by Lia Sestric / © 2016, GOBankingRates.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Whether you got a new job, new digs or just want to post a cool selfie, chances are you’ve shared what you’ve been up to on social media. Communication channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram make sharing information fast and easy.
Sharing what you’re doing might sound innocent, but your friends and followers aren’t the only ones paying attention. Social media hackers are also taking interest in your updates to see what they can exploit. Something as simple as sharing your phone number with a friend on Facebook could be used by hackers.
“Once information is posted to a social networking site, it is no longer private,” said Efrat Cohen, a private investigator and an identity theft risk management specialist with Global Intelligence Consultants. “The more information you post, the more vulnerable you may become. Even when using high security settings, friends or websites may inadvertently leak your information.”
Playing it safe
Here’s a list of things you should never share on social media:
You wouldn’t broadcast your phone number to complete strangers, so why would you share it on social media? Although you might think you’re just innocently sharing with friends, hackers want your number, too.
According to Jeff Bernstein of T&M Protection Resources, hackers want phone numbers because they are unique identifiers that typically last a long time. “Obtaining a target’s phone number provides an attacker with a platform to obtain additional information about the user targeted and to launch further attacks against the user and also others from within their trusted social networks.”
“Addresses may be leveraged by attackers to create more convincing and effective phishing schemes that can ultimately lead to identity theft, credit card fraud and other misuses that usually deal a costly blow to the end user compromised,” Bernstein said.
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