This month’s news round-up centres on social media. We all interact with the various platforms on a regular basis, so it is no surprise to see cyber criminals targeting them more and more. Another Facebook data breach, plus the misuse of LinkedIn and TikTok… You’ll find all this and more in your regular feature: Cyber Security News April 2021.
Facebook data breach & a tool to check who was affected
Earlier in the month, it was reported that there had been a data breach on Facebook. Soon after, the BBC featured this story on a tool designed to help people detect if they were affected. If you are concerned, use the ‘Have I Been Pwned’ online tool to verify whether or not your email or phone number have been compromised. The details of over 530 million people were leaked, and whilst Facebook assure the data is from an “old” breach in 2019, privacy watchdogs are investigating.
Top Tip: Protect your information on social media
There are few among us who do not have at least one social media account, and statistics on usage make for an eye-opening read. We Are Social teamed up with Hootsuite to produce a report showing that social media users now number 3.8 billion. So what can you do to protect your information?
- Do not over share on posts or provide personal details
- Consider limiting the audience on your posts and do not make them public
- Revisit your settings to limit sharing and tracking of your information
- Reduce the details in your profile
- Be careful when adding family members
Our cyber security experts can offer in-depth guidance for organisations when it comes to safeguarding against social media threats. Your company profiles are also targets, so it is vital that you are aware of the dangers. Contact us for more information.
LinkedIn used to source secrets
This story was based around an MI5 announcement about the misuse of another social media platform. It seems that around 10,000 UK nationals have encountered fake profiles over the last five years. Upon accepting these connections, many may have then unwittingly shared secrets with hostile parties.
Worrying viral trend on TikTok
Finally, we wrap up Cyber Security News April 2021 with this story about another social platform being misused. Some TikTok users have discovered a loophole allowing for the posting of pornographic and violent videos as their profile pictures. The “Don’t search this up” craze has nearly 50 million views, prompting TikTok to now delete the videos and ban hashtags used to promote the profiles.