prevent people outside of your connections from seeing your profile and your personal information.

You must ensure to only accept friend requests from people that you know. Cybercriminals can sometimes set up fake profiles to tempt you into accepting their friend requests so that they can see your profile and get a hold of your personal information.

Oftentimes this is not enough though. Phishing scams can come in many different forms, and hackers can use them to steal your passwords and break into your accounts. While you might not fall for one of these, it’s important to remember that this can come from anywhere! One of your friends might have fallen for one of these scams. While the cybercriminal has access to their account they might be sending you malicious links through messages.

You’re much more likely to interact with these links if they are coming from a friend. However, you should always double-check the links beforehand to make sure that they are legit. If you click on the link and it requires you to sign in or type in any personal information, it’s always best to exit the page and leave it alone.