What is the name of your favorite movie? What is the name of your favorite pet? What is your favorite food? Most of you reading this article will probably recognize these questions from a part of your favorite quiz found on social media. While these questions at first seem harmless, they are often used in malicious ways.
One of the most common things people do on social media is fill out different quizzes that pop up on their timelines. These quizzes are often meant to help you discover what character of your favorite series you are, or maybe it's to see how well people know you. However, did you know that these questions are also found somewhere else? These questions are often basic security questions used to protect some of your most precious information.
Remember back when you were creating your online banking account, or your latest email address? These questions are the same ones that are used by those sources to help protect the security of your account. If you forget your password, some of the questions they ask you are the same as the ones you willingly answered on your social media account just moments ago.
Bad guys take the information found in these quizzes and use them to break into your accounts. This form of hacking is called Social Engineering and it is the most basic of all hacking techniques. This technique requires you to know a lot of personal information on your target. Hackers will create these quizzes or surveys as a way to bait unsuspecting victims into willingly providing information about themselves. Once that information is known, it is easy for the hacker to combine it with an email address in order to reset the password and gain access to the account.
Social Media profiles have a ton of personal information. Therefore, it is a prime target for hackers to gain vital information from you. A lot of people have already given enough information for their accounts to be hacked at this very second. It is important to regularly update your passwords and security questions. Take advantage of accounts when they offer security tools such as two-factor authentication. Most importantly, be aware of the information you are providing and where it is going.
